What's the Problem?

Our demand for water has grown steadily throughout our history. People need water to drink, for agriculture and industry. Our household use, watering lawns and leaky municipal water pipes all add to that demand.

According to the USGS, Americans use at least 100 gallons or more per day. Texas is the second largest user of water in the United States. Some Texas cities average more than 250 gallons per person per day (33 cubic feet)! The state conservation plan target is lowering our average usage to 140 gallons (18 cubic feet) per day.
Watering the lawn in summer can consume 60% of your household water use.

Our individual water use is multiplied by the increase in our population. Texas’ population nearly tripled from 1950 to 2000, from about 8 million to almost 21 million, and is expected to double again by 2060. Texas remains one of the fastest growing states.

Population in Texas is expected to more than double between the years 2000 and 2060, growing from about 21 million to about 46 million.
The demand for water in Texas is expected to increase by 27 percent, from almost 17 million acre-feet of water in 2000 to nearly 22 million acre-feet in 2060. An acre-foot is the amount of water it would take to cover an acre of land one foot deep in water -- that's a football field minus the end zones, one foot deep in water. That's a lot of buckets of water!
Existing water supplies—the amount of water that can be produced with current permits, current contracts, and existing infrastructure during drought—are projected to decrease about 18 percent, from about 17.9 million acre-feet in 2010 to about 14.6 million acre-feet in 2060. This decrease is primarily due to the accumulation of sediments in reservoirs and the depletion of aquifers.
Texas is going to need an additional 8.8 million acre-feet of water by 2060 if new water supplies are not developed.

Source: Water for Texas, 2007. Texas Water Development Board.

Why isn’t there enough water? The issue is enough available water.

97% is Saltwater
3% is Freshwater

2.14% of all the Freshwater is frozen in glaciers
Less than 1% is available to be used by the entire world population (groundwater, surface water & atmospheric moisture)

Doesn't the rain refill lakes and rivers?

The simple version of the water cycle that many of us learned in school can fool us. Water we use comes from streams, rivers and reservoirs, or from groundwater, that is, water that is found underground in aquifers. The amount of available water in Texas, however, is a factor of topography, precipitation and population. When it rains, water flows down over the landscape forming streams that empty into rivers, and possibly a reservoir, or seeps underground, or water is captured by people or plants before it makes it to these water bodies. On average in Texas, only 10% of a rainfall makes it into a river or stream. Only 1% makes it to an aquifer.

We can pump water out faster than it can replenish available sources. Consider these water facts:

Of 281 springs that were identified as historically significant, more than 80 have failed completely.
Texas has lost over half of its wetlands.
On average in Texas, only 10% of a rainfall makes it into a river or stream. Only 1% makes it to an aquifer.
Urban runoff and discharges pollute half of Texas's reservoirs, rivers and streams.

How are we using water resources in Texas? [more...]

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