Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
the Tampa Bay Water Wars that dragged on? Then one day, the gods
tempered their stances and agreed to compromise, or so it seemed to
outsiders. Perhaps the water war and those who orchestrated it—read
that “warred over the issues”—had another real strategy. Says Orlando
water attorney Roger Sims, “There's a strategy of fi ghting and putting
off the inevitable and saving a lot of money by not investing in alter-
native supplies any sooner than you must. I think that was part of the
deal. At least that's the rumor.”
Sound a bit fi shy? Unfortunately, it's not. It's part of the reality
swirling around water no matter where you live.
T. Boone Pickens, Texas billionaire oilman and energy czar,
could be another of the water elite. He's touting an alternative
energy plan that utilizes wind for power. It's a great idea, but some
think Pickens' motives go well beyond energy. He's also head of
Mesa Water, a small company in the Texas Panhandle with big plans
to transport hundreds of thousands of acre-feet—tens of billions of
gallons—of water via pipeline from the Ogallala aquifer to parched
north-central Texas or San Antonio. Mesa Water's web site pro-
claims, “Mesa Water is ready to sell water to communities that don't
have enough for the future” (http://mesawater.com).
WATER AND LAND DEVELOPMENT
Water is a simple formula: H
2
O equals two molecules of hydrogen
and one of oxygen. However, its disbursement can be a complicated
equation. And, where there's complicated confusion, there are
savvy investors who have learned to capitalize. One of the com-
panies that retired tax attorney Robert A. Lembke helms is The
Bromley Companies, LLC, a Denver-based real estate developer
and water seller. “A key factor in developing land is water,” the com-
pany touts on its web site. Lembke and his company develop and
sell property along Colorado's Front Range, which includes met-
ropolitan Denver. He's on a number of boards involved in water
and, according to his web site, wields water power with more than
5,000 acre-feet of water (more than 1.6 billion gallons) in an often-
parched landscape. For developers large or small with a need for
water, he's the go-to guy in an area where the resource and rights
to it can be scarce. Of course, the water comes at a price. “At least
