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Tribune"></a></h1> <time datetime="2015-03-16T21:04:48.487448">Monday, March 16, 2015</time> </div> </header> </div> <div class="wrapper content-wrapper"> <div id="site_content" class="content "> <div class="grid"> <div class="cell w-8 main_column"> <article> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150317020449/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/03/13/private-sector-plays-big-role-state-water-planning/">Private Sector Plays a Big Role In State Water Planning</a></h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150317020449/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/neena-satija/">Neena Satija</a></li><li><time datetime="Fri, 13 Mar 2015 06:00:00 -0500" title="2015-03-13 06:00"> March 13, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150317020449/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/03/13/private-sector-plays-big-role-state-water-planning/comments/"><span class="value">11</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <aside> <ul class="social_links"> <li class="comment"> <a href="/web/20150317020449/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/03/13/private-sector-plays-big-role-state-water-planning/comments/" title=""> <i class="icon-comments-alt"></i> <span>Comment</span> </a> </li> <li class="republish"> <a href="/web/20150317020449/http://www.texastribune.org/content/republish/83430/"> <i class="icon-share"></i> <span>Republish</span> </a> </li> <li class="email"> <a href="/web/20150317020449/http://www.texastribune.org/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9ca3efe9fef6f9ffe8a1c8f4f9b9aeacc8f9e4fdefb9aeacc8eef5fee9f2f9a6b9aeaccceef5eafde8f9b9aeaccff9ffe8f3eeb9aeacd4fdefb9aeacd4fdf2f8b9aeX0in%20State%20Water%20Planning&body=I%20read an article%20that%20you%20might%20be%20interested%20in%20at%20The%20Texas%20Tribune:%20Private%20Sector%20Has%20Hand%20in%20State%20Water%20Planning%2C%20by%20Neena Satija.%20http://www.texastribune.org/2015/03/13/private-sector-plays-big-role-state-water-planning/%0DAn%20infusion%20of%20%242%20billion%20into%20Texas%27%20state%20water%20plan%20%26mdash%3B%20once%20a%20little-known%20wish%20list%20of%20water%20projects%20%26mdash%3B%20has%20highlighted%20the%20role%20of%20private%20engineering%20and%20consulting%20firms%2C%20which%20play%20a%20big%20role%20in%20writing%20it.%26nbsp%3B" title="" class="email"> <i class="icon-envelope"></i> <span>Email</span> </a> </li> <li class="twitter"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/http://twitter.com/share?text=Private Sector Plays a Big Role In State Water Planning&url=http://trib.it/1GKrIYv&via=TexasTribune&related=TexasTribune,TribData"> <i class="icon-twitter"></i> <span>Tweet</span> </a> </li> <li class="facebook"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://www.texastribune.org/2015/03/13/private-sector-plays-big-role-state-water-planning/"> <i class="icon-facebook"></i> <span>Recommend</span> </a> </li> </ul> </aside> <div class="content"> <p dir="ltr"><span>Until recently, Texas’ state water plan wasn’t much to look at.</span></p> <p dir="ltr"><span>Essentially a catalog of more than 3,000 water supply projects across the state that some government or another hoped to build, it<strong> </strong>was seen as nothing more than a wish list, compiled from the work of 16 regional planning groups every five years.</span></p> <p style="text-align: left;" dir="ltr"><span>That changed in 2013 when lawmakers — with Texas voters’ </span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/http://www.texastribune.org/2013/11/06/election-results-headline/"><span>approval</span></a><span> — put $2 billion from the state’s savings account toward actually building some of the projects. That also put a </span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/http://www.texastribune.org/2013/08/05/after-water-bill-tiny-state-agency-could-become-mo/"><span>spotlight</span></a><span> on <span>the Texas Water Development Board, </span>a once-obscure agency charged with state water ...</span></p> <p><a id="content_more" href="/web/20150317020449/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/03/13/private-sector-plays-big-role-state-water-planning/" class="more" title="Read full story">Full Story</a></p> </div> </article> <div id="comment_policy"> <header class="smallcaps"> <h1>Comment Policy</h1> </header> <p> The Texas Tribune is pleased to provide the opportunity for you to share your observations about this story. We encourage lively debate on the issues of the day, but we ask that you refrain from using profanity or other offensive speech, engaging in personal attacks or name-calling, posting advertising, or wandering away from the topic at hand. To comment, you must be a registered user of the Tribune, and your user name will be displayed. Thanks for taking time to offer your thoughts. </p> <p class="anonymous_message"> <strong>You must be logged in to leave a comment.