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Author: Texas Living Waters

January 24, 2023
Texas legislature

It’s time for a water session at the Legislature

by Jennifer Walker, National Wildlife Federation and Suzanne Scott, The Nature Conservancy There are now over 30 million Texans. The state crossed that landmark in mid-2022, gaining the most new residents of any state in the nation, with projections of an additional 25 million people living in Texas by 2050. All that growth is taking its toll on the state’s finite and fragile water resources. Groundwater, which supplies most of our state’s drinking water, is now being extracted at twice the sustainable rate and less than 2% of Texas streams remain free of significant chemicals from wastewater discharge. Increased climate variability is compounding things. After a decade of unprecedented flooding from Houston to the Hill Country, the last few years have...

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September 7, 2022
State and Regional Water Plan Water Infrastructure Water Utilities

Texas is Losing an Average of Over 50 Gallons of Water Per Connection Every Day

New Analysis Shows the State Could Unlock Major Water Supplies by Addressing Aging Water Infrastructure After more than a year of research, analysis, and dialogue, we are thrilled to release today our major new study exploring water loss mitigation as a supply strategy for Texas. Texas water systems are losing at least 572,000 acre-feet of water per year — more than the 2020 annual water demand of Austin, Fort Worth, El Paso, Laredo, and Lubbock combined. Fixing leaks and replacing aging infrastructure could cut those losses in half and deliver more than four times the volume of water that new reservoirs have provided since 2010. If Texas utilities mitigate losses to a good performance level (i.e.,...

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August 9, 2022
News Water Infrastructure

Texas Can Address Mounting Water Woes with ‘Historic’ Influx of Funding

Public Hearing Provides Chance to Maximize Support to Disadvantaged Communities The first influx of funding for water infrastructure from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act could help transform aging Texas water systems buckling under pressure from deepening drought, extreme heat, and continued population growth. The Texas Water Development Board, the stage agency charged with dispersing the $2.9 billion designated for Texas water infrastructure over the next five years, will hear public input for the first time on how it plans to spend the first round of the new federal funds this Wednesday, Aug. 10 at 10 a.m. CDT. “From outbreaks of toxic algal blooms this summer to last year’s winter storm outages, it is clear...

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March 3, 2022
Drought Groundwater News

The Window to Save the Hill Country is Closing

Download the report to learn more about the pressures facing the Hill Country Booming population growth and sprawling development, groundwater depletion, changing climate patterns, extreme droughts and floods, and a unique set of policy challenges threaten the natural resources that define the Hill County region—resources on which millions of people rely. A recently released report from the Texas Hill Country Conservation Network (THCCN) sets a baseline for eight key metrics to examine the current state of conservation and growth in the Hill Country. What it reveals is a region at a crossroads, facing tremendous threats to its future. “This report makes it perfectly clear—the Hill Country’s breathtaking vistas, natural spaces, clear waters, abundant wildlife, starry night...

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December 31, 2021
News

Texas Living Waters Releases 2021 Action Report

We are pleased to share with you our 2021 Year in Review, Investing in the Water Future of Texas. From more than a dozen published reports to podcasts to film festival awards, 2021 was a year we truly spread the word on Texas water. 2021 also signaled the 20-year anniversary of the Texas Living Waters Project. Our report includes a colorful timeline of TLW milestones illustrated by our very own One Water and Water Equity Fellow, Jorge Losoya. We invite you to dive into Investing to see where we’ve been this year and where we plan to go. Be sure to click on report covers and other images, there’s a wealth of interactivity and extra...

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