Texas Drought Effects Could Last Decades
by Matt Sampson
A sobering new article from The Economist warns the extreme drought in Texas could last the rest of the decade, with economic losses reaching $115.7 billion a year by the middle of the century.
"A growing population needs more water," explains The Economist. "As it stands, the state needs about 18 Million acre-feet of water a year, according to the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB). By 2060 demand is projected to rise to 22 Million acre-feet a year."
This summer, the parched earth in Texas provided the perfect breeding ground for epic wildfires that ravaged millions of acres, and dust storms that blocked out the sun. Officials estimate the summer fire damage to be north of $5 Billion.
Weather.com editorial meteorologist Jonathan Erdman notes "The Texas summer of 2011 (Jun-Aug) was the hottest summer for any state on record in the U.S., dating to 1895. Through October, it’s been both the hottest and driest year-to-date on record in the Lone Star State."
Earlier this year, the Texas Water Development Board warned Texans that unless immediate action was taken, up to 83% of the state will lack an adequate supply of water during times of drought. This prompted state lawmakers to propose a constitutional amendment for water financial assistance bonds. This amendment, Prop 2, was passed on Nov. 8 and will provide for low-interest loans, reservoir development, conservation improvement, and erosion prevention, among other projects.
In the 1950's Texas suffered through the worst drought in the state's history. That period drove the government to invest heavily in infrastructure improvements to make sure Texans had all the water they needed, and more. Long pipelines were laid, enormous reservoirs were built, and deep wells were dug. However, that was 60 years ago and the population in Texas had exploded. The 2010 census sites Texas as the state with the greatest increase in population over the past decade.
All of those thirsty people, and 14,000,000 cows, need clean water. The Texas Tribune has cited at least eighteen communities in the state, including the Austin suburbs, that "are on the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s 'high priority' water list, which covers cities and towns that either could run out of water within six months if nothing changes (like rainfall or a new pipeline connection) or do not know how much water they have remaining."
