Belding Farms Wins 2025 Governor’s Texas Environmental Excellence Award for Agriculture
April 9, 2025This West Texas town could lose a vital groundwater source to far-off cities
September 9, 2026GUEST COLUMN: Groundwater resilience in rural Texas must be protected
The Lufkin Daily News
By Ernest H. Cockrell, Belding Farms; Edwin L. Cox Jr., Lochridge Ranch; Peter Way, Way Ranch
(September 20, 2025) — Competition for groundwater in Texas is growing faster than water managers and planners can handle, providing an opportunity for lawmakers to ensure that this critical resource is protected and shared fairly.
Most of the competition is playing out in rural areas of the state, where we have family roots and business enterprises, because that’s where most of the available groundwater is located. The attractiveness of the water — price, quality and ownership — is drawing developers who want to monetize it, often through exports.