Archived Featured Stories
Blueprint for Texas' future water needs
Even though the latest State Water Plan was just published, regional planning groups began working on their next plans in August 2011 to prepare for a 2016 due date. TWDB has released draft non-municipal water demand projections (for things like irrigation, mining and manufacturing) to the regional groups to evaluate. Once TWDB receives population projections from the State Data Center, Board staff will begin the additional analysis necessary to release detailed draft population projections to the regional planning groups.
TWDB funds bring clean drinking water to Texas communities
For over a decade the TWDB has funded both large and small drinking water projects across the state and has proudly provided over $1 billion dollars in financial assistance. The TWDB, in partnership with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, also provides free financial, managerial, and technical assistance.
A closer look at Flood Mitigation Planning Division
When floods or hurricanes strike in our state, it's like everything else here: Texas-sized. TWDB's Flood Mitigation Planning Division also works with Texas communities in a big way, by helping them navigate state and federal flood protection grant programs, implement flood mitigation projects, and meet and maintain eligibility requirements in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
Groundwater Availability Modeling
In 1999, the TWDB began developing a groundwater availability model to help water planners working on their regional water plans assess how much groundwater was in a portion of the Trinity Aquifer. Largely due to the success of that model, in 2001 the Texas Legislature provided funding for the TWDB to develop additional models for the state's aquifers and TWDB's Groundwater Availability Modeling program began in earnest.
Read more about it: TWDB Publications
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) informs and educates Texans about water conservation and the responsible development of the state's water resources, and one way we do this is through our publications.
Innovative Water Technologies at TWDB
Faced with dwindling fresh water supplies and an escalating demand for the resource, water planners and managers in Texas are increasingly turning to non-traditional solutions that can create new supplies or better manage existing ones. These solutions include desalinating salty water, treating and reusing waste water, harvesting rainwater, and implementing more efficient storage solutions such as aquifer storage and recovery (a way to store water underground in times of plenty and recover it during times of need). These innovative strategies are projected to collectively provide about 15 percent (approximately 1.3 million acre-feet) of all new water supplies by the year 2060.
Texas Still in Drought
Although parts of Texas are now officially out of or nearly out of drought, over 80 percent of the state is still in the three worst categories of drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. With several reservoirs at historic lows, the drought is still a top priority for the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) and many other state agencies.
Desired Future Conditions
Desired future conditions are defined in Chapter 36 of the Texas Water Code as "a quantitative description, adopted in accordance with Section 36.108, of the desired condition of the groundwater resources in a management area at one or more specified future times." Established by the districts within groundwater management areas, desired future conditions are a policy goal, or target, for what conditions the groundwater resources should be in approximately 50 years.
Agricultural Water Conservation Grants
Agriculture is the largest water use sector in Texas. The estimated six million irrigated acres soak up around nine million acre-feet of water each year. Irrigation improves productivity and profitability, further contributing to the overall $100 billion economic impact that the food and fiber industries have on the Texas economy.
Major Rivers
The Major Rivers program is a Texas-specific water education tool that provides water supply entities with a cost-effective and proven means of implementing school-based water conservation education. For more than two decades, Major Rivers has been riding his horse Aquifer into 4th and 5th grade classrooms across Texas.
2012 State Water Plan
Most people don't think too much about water; they just turn on their taps and the water flows. Unless…the water supply that feeds those taps runs dry. In the past year, courtesy of the state's record-breaking drought, most Texans have experienced water restrictions that forced them to think about and use water a little differently.
TWDB-Funded Projects
The Texas Water Development Board has been providing low-cost financial assistance for water-related infrastructure projects since 1957. Since 2000 alone, the TWDB has made 1,384 financial commitments for a total of $4.97 billion throughout the entire state. The projects range greatly in cost and scope, but all have a positive impact on the communities they benefit. A few examples of successful TWDB-funded projects include the City of Houston's sewer rehabilitation project, the Potter County Well Field and the City of Eagle Pass' award-winning water and wastewater projects.
Proposition 2
The record-breaking drought gripping Texas has vividly demonstrated the need for expanded water supplies and improved infrastructure in Texas. This year, the news has been full of stories about towns struggling to supply enough water for their growing populations and water main breaks occurring in unprecedented numbers in many areas. In the 1950s as a result of the crippling "drought of record," the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) was created to address those very needs.
Conservation Education Programs of the TWDB
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) Conservation Division offers numerous educational programs that build understanding of water conservation and water resources across the state. Throughout the state’s history, Texans have faced many challenges in water management, including the seven-year drought of record in the 1950s and the current record-breaking drought. Given the state’s “bottom-up” approach to water planning, an educated citizenry is vital to the success of water management in our future. The recognition of this is evident in the TWDB’s mission statement: To provide leadership, planning, financial assistance, information, and education for the conservation and responsible development of water for Texas.
Drought Preparedness and Response
As one of the two state agencies primarily responsible for Texas' water resources, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) plays a vital role concerning drought preparedness and response. Successfully weathering a statewide drought primarily depends on effective planning and preparedness. Of course, even the best laid plans become strained when events become more severe than anticipated. In our current drought, which by several metrics is the most severe in history, TWDB staff members have a variety of roles and responsibilities that are aimed at helping Texans mitigate the consequences of lack of rainfall.
Texas Natural Resources Information System
Texas Natural Resources Information System (TNRIS) is the state clearinghouse for geographic information and mapping resources. Since its establishment in 1972, TNRIS has served as a hub for data designed to serve as a common reference for state government and the public.