Hays County could be on its way to joining a regional water coalition that is hoping to bring water to cities and counties in Central Texas. On March 25, Hays County commissioners voted to table the issue in order to allow for further discussion. At the commissioners court meeting on March 18, Mike Robinson, president of the Lone Star Regional Water Authority, said his organization is focused on bringing water to its four members, which include Williamson County, the city of Jarrell and two municipal utility districts. Robinson, who also served as mayor of Round Rock from 1984 to 1993, said access to water could be the determining factor in whether Texas can continue growing its economy. In 2009, Caterpillar, a construction equipment company, announced plans to expand into Jarrell. The move would have brought 400 jobs to the city, which is north of Austin, but because of a water shortage, the company scuttled its plans and went to Denton. Robinson said this event helped spur the formation of the water authority by the Texas Legislature in 2011. "The cure is the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer to the east," Robinson said. "What we would like to do is have the counties reserve the water and have the cities buy the water. The problem with groundwater is that you can't see itwe think we need to take it into our own hands and watch out for ourselves and not count on anybody else to watch out for us. "The bottom line is that we think we have to control our own destinies. Without jobs, there isn't any quality of life. The only thing that can shut us down is if we run out of water." Hays County contracted with Forestar Real Estate Group, an Austin-based company, for 45,000-acre-feet of water per year to be pumped from the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer from wells in Bastrop and Lee counties. That contract has led to a lawsuit between Forestar and the Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation District, the entity in charge of permitting water rights in that area. Robinson said other conservation districts that are responsible for different parts of the Carrizo-Wilcox are more amenable to granting pumping permits for large quantities of water. Hays County resident Jim McMeans spoke at the commissioners court meeting on March 25 and said the proposal to join the water authority was premature. "It seems a little fast wanting to jump on this one week after you heard a presentation from the folks in Williamson County," McMeans said. McMeans said the county should develop a comprehensive financial and engineering plan to demonstrate to taxpayers the reasons for making financial commitments to bring supplemental water to the county. County Judge Bert Cobb said he thought joining the authority would be a step in the right direction. "We're on our own," Cobb said. "Travis County doesn't care a whit about Hays County's water. That's why the [Lone Star Regional Water Authority] was formed. They found out the big boys weren't going to help them." The item will be on the agenda at the next commissioners court meeting, but action will not necessarily be taken. Cobb said the intent of keeping the item on the agenda is to continue having discussion on the topic.