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November 14, 2024

The City of Bryan Sues to Block Out-of-State Interests from Raiding Brazos Valley Water

The City of Bryan has joined forces with The Texas A&M University System, Brazos County, and the City of College Station to file a formal protest with the State Office of Administrative Hearings and a lawsuit in state district court, aiming to prevent an out-of-state entity from depleting the essential water resources of the Brazos Valley.

This past Friday, Nov. 8, several Robertson County property owners, including UW Brazos Valley Farm LLC, filed a motion for summary judgement regarding this same lawsuit seeking to avoid having to prove that their export of water will not cause large increases in local water rates and deprive local water providers of water for growth.

San Francisco-based Upwell LLC, which is backed by over $1 billion in capital from New York and Wall Street investors, is pursuing permits to extract up to 100,000 acre-feet of water annually from the Simsboro Aquifer, a critical water source for communities, agriculture, and institutions in the Brazos Valley. This amount of water is equivalent to over two times the amount of currently used annually by the cities of Bryan, Calvert, College Station, Franklin, and Hearne – COMBINED.

In pursuing these water claims, the City of Bryan has concern for the long-term sustainability of water in the Brazos Valley. Ideally, all parties prioritize conservation, while developing gradual ramp up water use plans, and thereby, better manage this valuable natural resource for local agriculture, area residents, and the Brazos Valley’s future. Water users of all type should consider the possibility of water shortages in the Brazos Valley to ensure the sustainability of local agriculture, industry, and residential water services.

“Our community has worked diligently to protect and manage these water resources,” states Mayor Bobby Gutierrez. “We hope other public and private water users, such as Upwell, are committed to conserving Brazos Valley’s water resources, including water in the Simsboro Aquifer.”

 
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