West Texas Growth Prompts Water Supply Concerns

Like southern Utah and other scenic regions of the U.S. Southwest, West Texas is seeing dramatic growth as more people discover its natural beauty, relatively low-cost real estate, and cultural amenities.

This rapid growth is prompting concerns about whether the region’s water supply can keep up, writes Sarah Melotte in The Daily Yonder. “A survey conducted by Big Bend National Park showed that more than half a million people visited the park in 2022, a 12% increase since 2019, the last year the park was open full-time before the pandemic.”

Meanwhile, Brewster County added 4,700 short-term rental units between 2021 and 2023, and more people are moving to the area’s rural communities seeking space and solitude. Melotte points out that rural communities tend to use less water per housing unit than urban areas. However, “For a well to be approved by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), it has to be able to produce 40 gallons per minute from every connection,” regardless of its location or the type of housing unit it serves.

Melotte notes that a new assistance program from the Texas Water Development Board, the Texas Water Fund, seeks to help small communities manage their water resources and provide technical assistance for water conservation projects.