FORT WORTH, Texas _ There's always been a heated rivalry between the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners, especially on the football field.
But another topic that has long stirred up an anti-Texas fervor is talk of Oklahoma selling water to Texas.
David Walters, who was Oklahoma's governor from 1991-95, has revived the controversial idea.
Cash-strapped Oklahoma needs money and selling water to Texas could help the state deal with an $878 million budget deficit.
"I jokingly tell people that I know we all hate Texas but they need water and we're throwing so much of it away," Walters said. "There's bound to be a solution. There are some incredible volumes of water that are being wasted."
Would Texas still be a willing buyer?
In the case of the Tarrant Regional Water District, the answer is a resounding yes.
For years, the Fort Worth-based TRWD waged a costly legal battle to pry water from Oklahoma. It ultimately lost when the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that laws passed by Oklahoma legislators could effectively block water from moving across state lines.
Dan Buhman, TRWD's assistant general manager, said "a deal that benefits both parties remains as one of the District's long-term water supply strategies."
TRWD, which provides raw water to almost all of Tarrant County, originally proposed buying 150 billion gallons of water per year from Oklahoma. That water, from several basins in southeastern Oklahoma, would be diverted to Texas via pipelines before it flows into the salty Red River, where it becomes far less desirable.
"We believe a solution exists, and would welcome those discussions," Buhman said.
The former governor said there's enough water flowing from Oklahoma into the Red River to meet the daily needs of 25 New York cities. Nothing will happen overnight, but Walters said Oklahoma is headed toward a budget crisis similar to the one facing neighboring Kansas, which means legislators must get creative.
Oklahoma Speaker of the House Charles McCall told Oklahoma City TV station KOCO that "the lure of generating lots of money for the state of Oklahoma is always tempting."
But McCall told the television station that Oklahoma needs to be careful because "once you turn on the spigot and start those sales, you can't stop. You're obligated to deliver that water."
Oklahoma House Bill 2279, which would have lifted the prohibition against water sales across state lines, died quietly during this legislative session. One obstacle was cleared last year when Oklahoma reached an agreement with the Choctaw and Chickasaw nations over water rights in south and southeastern Oklahoma.
Many legislators, particularly in southeastern Oklahoma, vehemently oppose any talk of Texas getting any of their water.
Former Oklahoma State Sen. Jerry Ellis, who represented southeastern Oklahoma and owns the Southeast Times newspaper in Idabel, Okla., said legislators should be contemplating a nickel tax on every soft drink to help balance the state budget before considering water sales.
"I drink a Mountain Dew every day," Ellis said. "I don't need to be drinking it. It's a luxury."
Ellis called Walters a "pitiful poor governor" who was just as mistaken for promoting the idea of water sales to Texas today as he was back in the 1990s. If Walters' idea ever gets any traction, Ellis predicts other states would get involved.
"I can't see the majority of Oklahoma legislators _ Democrat or Republican _ agreeing to sell water to Texas," Ellis said. "But if they ever get serious, I think they're going to find out Arkansas and Louisiana will get involved."