</strong> <a href="/web/20150317020449/http://www.texastribune.org/accounts/login/?next=">Login</a> <script> (function(){ var allScripts = document.getElementsByTagName('script'), currentScript = allScripts[allScripts.length - 1], node = currentScript; while (node = node.previousSibling) { if (node.nodeName == "A"){ node.href += document.location.pathname; break; } }; })(); </script> | <a href="/web/20150317020449/http://www.texastribune.org/accounts/register/">Sign-Up</a> </p> </div> <section id="comments_container" class="sidebar_block"> <header> <h1>Comments (11)</h1> </header> <ul class="comments"> <li> <div class="comment_author_image"> </div> <div class="comment_body"> <div class="comment_time"> March 13 @ 9 a.m. </div> <p class="byline"> <span class="author"> DavidV </span> </p> <p class="comment">The e-mail to a TWDB employee that I shared with you on Tuesday, Neena, highlights the problems/issues with having those who are invested in extending and perpetuating the prevailing 19th century infrastructure model determining, or even "helping" to determine, what is worth doing -- and by extension what is not. In that case I was referring to the "best kept secret in the Valley" that it was determined that providing wastewater service to many Hidalgo County colonias with a decentralized concept strategy would have cost about 40% of what it would have cost to provide that service with conventional centralized systems. Yet the "mainstream" -- the consultants who would make much more money doing the conventional centralized systems -- ignored that, and TWDB did not -- and still does not -- ever require the applicant (meaning the consultant it has hired) to demonstrate that it has considered the full range of options for addressing the matter and determined that the one they have chosen for funding is the most cost efficient. What is going on with the state water planning process is simply that problem WRIT LARGE.<br/></p> </div> <div style="clear: both;"></div> </li> <li> <div class="comment_author_image"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000829316784"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449im_/http://graph.facebook.com/100000829316784/picture?type=square"/> </a> </div> <div class="comment_body"> <div class="comment_time"> March 13 @ 10:10 a.m. </div> <p class="byline"> <span class="author"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000829316784">Neil Moyer</a> </span> via <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/https://www.facebook.com/texastribune/posts/10153076946175837">Texas Tribune on Facebook</a> </p> <p class="comment">D'oh......</p> <ul class="actions clearfix"> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/https://www.facebook.com/texastribune/posts/10153076946175837"><span>+</span> Reply</a></li> </ul> </div> <div style="clear: both;"></div> </li> <li> <div class="comment_author_image"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1385633587"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449im_/http://graph.facebook.com/1385633587/picture?type=square"/> </a> </div> <div class="comment_body"> <div class="comment_time"> March 13 @ 10:11 a.m. </div> <p class="byline"> <span class="author"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1385633587">Jay Davis</a> </span> via <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/https://www.facebook.com/texastribune/posts/10153076946175837">Texas Tribune on Facebook</a> </p> <p class="comment">Private firms have a hand in it...*go figure*...and meanwhile our small towns and rural communities get screwed.</p> <ul class="actions clearfix"> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/https://www.facebook.com/texastribune/posts/10153076946175837"><span>+</span> Reply</a></li> </ul> </div> <div style="clear: both;"></div> </li> <li> <div class="comment_author_image"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=701270327"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449im_/http://graph.facebook.com/701270327/picture?type=square"/> </a> </div> <div class="comment_body"> <div class="comment_time"> March 13 @ 10:26 a.m. </div> <p class="byline"> <span class="author"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=701270327">Rick Bentley</a> </span> via <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/https://www.facebook.com/texastribune/posts/10153076946175837">Texas Tribune on Facebook</a> </p> <p class="comment">Money grab with poor results and limited oversight.</p> <ul class="actions clearfix"> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/https://www.facebook.com/texastribune/posts/10153076946175837"><span>+</span> Reply</a></li> </ul> </div> <div style="clear: both;"></div> </li> <li> <div class="comment_author_image"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=640803877"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449im_/http://graph.facebook.com/640803877/picture?type=square"/> </a> </div> <div class="comment_body"> <div class="comment_time"> March 13 @ 10:35 a.m. </div> <p class="byline"> <span class="author"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=640803877">A Lerma Stickelbault</a> </span> via <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/https://www.facebook.com/texastribune/posts/10153076946175837">Texas Tribune on Facebook</a> </p> <p class="comment">they all sleep together. No getting around that good ole boy network.</p> <ul class="actions clearfix"> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/https://www.facebook.com/texastribune/posts/10153076946175837"><span>+</span> Reply</a></li> </ul> </div> <div style="clear: both;"></div> </li> <li> <div class="comment_author_image"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001030310665"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449im_/http://graph.facebook.com/100001030310665/picture?type=square"/> </a> </div> <div class="comment_body"> <div class="comment_time"> March 13 @ 10:57 a.m. </div> <p class="byline"> <span class="author"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001030310665">Bob Atkins</a> </span> via <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/https://www.facebook.com/texastribune/posts/10153076946175837">Texas Tribune on Facebook</a> </p> <p class="comment">Imagine that...we are all shocked. Shocked, and totally surprised by this.