Experts say that money is only a drop in the bucket of what’s needed. A recent analysis from Texas 2036, a nonpartisan think tank, estimated that Texas will need to spend $154 billion on water infrastructure over the next 50 years, including $59 billion to access new water supplies and another $95 billion to fix deteriorating drinking water systems and broken wastewater infrastructure.
Perry said his yet-to-be-filed plan wouldn’t address groundwater regulation, which some experts say has contributed to water scarcity by allowing overpumping. Outside of the state’s 98 groundwater management districts, property owners are free to pump as much groundwater water as they like. And many groundwater districts lack the resources to enforce pumping restrictions — or deny permits and risk litigation.
While I think desalination is the way to go in the long run, I am concerned about the state of Texas being the one to do it. You know corners will be cut every step of the way there. Desalination is still eco unfriendly even when dealt with properly, if you cut those corners the damages can be devastating. The brine created destroys the eco-balance where-ever its spread over even in low amounts. Killing basically everything present. A large scale of such a project might also impact more than just the coastal waters in the gulf, that current gets swept past florida, so this could also be effecting florida’s coastal industry as well.
Good. It’s past time for costal states to start investing in desalination. Potable water is going to be the new oil.
The water wars has already begun, but this is a sign of it going to hit Texas pretty hard. This isn’t the climate of 20 years ago.
