Texas Water Resourcesand Usage

Will Texas Have Enough Water for the Future?

Prepared for the Tarrant Co. LWV, Oct 2014, by Michael Baldwin, MLS, MPA

First, Let’s Look At World-Wide Water Resources and Usage

The average person in the US uses 147 gallons of water per day, which equals the combined usage by citizens of Brazil, Germany, United Kingdom, China, Honduras, and Somalia!

For 2005, most of US freshwater withdrawals, 41 percent, was used in the thermoelectric-power industry to cool electricity-generating equipment. But in Texas, irrigation is the largest user and thermoelectric use is only 3%.

Texas uses more natural gas and wind turbine generation of electricity, which require less water than coal and nuclear plants.

In 2011, drought raised electricity demands by 6%, increasing water demands for electricity by 9%. Power plants were flexible enough to adapt by switching to less water-intensive technologies. Natural gas, now ~50% of power generation in Texas, enhances drought resilience by increasing the flexibility of power plant generators, including gas combustion turbines, to complement increasing wind generation with ~30% of cooling water requirements of traditional steam turbine plants. Water saved by using natural gas plants relative to coal steam turbine plants is 25–50 times greater than the amount of water used in hydraulic fracturing to extract the gas.

Source: Drought and the Water–Energy Nexus in Texas, Bridget R Scanlon et al 2013 Environ. Res. Lett. 8 045033doi:10.1088/1748-9326/8/4/045033

Why Texas should be concerned about water usage and conservation

Extreme Moderate

In Texas, groundwater is privately owned, and an owner can produce as much of it as he can beneficially use. 

Where does Texas get its water? 1. Underground Aquifers

Some Texas aquifers, such as the Ogallala (blue in the Panhandle) are underground reservoirs created by glaciers millions of years ago and cannot be recharged by rainwater.

2. Surface water from rivers, streams, and lakes

Texas has approximately 191,000 miles of streams, 15 major river basins, eight coastal basins, and 196 major reservoirs.

Total Texas Water Demand and Supply 2010-2060, If No Additional Water Is Supplied

Texas’ Additional Future Water Requirements

How Water Demand In Texas Is Expected To Change In The Future With Implementation of the 2012 Water Plan

711 gpd times 23.5 million Texans equals usage of about 17 billion gpd or about 50,500 acrefeet of water per day, or 18.5 million acrefeet per year.

2012 Texas State Water Plan

Recommended Water Management Strategies

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

Municipal Conservation

Surface Water Desalination

New Major Reservoir

Reuse Groundwater Desalination

Seawater Desalination

Annual Average Unit Costs of Water Management Strategy Categories, 2012 State Water Plan (dollars per acre-foot)

First Online Year Year 2060

Unit costs are higher in early years and fall significantly once debt on construction costs are paid .TWDB 2012

Annual average unit costs by strategy(dollars per Acre-foot)

Total Capital Costs of Plan Implementation

Texas ranks 3rd among all states in water use for agricultural irrigation.

Average percentages of water usage in Texas. Percentages will vary by area of the state: e.g. in South Texas, irrigation is as high as 70% of usage.

Texas Water Used For Irrigation Purposes (irrigation accounts for over 50% of total water usage) per year

Note that Tarrant County is listed as one of those with high priority for reducing oil and gas freshwater use.

The Texas Water Development Board’s 2012 water plan proposes water projects, conservation measures and other steps that could provide the state with about 9 million acre-feet in additional water resources annually, at an estimated cost of $53 billion in state funding.

East Fork Wetland and John Bunker Sands Wetland Center

The Texas Conservation Alliance believes more emphasis should be placed on creating wetlands to recycle water rather than constructing ever more reservoirs which are more expensive and take up 10 times more land area. Wetlands also provide more habitat for wildlife.

 Residential Water Usage in Texas

Source: TX Water Dev. Board and the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

Projected Sources of Tarrant County, Texas, Water 2010-2060, Showing County Demand and Fort Worth Demand

Simple Ways Individuals Can Conserve Water At Home

Austin was able to reduce per capita water usage per day from 190 gallons in 2006 to 137 in 2013 (a 28% decrease)

Rain barrels are inexpensive and simple to install. One or more can be placed around the exterior of the house to collect rainwater from the roof via downspouts from rain gutters. This water can be used on the garden, lawn, and other external uses. It is easy to keep them from breeding mosquitos.

Typical water cycle (blue) including recycled water (lilac) and sewage (black) WTP = Drinking  Water Treatment Plant.  STP = Sewage or Wastewater Treatment Plant.  RTP = Recycled Water Treatment Plant. SWRO = Seawater Reverse Osmosis (desalination plant).

Primary Sources of Information for This Presentation:

Texas Water Development Board (www.twdb.texas.gov), the official state body designated “to provide leadership, information, education, and support for planning, financial assistance, and outreach for the conservation and responsible development of water for Texas,”

The Texas Conservation Alliance (www.tcatexas.org), “a dynamic group of individuals and organizations protecting Texas’ rivers, forests, coastlines, wildlife, and other natural habitats. TCA currently campaigns to promote water recycling.…”