Conference Lights Ahead…..And Future Water Sources for Texas

BY DREW MOLLY texas section chair

By the time you read this article, the Texas Water Conference will only be a few weeks away! No one is ever totally ready for the conference, but everyone is always happy to embark upon the special Texas city that traditionally welcomes over 3,000 guests to the largest regional water conference in the U.S. This year, we descend upon Houston, the largest city in Texas, and out of 28 Texas Water conferences, it’s only the third time we’ve celebrated it in Houston. The last time we did it in 2019, we smashed every record, only to be outdone by San Antonio last year—so Houston is ready to reclaim some of the exceptionalism it deserves.

At the time of this writing, 78.4% of Texans are experiencing some level of drought, which is updated every Thursday by the Texas Water Development Board. Some of us live in cities or towns where drought has immediate impacts on our daily lives. For example, the City of Corpus Christi has been in a Stage 1 Drought Restriction since June 15, 2022, while San Antonio, the largest city in Texas to be in some level of drought restriction is currently in Stage 2. Of the 7,000 public water systems across Texas, 474 are currently in some state of water restriction. Like many communities across the state, the City of Corpus Christi has worked diligently to develop and encourage water conservation programs, but unfortunately these programs have limitations. As supplies dwindle, the City is looking for drought-proof sources of water that can sustain our quality of life.

From a surface water supply standpoint, Corpus Christi has excelled by securing water from three river basins that include the Nueces, LavacaNavidad, and the Colorado. How many public water systems have three distinct and separate sources of surface water supply? I cannot think of any, but if you know of one, please let me know! The Colorado and LavacaNavidad River water is conveyed to Corpus Christi by pipeline at a distance of over 100 miles! The vision and perseverance of visionaries like Mayor Mary Rhodes in the late 1990s was tremendous—despite significant

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