Water - Did You Know?
Scarcity, Seizures, and Solutions
Hi friends,
All across America, water has always been a lifeline. We’ve taken it for granted.
In recent years, the balance between who controls water and who needs water has tilted in alarming directions. Instead of protecting human access to drinking water and agriculture, policies and projects increasingly divert this resource toward industrial ventures, sprawling urban developments, and even recreational or speculative use. For many communities, water scarcity is no longer a distant risk — it is a daily reality.
Yet awareness seems rare. Despite the stakes, public awareness remains surprisingly low—especially among urban utilities and industrial developers who treat water as a bottom-line commodity rather than a shared necessity. Many citizens aren’t yet aware of the growing threats to their local water supply, let alone how to fight back.
Be informed. Be engaged.
Talk to your neighbors, local officials, and water utility boards.
Demand transparency around who gets water and how decisions are made.
Support conservation measures that protect long-standing human and agricultural access.
Speak out when projects threaten local rights—even if the project claims to be for “public good.”
This is our land, our water! Let’s fight to keep it.
Read on and stay tuned for more.
First, a quick note to my fellow Texans:
There are 17 constitutional amendments on the November ballot. Not all are good, but I certainly support this one, and I hope this Substack post is helpful in making your decision. More details here.
Texas Proposition 4 – Water Infrastructure Amendment
This November, Texans will vote on Proposition 4, a constitutional amendment born from House Joint Resolution 7, a bipartisan effort, which passed both the House and Senate with overwhelming support, to address one of Texas’ most pressing infrastructure challenges: water.
The amendment would dedicate a portion of state sales tax revenue to the Texas Water Fund, ensuring permanent support for long-term solutions. No new taxes, just smarter use of what we already have.
The Legislature backed it with overwhelming support after leaders struck a landmark deal: a $2.5 billion upfront investment, plus $1 billion per year for the next 10 years. Now it’s up to voters to make it law. Secretary of State Jane Nelson just drew the ballot order, and Proposition 4 is officially on the November ballot.
Scarcity and Shifting Priorities
Across much of the United States, but especially in Texas, Nevada, and California, the story is the same: reservoirs at risk, aquifers dropping, and new proposals for massive water projects that serve distant populations. While families and farmers face restrictions, water is often funneled to industry, power plants, urban developers, and recreational facilities.
Examples abound:
Ranchers and rural counties are forced to fight eminent domain for projects like Marvin Nichols Reservoir, which would flood tens of thousands of acres of farms, ranches, wetlands, wildlife, and timber. It would decimate whole communities.
In Nevada, the Baker Ranches v. National Park Service lawsuit underscores how even senior water rights decreed nearly a century ago can be undermined by federal diversions within Great Basin National Park.
Elsewhere, new lithium and hydrogen projects propose consuming millions of gallons of water, while farmers are told to cut irrigation.
The message is unmistakable: urban growth and industrial agendas are being placed above local, human needs.
Eminent Domain: Water as a Tool for Land Grabs
Water projects increasingly provide the legal cover for seizures of private land that involve the taking of family farms, ranchland, and even cemeteries through eminent domain. Ranchers in Nevada and Colorado face federal obstruction of water infrastructure on lands they have managed for generations.
The abuse is twofold: not only is water diverted from local use, but the projects themselves often serve distant beneficiaries — urban centers or industrial players hundreds of miles away. Local communities bear the cost, while outsiders reap the benefits.
This trend turns “water scarcity” into a justification for government power grabs. Instead of prioritizing human access, federal and state agencies leverage scarcity as an excuse to expand control. And that’s not all. Sometimes the government gives eminent domain authority to the entities that want the water. What happened to conflict of interest?
Industrial and Commercial Misuse
Beyond reservoirs, industrial and recreational demands consume staggering amounts of water:
Large manufacturing operations, from semiconductor fabs to “green” hydrogen hubs, require billions of gallons annually.
Recreational facilities, including massive water parks, lagoons, and resorts consume millions of gallons per month — while local residents face usage restrictions.
Carbon capture pipelines and compressor stations, such as those in U.N.earthing the CO2 Pipeline, need continuous (yes, 24/7/365) water access for cooling, with priority over nearby farms and communities.
These uses are rarely framed as trade-offs, but they should be. When water is scarce, does it make sense to prioritize industrial experiments and entertainment over human drinking water and farming, producing food?
Toward Solutions: Conservation Without Overreach
The crisis does not have to end in confiscation or scarcity-driven control. States and communities can pursue smarter options that protect both human needs and private property:
Fixing Leaks and Losses
Much of U.S. water infrastructure is outdated. Leaks in municipal systems waste billions of gallons annually — more than some proposed reservoirs would ever supply.Tiered Pricing and Efficiency Standards
Ensuring that industrial users pay fair rates, rather than subsidized bulk access, would discourage waste and encourage investment in recycling technologies.Local Conservation Ordinances
Cities like Bastrop, Texas, have experimented with ordinances limiting outdoor watering and incentivizing drought-tolerant landscaping. Properly tailored, such measures can reduce strain without infringing property rights.Aquifer Recharge and Managed Storage
Instead of flooding private lands for new reservoirs, states can expand aquifer recharge projects that store excess water underground during wet years for use in droughts.Transparency and Accountability
Communities must demand open disclosure of water allocations. When governments negotiate sweetheart deals with industrial users, citizens should know — and push back.
The Bottom Line
The American promise is supposed to be that private property is secure, and that government power has limits. Water, however, has become one of the most effective excuses for governments and corporations to stretch those limits — using eminent domain, regulatory maneuvers, and federal exemptions to take what has long belonged to American landowners.
If we are to safeguard both liberty and survival, water policy must return to first principles:
Human needs first.
Local communities before distant cities.
Conservation before confiscation.
The fight is not only about streams and reservoirs. It is about whether Americans retain the right to live and thrive on their land, or whether water becomes the next lever of unchecked government control.
Sources
Nevada Supreme Court decision (Sullivan v. Baker Ranches, 2025)
Texas Public Policy Foundation – “Tight Grid Conditions in April and May Highlight the Risk of Soaring Electric Bills for Texans”
CitizenPortal – “Federal court ruling threatens Nevada water rights near Great Basin National Park”
Disclaimer:
This publication represents the perspective of a concerned citizen and advocate for property rights, constitutional governance, and community awareness. It is provided for educational and informational purposes only. The content is based on publicly available sources and is presented as analysis and opinion, not as legal, financial, or professional advice.
No assertion is made of unlawful conduct by any individual, company, or government entity unless supported by formal public records or verified legal documents. The views expressed are my own and are intended to encourage public discussion and informed civic engagement.
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United we stand. Divided we fall. We must not let America fall.
VoteTexas.gov, https://www.votetexas.gov/get-involved/index.html
Until next time…
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