Eco-friendly water strategies for Texas

In his State of the State address on Sunday, Governor Abbott called for a “Texas-sized” investment in the state’s water infrastructure. The state water plan estimates that demand for water will increase by 9% by 2050, while water supply available during a drought will decline by 18%. So state water planners are understandably concerned we meet might not have enough water to meet our needs in the future, especially as climate change brings more frequent and severe drought and higher temperatures increase evaporation from our reservoirs.

However, creating new water supplies can have a big impact on the environment. New reservoirs, such as the proposed Marvin Nichols reservoir, require flooding vast areas of land and wildlife habitat, often seizing land from unwilling sellers via eminent domain. Ocean desalination can harm sensitive coastal ecosystems. Pumping treated oilfield wastewater into rivers and aquifers could contaminate drinking water supplies. 

So, Texas should prioritize water efficiency above increasing supply. We should emphasize measures to reduce water waste over the construction of new reservoirs or pipelines. Conservation is better for the environment and often cheaper than supply-side strategies.

2020 water demand by water use category (acre-feet) – Texas State Water PlanPhoto by Staff | TPIN

Here are three water strategies the Legislature should prioritize to help meet the state’s water needs. 

1. Fixing broken municipal water mains: Texas has lost over 88 billion gallons of water due to aging and leaking water infrastructure. Identifying and repairing leaks could save enough water to meet the annual needs of Austin, Fort Worth, El Paso, Laredo, and Lubbock combined. The Governor rightly emphasized the need to “repair pipes to save billions of gallons of water each year.”
2. Agricultural water conservation. Irrigation accounts for the largest share of Texas’ current water use—53 percent of total demand in 2020.  The efficiency of water use in agriculture can be improved with metering of water so farmers better understand how and when water is being used; better management practices such as brush clearing and reduced tillage; adoption of more efficient irrigation technologies, and infrastructure upgrades to limit water losses from canals. Irrigation canals are artificial waterways used for water transportation, typically for agricultural purposes. Lining canals would reduce water loss from ground seepage and smoothing the transport surface increasing water efficiency. According to the Texas International Produce Association, lining all the canals in the Rio Grande Valley could save between 300,000 to 900,000 acre feet of water every single year (the higher number is enough to fill 1.8 million Olympic-sized swimming pools!)
3. Supporting clean energy. Coal, gas and nuclear power plants (“steam-electric”), and mining for oil and gas require a lot of water. As the State Water Plan notes, wind and solar “use far less water than conventional fossil fuel sources to generate power.” The Legislature should reject efforts to stop the development of wind and solar in the state. 

Houston Advanced Research Center visualization of data from the study “Water use of electricity technologies: A global meta-analysis”Photo by Micalah Spenrath | Used by permission

We also can’t forget that we share this state with fish, whooping cranes, trees and countless other species that need water too. Excessive pumping of groundwater or withdrawals from rivers can harm the wildlife which depend on that water.

Texas has a choice about how to treat its precious waters. It can value rivers and aquifers as a source of maximum water for human use, or as an integral part of the environment and landscape. As the state considers investments in water infrastructure, it must prioritize conservation and keeping enough water for rivers, estuaries and aquifers to thrive. By choosing to maximize water conservation, Texas can ensure the continued vitality of our waters for years to come.