Water is slowly running low
Try turning off your water!
IN 2060, TEXANS WILL NEED 22 MILLION ACRE-FEET OF WATER PER YEAR
Three Important Strategies:
1. Water Reuse
While the notion of recycling waster water may make some a bit queasy, it will be a crucial tool for Texas. “It’s like having a water supply where it rains every day,” Hardin explained. Water reuse can yield potable (safe for drinking) and non-potable water. The Water Plan estimates that water reuse can produce 614,000 acre-feet of water per year by 2060.
Big Spring in West Texas will begin blending treated waste water with reservoir water to produce two million gallons daily for the surrounding area. Meanwhile, Brownwood is developing a direct-potable reuse system, wherein waste water is treated and returned directly to city pipes. It will be the only one in the Western Hemisphere.2. Wellfield Drilling:
Amarillo didn't think it would actually need the Potter County Wellfield for decades, but when its surface water source, Lake Meredith, completely dried up, it became crucial. Completed late last year and funded, in part, by the TWDB, the new wellfield will bring groundwater to city residents through around 70,000 connections.
3. Brackish Groundwater Desalination:
TWDB has advised communities to look into brackish groundwater, an underdeveloped resource in our region that is less salty than seawater but too salty to drink. San Antonio is one city that is developing a brackish groundwater desalination program; the project’s first phase is projected to generate an estimated 11 million gallons of water per day
Why is this important?
So what do we do?
- Turning off water while brushing your teeth
- Running water restrictions
- Raising awareness
- Have a agriculture law that restricts the amount of water used in farms
Where do we get our water?
Bib:
"Latest Drought Outlook: Dry Spell Could Continue in Texas." Texas RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013.
"Drought Fuels Water War Between Texas and New Mexico." News Watch. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013.
http://www.texasmonthly.com/story/never-ending-drought-and-what-texas-plans-do-about-it
"The Never-Ending Drought and What Texas Plans to Do About It | Texas Monthly." Texas Monthly. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013.
"Drought Fuels Water War Between Texas and New Mexico." News Watch. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013.
http://www.lcra.org/water/drought/index.html
"Drought Update." Drought Update. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013.
http://www.gbra.org/documents/publications/TexasWaterJournal_TreeRingArticle.pdf
"Texas Water Journal." Texas Water Journal. Texas Water Resources Institute, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013.
"Texas Drought Pushes Lawmakers to Focus on Water in New Session - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/13/us/texas-drought-pushes-lawmakers-to-focus-on-water-in-new-session.html>.
Permenter, Cody. "The Texas Tribune." www.texastribune.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013. <https://www.texastribune.org/2013/03/18/high-water-rates-cause-angst-texas-town/>.