Texas Water Journal
Online, peer-reviewed journal for Texas
water resources management, research, and policy
01Feb
Best Management Practices for Firefighting in the Karstic Edwards (Balcones Fault Zone) Aquifer of South-Central Texas
Karst aquifers are vulnerable to contamination from hazardous pollutants that can harm drinking water supplies, species inhabiting aquifers and springs, and other karst water resources. This paper presents best management…
Read More22Feb
Storage and Regulation of River Flows by Dams and Reservoirs
Water management in Texas is driven by dramatic spatial and temporal hydrologic variability, continual rapid population growth, declining groundwater supplies, and intensifying demands on surface water resources. Dams and reservoirs…
Read More04Mar
Commentary: Fresh, Clean Water for Texans Now and for Generations to Come
Editor-in-Chief’s Note: The Texas Water Journal invited Texas state Representative Tracy O. King, incoming chair of the House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources, to share his thoughts on what…
Read More11May
Economic Analyses of the Seadrift Wind-Aided Wastewater Treatment Plant Operations
Seadrift is a city located on the Texas Gulf Coast with a population of 1,364 people as of the 2010 U.S. Census. In 2012, the city started operating a $610,878…
Read More10Jun
Commentary: Texas Reimagines the Fight Against Floods
Editor-in-Chief’s Note: The Texas Water Journal invited former Chairman of the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) and current Chairman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, Peter Lake, to share…
Read MoreImmediate Past Issue
28Jan
State Legislature, Voters Move to Eighty-Six Texas’s Flooding Challenges
Even before the 86th Texas Legislature began, it was clear the session would feature a deluge of activity focused on addressing Texans’ experience with flooding. Elected representatives from across the…
Read More25Feb
Oilfield Water Infrastructure Connectivity: The Case for a ‘Hydrovascular’ Network in the Permian Basin
The current phase of oilfield water infrastructure buildout in the Permian Basin generally emphasizes each operator or midstream provider building its own water transportation and disposal systems. Accordingly, the overall…
Read More03Apr
Runoff Inflow Volumes to the Highland Lakes in Central Texas: Temporal Trends in Volumes and Relations between Volumes and Selected Climatic Indices
Inflow to the Highland Lakes has substantially decreased from 1942–2013, likely due to increased evapotranspiration from the proliferation of 19 major upstream reservoirs and about 69,500 minor reservoirs and water…
Read More30Apr
Book Review: Regulating Water Security in Unconventional Oil and Gas
In this book review, Jessica Foster summarizes Regulating Water Security in Unconventional Oil and Gas, a collection of articles authored by professionals from disciplines as diverse as agriculture, zoology, law,…
Read More23Jun
Hydrodynamic Modeling Results Showing the Effects of the Luce Bayou Interbasin Transfer on Salinity in Lake Houston, TX
An overreliance on groundwater resources in the Houston (Texas) metropolitan area led to aquifer drawdowns and land subsidence, so regional water suppliers have been turning to surface water resources to…
Read More09Sep
Dams Are Coming Down, but Not Always by Choice: The Geography of Texas Dams, Dam Failures, and Dam Removals
This study examines spatial and temporal trends in Texas dams, dam failures, and dam removals. Dams were examined from a statewide perspective and within 10 major river basins that collectively…
Read More28Sep
Commentary: Fact vs. Fiction on Rio Grande Deliveries
Editor-in-Chief’s Note: The Texas Water Journal invited The Honorable Jayne Harkins, P.E., U.S. Commissioner for the International Boundary and Water Commission to share her thoughts on water deliveries from Mexico…
Read More29Oct
Internet of Texas Water: Use Cases for Flood, Drought, and Surface Water–Groundwater Interactions
Experts representative of Texas’ water sectors identified critical water data needs and described the design of a comprehensive open access data system that facilitates use of public water data in…
Read More10Dec
Exploring Groundwater Recoverability in Texas: Maximum Economically Recoverable Storage
The 2017 Texas state water plan projects total supply deficits of 4.8 and 8.9 million acre-feet under drought-of-record conditions by the year 2020 and 2070, respectively, driven by a growing…
Read More16Dec
Commentary: Water: A Preventable Disaster
