The Comptroller’s Office announced they have released the Texas Water: Present and Future Needs 2023 report in light of Texas voters preparing to weigh in on a proposed constitutional amendment to help finance water projects. The report overviews current water demand and projected water supply, water governance, water rights, and water issues in Texas, among other topics. Every five years the TWDB creates a new state water plan that projects long-term water demands for the 16 water planning regions and recommends water management strategies to address potential water shortages. The report notes the 2022 SWP projects that existing water supplies will decrease by 18% while demand will increase by about 9% between 2020 and 2070. In 2020, the state’s water supplies totaled approximately 16.8 million acre-feet and are expected to decrease to roughly 13.8 million acre-feet per year by 2070. Groundwater is predicted to have the largest decrease at 32.4% between 2020 and 2070. Existing surface water supplies are projected to decrease by about 2%, while reuse water will increase by 15% during the same period. The report in its entirety can be found here.
The TWDB posts data on the state’s current water conditions on their website. The following has been posted for the week of 9/11.
