Texas' water future: More toilet-to-tap, aquifer storage

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Texas' water future: More toilet-to-tap, aquifer storage

Betsy Blaney, Associated Press

Updated 4:26 pm, Thursday, May 19, 2016

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Texas would rely more on treated toilet water and pumping rainwater into aquifers to serve its booming population over the next half-century under the state's 2017 water plan approved Thursday.

Several years removed from a historic drought that brought more attention to funding water projects, Texas Water Development Board officials unanimously OK'd a $62.6 billion plan that outlines more than 5,500 varying strategies for solving the growing state's water woes.

"This is the best plan yet, in my view," board chairman Bech Bruun said before the vote in Austin. "The most comprehensive, detailed plan."

Texas' population is projected to grow by 73 percent from 29.5 million in 2020 to 51 million in 2070, according to the board's plan. Demand for water will follow — a projected increase of 17 percent by 2070.


Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/texas/article/Texas-water-future-More-toilet-to-tap-aquifer-7735649.php

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Goodness, what's the matter with Texas?

Exceedingly rare for them to think about anything in the long term

or that what they want can't be bought quickly with oil money

[0rganism]

2. with all that gulf coastline they have, maybe desalination could help too

probably not economical yet, but in 10 years maybe it will be

[happyslug]

4. The problem is the coast get something called "Rain" and rarely is in Drought.

The problem has always been further inland, where the Gulf Coast winds do NOT take moisture from the Gulf, and rains from up north turn East north of Texas instead of inside Texas. See the maps I posted below, the coast was rarely in drought.

Place to look at old Drought Maps for Texas and other states:

http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/MapsAndData/MapsandDataServices/MapService.aspx

[happyslug]

3. "Several years removed from a historic drought "??? It has been "Several Years" since 2015????

Texas was in a severe drought as late as May 2015, when massive rain and flooding occurred:

http://www.wired.com/2015/05/texas-floods-big-ended-states-drought/

Map of Texas Drought in May 2014, the worse of the drought:



But even as late as May 5th, 2015, Texas was in drought.



Through May 2013 was bad:



I love people who have already forgotten that the drought in Texas was bad as late as May 2015. Thsu "Several years" means two or three years, I always thought "Several" means more then three, but I must be mistaken.

[truthisfreedom]

5. But wait... Did they make sure these are non-trans toilets?

[yellowcanine]

6. Good point. Good News "No trans people in restroom" Bad News "No water either."