According to the 2012 State Water Plan, our population is expected to almost double by 2060 and result in a 10 percent decrease in existing water supplies. Unless the state takes action to meet that massive increase in demand, we’ll face devastating water shortages.
It’s clear that our state’s economy depends on creating new water sources, but water supply projects are expensive and can take years of planning. It’s also difficult for cities and water authorities to fund these large projects.
In the 2012 plan, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) recommended 562 specific water supply projects to be completed in the next several decades at a cost of $53 billion. The board expects municipal and public water providers will need $27 billion in state financial assistance.
Have you noticed all the moving vans with out-of-state license plates crossing our borders these days? With Texas being such a great place to live, more and more people are making the Lone Star State their home. That trend has no end in sight.
We love our new neighbors, but what does that rapid growth mean in a state that’s already pushing its water supplies to the limit?