Editor-in-Chief’s Note: The Texas Water Journal invited Texas state Senator Charles Perry, Chair of the Senate Committee on Water and Rural Affairs, to share his thoughts on the role of…
Read MoreVolumes 1 to 12 (2010 – 2021)
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Contents
Water, Texas Style: An Introduction. Extremes of climate and geography make managing water in a state as large as Texas a challenge. In response, Texas has created an array of institutions to handle that challenge. Author: Todd Votteler
Planning, Financing, and Providing for the Needs of 23 Million More Texans by 2070. People have been moving to Texas for decades with no signs showing that the migration is slowing down. How much water will they need, where will that water come from, and how will it be paid for? Author: Peter Lake
Groundwater Governance, Management, Regulation, and Emerging Issues in the Lone Star State. Groundwater provides most of the water that Texans use. However, groundwater supplies are projected to decrease by nearly a quarter between 2020 and 2070. As one of the last rule of capture states how is Texas managing its groundwater in the face of declining supplies? Author: Robert Mace
Surface Water Management, Regulation, and Flooding: Planning for Feast or Famine. The first major new reservoir in Texas since the 1980s is now under construction. Is Texas in the beginning of a new period of reservoir construction? If so, should all new water supply projects be required to provide flood protection benefits in the wake of Hurricane Harvey? Author: Sara Thornton
The Rise of Water Conservation and Efforts to Protect Environmental Flows. Texas first began to address the surface water needs of the environment in 1985. Conservation is now a major focus of the state’s efforts to stretch its existing supplies. What are these efforts and could they be examples for other states? Author: Kathy Alexander
Hands Across the Waters: How Texas Works with River Compacts. Many of the rivers in Texas are located wholly within the state’s boundaries. There are a few notable exceptions, however. How does Texas manage transboundary rivers? Author: Suzy Valentine
The Texas Energy and Water Nexus. Texas is both a major producer and user of energy. Some sources of energy relied upon by Texas use far more water than others and could be vulnerable to shortages during future droughts. Author: Gabe Collins
Water Research in Texas: An Ever Evolving Topic and a Highly Engaged Community. Texas has a robust water research effort spread across many universities as well as other institutions. How are these efforts organized and what is the focus of their research? Author: John Tracy
Water Education Leadership in Texas: Pathway for Students from Middle School to University Degree. Like most states Texas is experiencing a generational change in the water workforce created by retiring baby boomers. How will Texas fill the jobs needed to quench its growing thirst? Author: Rudolph Rosen
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Looking for the latest coverage on Texas water in the 87th Legislative Session? Check out this informative read from Texas + Water!![]()
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The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment Texas Water Journal
lege+water: mid-May 2021 Update
texaspluswater.wp.txstate.edu
Every month during the 87th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature Dr. Todd Votteler and Dr. Robert Mace provide an update on water-related legislation.
With 11 days left, we are now in the endgame of the Texas Legislature's 87th Regular Session! Get the latest updates on water-related legislation from Todd Votteler & Robert Mace in a special issue of Texas+Water: bit.ly/3f3W6nx. #txlege #Texas
Here's a little Texas legislative update from Texas + Water, a publication of The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, Texas Water Journal, and Texas Water Resources Institute:
texaspluswater.wp.txstate.edu
Every month during the 87th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature Dr. Todd Votteler and Dr. Robert Mace provide an update on water-related legislation. The new Texas+Water features an interview with Texas Nature Conservancy State Director Suzanne Scott. Read it here, plus an update on water-related legislation in the Texas Legislature & much more! mailchi.mp/texaspluswater/texas-water-vol-4-issue-4?e=6b63af2a8c #txlege #txwater
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Get the news you need to know about Texas water issues including science, policy, and law delivered straight to your inbox every month. Texas+Water is brought to you by the Meadows Center for Water an...