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The Daily Texan Serving the University of Texas at Austin community since 1900
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INSIDE
Landscaping team wins award for University Avenue medians.
SPORTS PAGE 6
The first of four finalists for the UTPD chief of police will answer questions today at the Avaya Auditorium. PAGE 2
83RD LEGISLATURE
Texas A&M Student Senate votes to inform students they can opt-out of providing funding to the campus GLBT Resource Center. PAGE 5
By Hannah Jane DeCiutiis & Joshua Fechter
Brothers Brooks and Ty Marlow reunite after Ty transferred to Texas — both have been effective for Texas this year. PAGE 6
dailytexanonline.com
Texas records its first combined perfecto in win.
NEWS
SPORTS
Friday, April 5, 2013
NEWS PAGE 5
House approves boost to UT funding The Texas House of Representatives approved a $193.8 billion budget that would boost UT funding and limit the spending power of the UT System Board of Regents. By a vote of 135-12, lawmakers decided to allocate
$511.7 million in state general revenue funds to the University over the next two years. The amount is about $20 million more than the $492.5 million allocated during the previous biennium. The Senate approved the budget last month. The two houses must now meet in a conference committee to iron out differences between
the two bills. Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie and House Appropriations Committee chairman, filed amendments aiming to limit regents’ spending authority by preventing them from using funds on investigations of university administrations and travel for regents who have not been confirmed by the Senate and
prohibiting the UT System administration from accessing the Available University Fund. The amendment would allow UT-Austin to continue accessing the fund. Pitts, who co-filed one amendment with state Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, filed the amendments in response to the regents’ decision March 22 to spend
$500,000 on an external investigation of the relationship between the UT Law School Foundation and the University. Several lawmakers, including Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, criticized regents and interpreted the move as an effort to oust President William
HOUSE continues on page 2
Senior rower Laurel McCraig leading the Longhorns in her senior season, hoping to finish her career on a high note. PAGE 6 Taylor Hoagland reaches base in the 37th straight game as Texas wins its 10th straight game. PAGE 6
LIFE&ARTS The kids in Residual Kid are not to be taken lightly. PAGE 10 “Hactivists,” headlights, a Facebook phone, pranks and a faster Chrome have dominated technology news in the past week. PAGE 9
Low water levels at Lake Travis. Chelsea Purgahn | Daily Texan Staff
WATER WOES If state leaders fail to act, water shortages could cost Texas $12 billion annually. To put that into perspective, that is about 6 percent of the budget the Texas House passed late Thursday night. If the state’s drought conditions worsen, the annual economic loss balloons to $116 billion by 2060. The Texas Legislature debates several bills to turn the tide, other entities are acting with more urgency. The city is opening a brand new water treatment plant in 2014. The University’s state-of-the-art irrigation system has already reduced water waste. UT is taking a more homegrown approach to landscaping, opting for native plants that require less water.
VIEWPOINT Will decades of drought prevent UT students from spending their adult lives in Texas? We asked. PAGE 4
TODAY
What is today’s reason to party?
SEE COMICS PAGE 8
OPINION | p. 4 Fracking muddies water
STATE
CAMPUS
Water troubles ahead with Texas’ drought
New system reduces water use
SUPPLY continues on page 3
Dan Hardin
Jon Nielsen Gammon
Water resource planning director
State climatologist
The University of Texas has on average reduced its irrigation usage by
66%
LLC
W 27th Street
REDUCTION
211,000 gal
REDUCTION
428,000 gal Dean Keeton St
reet
SSB
Speedway
UT’s irrigation system is conserving millions of gallons of water and helping increase efficiency after an upgrade last year. The system has helped reduce the University’s water use for irrigation by 66 percent, although it was only projected to save 57 percent, according to Markus Hogue, irrigation and water conservation coordinator. Last year the irrigation system updated 18,000 sprinkler nozzles and 108 controllers monitoring the campus water use, to keep track of usage and collect data from areas on campus to make modifications to the system which measures evapotranspiration. Evapotranspiration is the amount of moisture in the soil lost to wind, sunlight and temperature changes. This allows the system to calculate the amount of time needed for water to run to replenish the water lost. “We don’t over water. We don’t under water. We put back what has been pulled out,” Hogue said. The system also accounts for rainfall. When the campus received two inches of rainfall this past week, the system
CAMPUS IRRIGATION REDUCTIONS
Wichita Street
Austinites hit by the downpour this week may not realize Texas faces a water shortage that threatens the state’s longterm ability to provide water for citizens and businesses. Dan Hardin, water resource planning director at the Texas Water Development Board, said the state’s economy would lose $12 billion annually if current drought conditions continue and the state fails to enact legislation that would address the statewide water shortage. If conditions worsen, the state’s economy would lose $116 billion per year during the 2060s. “That’s lost income to
farmers, manufacturers, employees of those businesses that might lose jobs because of businesses’ inability to operate ... it’s lost personal income,” Hardin said. Hardin said the state’s water supply is not keeping up with increased demand caused by the state’s growing population. He said the supply is projected to lose 1.75 million acre-feet of water, or 570.5 billion gallons, by 2060. One acre-foot is equivalent to approximately 326,000 gallons. The state’s current water supply is about 17 million acrefeet and is projected to drop to about 15 million by the 2060s. At the same time, Hardin
University Avenue
By Joshua Fechter
By Christine Ayala
Whitis Avenue
Yoruba Day The Black Studies Department and John L. Warfield Center present the eigth annual Yoruba Day Celebration, with music, food, performances, a keynote speaker and more. The festival will be from noon to 4 p.m. in the Student Activity Center (SAC) Black Box Theater 2.304.
NEWS | p. 3 Native plants used to conserve water
Guadalupe Street
Sequels Symposium Ethnic & Third World Literatures announces its 12th annual Sequels Symposium, “Literary Indictments: Bodies on Trial, in Prison, and Out of Bounds” from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Student Activity Center (SAC) 2.120.
NEWS | p. 3 New water treatment plant
REDUCTION
1,254,400 gal SEA
Learn more about campus irrigation:
bit.ly/dt_water measured how much water was replaced and reduced the amount of water added back through irrigation. Hogue said last year the campus saved 10 million gallons because the system can detect unusually high-pressure flow, typically caused by broken sprinkler heads. On average, 125 sprinkler heads break monthly. “Before, on the old system, these things could continue to happen for a month or two
until one of our irrigators that was going through that system saw, flagged it and repaired it,” Hogue said. “Now, within a minute or two we know about it and we’re able to shut it off.” Hogue said the time saved by the system allows the irrigation team to modify the system and handle other issues affecting plant growth such as worms and making water available for squirrels that may
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