Charles W. Stenholm: “I want to speak about a very, very real and growing problem in my district back home dealing with water. In almost any…”

“I want to speak about a very, very real and growing problem in my district back home dealing with water. In almost any part of Texas, drive into a rural area and look for a large pond; and when one finds one, it is likely to have been built, funded and managed through a unique coalition of Federal, State, and local agencies. These projects provide many benefits, including flood control and bettering water quality, but more importantly they improve water availability in areas of perpetual drought. No resource is more crucial than water. There is an increasing need for water as the population and economy continues to grow rapidly. Water shortage problems arise primarily as a result of limited access to supplies and uneven distribution of water resources. It is these small watershed projects that provide many communities the means to maintain a viable water supply and literally keep the community alive. Unfortunately, many of these projects do not always find their way to completion on a smooth road.”