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Paso area, the High Plains, the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and Waco areas, the San Antonio Area, and the metropolitan Houston area," Substantial Urban Growth Creating Higher Economic Valued Uses For Water * The Lower Rio Grande Valley is a prime example of where this element is occurring. The Lower Rio Grande Valley court case decision allocated certain water rights to cities, however, due to rapid population growth, city growth subsequently exceeded the original allocation. Consequently, a number of Valley cities purchased or leased agricultural rights to provide additional municipal water supplies. Based on the 1990 State Water Plan and the methodology it employed, the following river basins were predicted to have significant anticipated growth rates for municipal water needs: 6Min 2000 lac-ttl 2040 lac-tt) % Change Bank Page # San Antonio River 359754 688959 91.51% 1 3-44 Nueces -Rio Grande 279524 . 531778 90.24% 2 3-51 Rio Grande 277516 474030 70.81% 3 3-48 Brazos 417488 657865 57.57% 4 3-36 Other conclusions and recommendations from the Kaiser and Boadu report regarding water marketing as a water management tool, include the following observations: "Water marketing is a viable management strategy for Texas. Other states that use water marketing find that it: (1) can provide water to growing cities; (2) is a tool for managing drought; (3) promotes the efficient use of water; (4) promotes water conservation; (5) provides water for environmental and recreational nBBds and uses; (6) offers an alternative to new reservoir constructIon; and (7) promotes politIcal harmony among stakeholders, " 10 "A viable water market exists in the Lower Rio Grande Valley controlled by a unique set of legal rules, water conditions, and population growth pattems. These conditions are not currently replicable in other river basins. Until the conditions necessary for the development of water markets exist in other river basins, the opportunity for water marketing is limited. ." "Texas ground water law permits the sale of water but does not encourage the marketing of ground water. The rule of absolute ownership or capture does not promote certainty, consistency and predictability in determining the amount of water that can be marketed. Further, ground water law does not guarantee to the seller nor the purchaser exclusivity and enforceability of a right to a mBBsured amount of water. The only amount of water that can be guaranteed is that amount which can be captured." 12 "Texas Water Development Board, Data-Collection Programs of the Hydrologic Monitoring Section for Fiscal Years 1992 and 1993, pp. 1-3, March 1994, Document No. LP-213. 10 Kaiser and Boadu, op. cil., p. ii. 11 'b'd .. I I ., p.lI. 12 'b'd .. I I ., p.lI. 8