Are The Rich Wasting Our Precious Texas Water ?

Most of us know that Texas is once again in a drought. Cities in north Texas have placed restrictions on the use of water in an effort to conserve water. Some cities are even issuing fines for wasting water. Texans understand this, and are usually pretty good about cooperating with conservation efforts. That is, most Texans are. But the rich folks seem to think they're an exception.

Upscale city, Highland Park, located in northern Dallas County, is trying to get its residents to cut back on using water. The average Dallas home uses about 8,300 gallons of water in a month. The average Highland Park home uses about 27,000 gallons of water each month, and some living there use far more than that. Recently, the city of Highland Park sent letters to their top twenty water users, asking them to make more of an effort to conserve. Here are the top ten water users, with the amount of monthly usage:

1. Harlan Crow [7.7 acres]....................1,805,000 gallons
2. Trammell Crow [6.1 acres]....................1,111,000 gallons
3. Dallas Country Club [56.1 acres]....................913,000 gallons
4. Edwin Cox [6.6 acres]....................883,000 gallons
5. Jerry Jones [4.7 acres]....................512,000 gallons
6. United Methodist Church [4.3 acres]....................460,000 gallons
7. Crestpark Inc. [3.5 acres]....................418,000 gallons
8. Flippen Park [1.8 acres]....................378,000 gallons
9. William Duvall [0.7 acres]....................331,000 gallons
10. Bradfield Elementary [5.7 acres]....................326,000 gallons

For a state in the midst of a drought, these are shocking figures. One rich user here, is using enough to supply water to over 217 average Dallas homes. Do the rich have the right to use as much water as they can pay for? Highland Park homeowners do pay a 30% surcharge for using more than 12,000 gallons, but that has little effect on water usage. These people can afford it.

But can the citizens of Texas afford this? There is a limited amount of water in Texas, and our population is steadily growing. If Texas was a water-rich state, this would not matter, but it's not. As Texans, we are all in this together. Texas needs to rethink the way we use water. Are lawns really necessary? Can we afford to allow one user to take enough water for 217 homes? Is conservation only for the poor and middle-class?

This is not a matter of money. The rich do pay for the water they use. It is a question of availability. There must be clean water available for all Texans. The rich have no more right to water than any other Texans.