MINUTES 
          
                   Joint Interim Committee on Water Resources 
                           Development and Management 
                            Thursday, April 23, 1998 
                                     1:30 pm 
                                 UTB/TSC Campus 
          
                                      ***** 
          
         Pursuant to a notice posted in accordance with Senate Rule  
         11.11, a public hearing of the Joint Interim Committee on  
         Water Resources Development and Management was held on  
         Thursday, April 23, 1998, at the UTB/TSC Campus, in  
         Brownsville, Texas.  
          
                                      ***** 
          
         MEMBERS PRESENT:                        MEMBERS ABSENT: 
         Chairman J.E. "Buster" Brown            Senator Ken Armbrister 
         Chairman Ron Lewis                      Senator Carlos Truan 
         Senator Eddie Lucio                     Representative David  
         Counts 
         Senator Jeff Wentworth                  Representative Robert  
         Puente 
         Representative Robert Cook 
         Representative Gary Walker 
                                                  
                                      ***** 
          
         Chairman Brown called the meeting to order at 1:35 pm.  The  
         following business was transacted.   
         Senator Wentworth moved that the Minutes from the previous  
         hearing be adopted.  There being no objection, it was so  
         ordered. 
          
         Opening remarks were made by Chairmen Brown and Lewis, Senator  
         Lucio, Senator Wentworth, Representative Cook, and  
         Representative Walker. 
          
         Chairman Brown explained the committee's interim charges. 
          
         The following testified before the committee: 
          
         Dr. Larry McKinney, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department 
         Don Ouchley, Public Utilities Board 
         Denise Blanchard, Congressman Ortiz's office 
         Ivan Welker, Brownsville Assistant City Manager 
         Dan Pearson, Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission 
         Craig Pedersen, Texas Water Development Board 
         Wayne Halbert, Texas Irrigation Council 
         M.M. Vicars, Brownsville First Organization 
         Glenn Jarvis, South RioGrande Regional Planning Group 
  
         The following registered as witnesses but did not testify  
         before the committee: 
          
         Vance Wilson, Brownsville First Organization 
         Alice Wilson, Brownsville First Organization 
          
         At 4:05 p.m., on a motion by Senator Wentworth, the chair  
         recessed the meeting without objection. 
          
         _________________________________   
         ____________________________________  
         Senator J.E. Brown, Co-Chair  Representative Ron Lewis,  
         Co-Chair 
          
         _________________________________ 
         Carol K. McGarah, Committee Clerk