Water Syposium to be held in Austin Oct. 29th

Water Symposium to be held in Austin As part of the On the Road series of one-day events to be held around the state, the Texas Tribune and its partners are presenting a symposium on October 29 in Austin on the subject of water. This day-long event, set against the backdrop of the worst one-year drought in Texas history, will consider the economics and politics of the state water plan and address the various legal and environmental obstacles to confronting the crisis. Speakers include House Speaker Joe Straus; state Rep. Allan Ritter, R-Nederland, chairman of House Natural Resources Committee; state Sen. Glenn Hegar, R-Katy, vice chairman of the Senate Government Organization Committee; Todd Staples, Texas agriculture commissioner; Carolyn Brittin, deputy executive administrator of the Texas Water Development Board; Andrew Sansom, executive director of the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment; and Laura Huffman, executive director of the Nature Conservancy of Texas. Andrew Sansom will lead off the discussion with a brief historical background presentation titled "How We Got Here." read more