Focus Report: Volume 75, Number 13, April 1997 Page: 3
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Water in Texas
Texas has 15 major river basins, eight coastal ba-
sins, nine major and 20 minor aquifers, and seven
major estuaries along the coast. About 200 major
reservoirs hold 5,000 acre-feet of water or more.
Statewide demand for water totaled about 16.5
million acre-feet in 1994, the latest year for which
figures were available. Agriculture and livestock con-
sumed about 65.4 percent of this total; industry and
manufacturing, 9.3 percent; and municipalities, about
19.6 percent. Electric generation, mining and other
uses accounted for the remainder.
As the population of Texas shifts from rural to
urban areas, municipal and industrial water will con-
tinue to rise and agricultural water use continue to
decrease. However, declining water use in the agri-
cultural sector is not enough to offset growing
demands in other sectors, and despite oversupply in
some areas of the state, it is often not financially or
technically feasible to move water to other areas.
Surface water currently accounts for about 43.2
percent of the water used in the state; the TWDB
projects that by the year 2050 almost 70 percent of
the state's water supply will come from surface wa-
ter sources. The shift from ground to surface water
use is occurring because groundwater in many areas
is being depleted faster than it can be replenished.
Rainfall in Texas varies significantly from region
to region. In West Texas, annual rainfall averages
between 8 and 20 inches, while along the Texas-
Louisiana border the average amounts to 56 inches a
year. The central and southern portion of the state
averages between 21 and 44 inches of rain a year.
The eastern portion of the state enjoys a large
amount of surface water used mostly for urban areas
and industry. In West Texas groundwater is often the
only source of water, and most is used for irrigation.
Drought in Texas is common and cyclical, and the
state usually experiences at least one serious drought
every decade. From 1950 to 1956, Texas experienced
a very severe drought; some meteorologists believe
that drought of this magnitude occurs approximately
every 70 years. In 1996, all of the state's climatic
regions were classified as experiencing mild to se-
vere drought conditions. The drought of 1996 is still
affecting some areas of the state, but most river and
stream levels have returned to normal.The recent drought - and its lingering effects in
many areas of the state - put into high relief the
varied nature of localized water problems.
- Many of the 7,000 public water systems in the
state need additional water supplies and infrastructure
improvements.
- In the High Plains area, more water is being with-
drawn than recharged to the Ogallala Aquifer,
primarily because of irrigation. "Aquifer mining" is
also occurring in the Winter Garden area southwest of
San Antonio, where agricultural withdrawals are sur-
passing recharge of the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer.
- The Edwards Aquifer underlying south central
Texas is the sole source of water for the City of San
Antonio. Within 20 to 30 years, the city will need to
double its available water supply from sources other
than the Edwards, according to state projections.
Meanwhile, after long delays, the Edwards Aquifer
Authority is finally poised to regulate withdrawals
from the aquifer.
- Williamson County, the second fastest growing
county in the United States, will need more water al-
most immediately and has taken steps to to acquire
additional supplies from the Brazos and Colorado
River basins.
- The quality and quantity of water in the Trinity
Aquifer are limited. The drought exacerbated prob-
lems for public water systems in the area, which are
experiencing difficulties trying to supply new water
demands from the aquifer.
- Corpus Christi will run out of water in the next 10
years, unless it develops additional supplies. The city
is currently constructing a pipeline to Lake Texana to
provide a supplemental water supply.
- El Paso is projected to run short of water in 25
years, due to mining of the Hueco and Mesilla Aqui-
fers by users in both El Paso and Ciudad Juarez.
- The middle and lower portions of the Rio Grande
Basin are in the fifth year of drought. Reserves in
Amistad and Falcon reservoirs, which supply water to
users on both sides of the border, are very low, caus-
ing irrigation shortages in Mexico as well as the
lower Rio Grande Valley.Page 3
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Texas. Legislature. House of Representatives. Research Organization. Focus Report: Volume 75, Number 13, April 1997, periodical, April 15, 1997; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth653757/m1/3/?q=%22~1%22~1: accessed July 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.