</p> <ul class="actions clearfix"> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/https://www.facebook.com/texastribune/posts/10153076946175837"><span>+</span> Reply</a></li> </ul> </div> <div style="clear: both;"></div> </li> <li> <div class="comment_author_image"> </div> <div class="comment_body"> <div class="comment_time"> March 13 @ 11:01 a.m. </div> <p class="byline"> <span class="author"> train </span> </p> <p class="comment">Engineering firms do not go through "competitive bidding" for projects like contractors do. In fact, that is forbidden by law. Instead, they submit their "qualifications." Once a firm is selected - based solely on their qualifications - a contract price is negotiated. But, if they want to be involved in ranking state projects, it would be easy to solve the problem of any potential conflict of interest down the line. If you are a firm involved in the ranking of a state water project - you are ineligible to work on any such state project in the future. Bet you wouldn't be able to find an engineering firm anywhere wanting to help out under those circumstances though. The engineering profession wants to be considered on the same level as the medical and legal professions. But it has not yet bothered to develop as sophisticated a standard of ethics or conflict of interest considerations - because engineering is still primarily a business first, and a profession second. </p> </div> <div style="clear: both;"></div> </li> <li> <div class="comment_author_image"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000032522362"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449im_/http://graph.facebook.com/100000032522362/picture?type=square"/> </a> </div> <div class="comment_body"> <div class="comment_time"> March 13 @ 11:07 a.m. </div> <p class="byline"> <span class="author"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000032522362">Charles Comer</a> </span> via <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/https://www.facebook.com/texastribune/posts/10153076946175837">Texas Tribune on Facebook</a> </p> <p class="comment">Getting a jump on future droughts here, Texas places ownership of water distribution in corporate hands.</p> <ul class="actions clearfix"> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/https://www.facebook.com/texastribune/posts/10153076946175837"><span>+</span> Reply</a></li> </ul> </div> <div style="clear: both;"></div> </li> <li> <div class="comment_author_image"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1039903841"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449im_/http://graph.facebook.com/1039903841/picture?type=square"/> </a> </div> <div class="comment_body"> <div class="comment_time"> March 13 @ 11:25 a.m. </div> <p class="byline"> <span class="author"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1039903841">Alan Brady</a> </span> via <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/https://www.facebook.com/texastribune/posts/10153076946175837">Texas Tribune on Facebook</a> </p> <p class="comment">Giant humidity capture plants by reservoirs to fill them up......</p> <ul class="actions clearfix"> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/https://www.facebook.com/texastribune/posts/10153076946175837"><span>+</span> Reply</a></li> </ul> </div> <div style="clear: both;"></div> </li> <li> <div class="comment_author_image"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1399925636"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449im_/http://graph.facebook.com/1399925636/picture?type=square"/> </a> </div> <div class="comment_body"> <div class="comment_time"> March 13 @ 12:33 p.m. </div> <p class="byline"> <span class="author"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1399925636">Joan Hardy</a> </span> via <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/https://www.facebook.com/texastribune/posts/10153076946175837">Texas Tribune on Facebook</a> </p> <p class="comment">Wondering where the water will come from to fill the pits is another concern that I never hear discussed. State wide water rationing laws that no longer allow 'lawns' to be watered or created would be a good start.</p> <ul class="actions clearfix"> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/https://www.facebook.com/texastribune/posts/10153076946175837"><span>+</span> Reply</a></li> </ul> </div> <div style="clear: both;"></div> </li> <li> <div class="comment_author_image"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001576449690"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449im_/http://graph.facebook.com/100001576449690/picture?type=square"/> </a> </div> <div class="comment_body"> <div class="comment_time"> March 14 @ 7:28 a.m. </div> <p class="byline"> <span class="author"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001576449690">Marie Mohle Diemer</a> </span> via <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/https://www.facebook.com/texastribune/posts/10153076946175837">Texas Tribune on Facebook</a> </p> <p class="comment">Jo Zunker wish list of water projects</p> <ul class="actions clearfix"> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/https://www.facebook.com/texastribune/posts/10153076946175837"><span>+</span> Reply</a></li> </ul> </div> <div style="clear: both;"></div> </li> </ul> </section> </div> <div class=" rail cell w-4 hide-for-medium-down"> <section class="trib_newsletter"> <form action="https://web.archive.org/web/20150317020449/http://texastribune.us3.list-manage2.com/subscribe/post?u=3d0ce87edeeb6df90043897db&id=68501b81bf" method="post" id="mc-embedded-subscribe-form" name="mc-embedded-subscribe-form" class="validate" target="_blank" novalidate> <header> <h2>Sign Up for The Brief</h2> </header> <p>Our daily news summary</p> <div class="mc-field-group nowrap"> <input type="email" value="" name="EMAIL" 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