Water Floats Texas' Future

By 2060, water shortages on the current level would result in severe consequences state wide:

Loss of about $115.7 billion annually in income.
Loss of 1.1 million jobs.
$9.8 billion loss in state and local business taxes.
Homes, businesses, and agri-industry will need 8.3 million acre-feet of additional water.

Texas population grew from 20.8 million in 2000 to 26.4 million in 2012. It’s expected to top 46 million in 2060. Such explosive growth and success create an urgent need for adequate water supplies to serve a wide range of demands from homes to business and industry, schools and numerous other sectors.

At the heart of all concerns is increased water conservation. One primary issue is Texas power plants’ water-supply role. Power plants consume only about three percent of Texas’ water. Most of the water is returned to lakes and rivers after plant use, but that does not reduce power plants’ water supply needs which total about 43 percent of all water withdrawals in the state. Currently Texas has 250 large power plants which require steady supplies of water for cooling, mainly from lakes and rivers.

There is one strong beam of light – a constitutional amendment known as Proposition Six passed in November, 2013. This amendment will supply about $2 billion from the Texas Economic Stabilization Fund to the Texas Water Development Board to lend to local entities for completion of water projects.
Adequate water supply is Texas’ most basic need as it works to realize its potential in economic strength and quality of life for Texans.

Much of Texas’ future rests on the advantages offered through Proposition Six.