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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Population growth in the arid and semiarid regions |
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of the United States is expanding at a rate that far exceeds the |
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growth rate in other parts of the nation, yet it is this same region |
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where water sources will or have become limited in their capacity to |
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sustain future population growth; and |
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WHEREAS, Traditional approaches to meeting growing water |
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demand in urban areas require exploitation of surface and |
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subsurface resources to the maximum extent possible, but these |
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approaches are becoming increasingly costly in terms of both the |
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financial resources required and the environmental impact; and |
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WHEREAS, Future growth and development of urban areas will |
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require cost-effective solutions that provide sustainable water |
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supplies without associated negative environmental impacts; the |
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development of supplies also will require collaborative efforts |
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among all of the communities, organizations, and institutions that |
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have a stake in the region's well-being; and |
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WHEREAS, Because Texas is blessed with a diverse geography |
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and climate, ranging from water-rich lowlands in the southeast |
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coastal plain to desert high country in the west, where water supply |
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issues confront not only Texas communities but similarly situated |
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communities in the Southwestern United States and several northern |
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Mexican states such as Chihuahua and Coahuila, the state is |
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well-positioned to take a leadership role in vital research, |
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education, and knowledge transfer in the area of sustainable water |
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supply development; and |
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WHEREAS, One avenue toward such a leadership role would be |
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the creation of the proposed Sustainable Water Supply Research |
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Center (SWATS) at The University of Texas at Arlington, which, as |
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currently envisioned, would focus on the pressing issue of |
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maintaining a viable water supply for the foreseeable future in |
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Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, Involving the various stakeholders, the center |
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would provide an invaluable platform for collaborative networks and |
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partnerships among agencies of state and local governments, |
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academic researchers, the business and scientific communities, and |
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other interested parties to gather information and achieve the goal |
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of sustainable water supplies; and |
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WHEREAS, Performing advanced and innovative |
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multidisciplinary research into mitigation of the deleterious |
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effects of a diminishing water supply on the economy, communities, |
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and the overall quality of life, the center also would provide |
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students with educational experiences to prepare them for technical |
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and leadership roles in private sector industries, government, and |
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academic research; and |
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WHEREAS, To be headquartered in the Department of Civil and |
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Environmental Engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington's |
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College of Engineering, the center would benefit immediately from |
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an ambitious plan of action that already has laid out specific goals |
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and includes a critical keystone project with a three-year, $20 |
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million budget and a consortium involving the university and Texas' |
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civil engineering community; and |
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WHEREAS, By establishing the SWATS Research Center, Texas |
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would begin to address an issue that will, to a large extent, |
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determine the economic future not only of Texas but of the entire |
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binational region encompassing the Southwestern United States and |
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the bordering Mexican states; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas |
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Legislature hereby express its support for the creation of the |
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Sustainable Water Supply Research Center at The University of Texas |
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at Arlington. |