Sharing the Common Pool

In sections that cover ownership, use, regulation, real estate, and policy, Porter addresses just how we manage (and mismanage) water in Texas, what legal cases have guided the debate, and where the future might take us as old rivalries, new demands, and innovative technologies—such as hydraulic fracturing of oil shale formations (“fracking”)—help redefine water policy. CHARLES R. PORTER is an assistant professor of history at St. Edward’s University in Austin and a licensed real estate agent and broker. He has been a presenter and panel moderator for the Texas legislature and other conferences.