FYI, for those interested in water issues in the greater Edwards Aquifer/San Antonio area.
Geary Edwards Aquifer Philosophical Society - aka brown bag luncheon Wednesday, August 4, 2010 at 11:55 AM Conference Room Edwards Aquifer Authority 1615 N. St. Mary's Street, San Antonio, TX We are pleased to announce that Mr. Charles Porter, Author and Adjunct Professor at St. Edwards University, will be making a presentation titled Tales of the Common Pool, Unintended Consequences. The presentation will be held on Wednesday, August 4, 2010 at 11:55 AM, at the Edwards Aquifer Authority Conference Room. These are informal presentations so please feel free to bring your lunch. For directions or further information, the Authority may be contacted at 210-222-2204 or www.edwardsaquifer.org<http://www.edwardsaquifer.org> Thank you. Geary M. Schindel, P.G. Chief Technical Officer Charles Porter Tales of the Common Pool, Unintended Consequences Abstract The first public water policies in Texas history concerning allocation, rights, and management were made in San Antonio by the Spanish settlers beginning in 1709. As the mission era started along the San Antonio River in 1718, water became the practice field and classroom for diverse people to learn how to live together in community. These early Spanish water policies form the foundation for much of our current water law and management practices. As Spanish civil law changed to English common law after the adoption of the Constitution of 1840, water morphed from Spanish water, a natural resource available to everyone free of charge to Anglo water, a commodity to be bought and sold by those able to afford it. San Antonio's acequia system, eventually comprising some 50 miles in combined length, became the first municipal water system in the future United States. As the city grew, the acequias became a source of water borne diseases such as the dreaded cholera. After the Mexican War of 1848, and especially after the Civil War, San Antonio's population growth completely overwhelmed the old open-ditch system of water delivery prompting the city to contract with a private company, the San Antonio Water Works Company, to install the first underground pipe water infrastructure to deliver water from the river to the citizens and businesses at their doorstep. George W. Brackenridge, owner of San Antonio National Bank, the first nationally chartered bank in the city, eventually became the controlling shareholder and President of the new water company. By 1890, the river ceased to have the capacity to provide enough "pure" water for the burgeoning population. In order to comply with the city contract, Brackenridge drilled the first deep wells into the Edward's Aquifer. Although the first few wells he drilled were inadequate, in 1891, two powerful artesian wells were successfully drilled by Brackenridge's contractor, M. C. Judson. Brackenridge's wells fulfilled the obligations under the city contract, but with many unintended consequences, especially for his own homestead property. By 1920, over 120 deep wells had been drilled into the aquifer by the water works company and other businesses and individuals. My presentation will examine the history of water rights and management in San Antonio from 1709 to 1902, from eyewitness descriptions of the breathtaking beauty of the living springs, through all the years of conflict and controversy over water, finishing with a discussion of some of the challenges which we face today as an undeclared water "war" between rural and urban interests brews. In the words of David Weber of Southern Methodist University, "water doesn't run downhill, it runs towards money." Biography Charles R. Porter is an adjunct professor at St. Edward's University, Austin, Texas and is a testifying expert in water rights, real estate, and construction nationwide. At St. Edward's he teaches Water Workshops, Cultural Foundation courses such as Global Issues in Water, Capstone (justice in public policy controversies), American Experience, American Dilemmas, and all types of History courses. His book on Spanish water law in Texas, Spanish Water/Anglo Water has recently been released by Texas A&M University Press. He teaches core and continuing education courses for the Texas Real Estate Commission and the course he authored Water Rights for Texas Agents won the award for Best Ethics Continuing Education Program in the state in 2008. He is the recipient of the 2009 Robert Weddle Award given by the Texas Catholic Historical Society for his article published in Catholic Southwest, "Querétaro in Focus: the Franciscan Missionary Colleges and the Texas Missions."
