Growing Returns

For some Texans, a day without water is not imaginary – it is an unfortunate reality

By Vanessa Puig-Williams / Bio / Published: October 19, 2023

In Presidio County, running water is a luxury that some residents do not enjoy. Families in Las Pampas, a Colonia near the Mexican border, must truck water from the City of Presidio to their homes north of town, spending money and time to secure what many Texans take for granted – running water and the economic opportunity this provides. Decades ago, when Las Pampas was first developed, a few groundwater wells supplied water to homes and even a restaurant, but the wells were poorly constructed and too shallow to access reliable underground water in this desert region. Eventually, they stopped flowing, and Las Pampas literally dried up. Read More »

Removing the mystery of groundwater to protect Texas’ beloved Hill Country

By Vanessa Puig-Williams / Bio / Published: April 26, 2022

What makes the Texas Hill Country unique? In my mind, it comes down to one thing: groundwater. It is impossible to overstate the importance of groundwater to this region, because without it, the Hill Country would not be the region we know and love.

It is the beauty and abundance of the Hill Country’s water resources that have attracted people here for thousands of years.

As the recently published State of the Hill Country Report reveals, the region is on the verge of becoming a victim of its own success as people are moving to the Hill Country in droves for its beauty and high quality of life. The report introduces eight key metrics to help track the region’s health and guide decisions that will determine whether the region will continue to thrive or live beyond its means.

Unfortunately, current levels of groundwater pumping threaten to dry up rivers and springs as the Hill Country heads down the second path of living beyond its means.

Posted in Uncategorized / Tagged Hill Country Texas, texas aquifer, texas drought, texas groundwater, texas spring, texas water, western water | Comments are closed

2021 began with a Texas-sized water crisis. In 2022, Texas needs solutions.

By Vanessa Puig-Williams / Bio / Published: January 6, 2022

Last February, Texans got a terribly clear view of the fragility of their state’s water infrastructure, as a statewide freeze left millions of Texans without heat or electricity and almost half of the state’s population lost water.

This event provided a stark reminder of what’s at stake. The state’s 2022 water plan estimates that more than $80 billion in projects are needed to meet future water demands and build resilience across Texas.

Posted in Uncategorized / Tagged aquifers, texas aquifers, texas blackout, texas groundwater, texas infrastructure, texas legislature, texas water freezing, western water | Read 1 Response

New EDF video helps Texans visualize and protect the groundwater they cannot see

By Vanessa Puig-Williams / Bio / Published: December 16, 2021

Protecting Texas’ vulnerable groundwater supplies raises a challenging dilemma: How can you motivate people to stand up for an underground resource they cannot see?

So we made a video to bring this vital resource to life.

This year, EDF released “Beneath the Surface and Above: The Journey of Groundwater.” The video combines beautiful natural footage from filmmaker Ben Masters and others with computer-generated animation to illuminate the connection between Texas’ groundwater supplies and iconic rivers and springs — and to show how they all need to be protected to safeguard the state’s people, economy and environment.

Posted in Uncategorized / Tagged agriculture, conservation, drinking water, groundwater, rivers, Texas, western water | Comments are closed

Wells and springs are drying up in Texas. Here is what leaders can do about it.

By Vanessa Puig-Williams / Bio / Published: December 8, 2021

Millions of Texans are in danger of seeing their water supplies dry up as groundwater is being pumped out of aquifers across the state at an unsustainable pace.

Fortunately, there is still time for Texas to turn the tide and preserve groundwater for future generations.

Those are the conclusions of a new pair of reports released by EDF and the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University.

The first report Five Gallons in a Ten Gallon Hat: Groundwater Sustainability in Texas by Robert Mace, executive director of the Meadows Center, shows Texas is losing groundwater at nearly twice the maximum sustainable rate. Moreover, according to long-term management plans approved by local groundwater agencies, overpumping is likely to increase in coming years unless officials change course.

A second report co-authored by EDF, Advancing Groundwater Sustainability in Texas: A Guide to Existing Authorities and Management Tools for Groundwater Conservation Districts and Communities, lays out a path for addressing the looming groundwater crisis utilizing existing law.

Posted in Uncategorized / Tagged groundwater agencies, Ogallala, texas drought, texas groundwater, texas springs, texas streams, texas water, texas wells, western water | Read 1 Response

5 principles for resilient groundwater management in Texas

By Vanessa Puig-Williams / Bio / Published: August 30, 2021

Although Texas has a solid foundation for managing groundwater, this foundation is cracking under the combined pressures of increasing demand and decreasing supply.

These pressures are pitting rural areas against urban areas and landowners against each other, with groundwater conservation districts caught in the middle.

To overcome these challenges and ensure resilient water supplies, Texas leaders must improve the state’s framework for managing groundwater. That means finding common ground among diverse stakeholders on how to best sustain supplies.

Posted in Uncategorized / Tagged texas aquifers, texas drought, texas groundwater, texas water, western water | Comments are closed

Texas leaders made a big mistake ignoring water this session. But not all hope is lost.

By Vanessa Puig-Williams / Bio / Published: June 23, 2021

Last weekend I paddled on the Blanco River with my family. We swam in spring-fed swimming holes, fly fished and lounged in shallow sections of the river, which was flowing nicely thanks to recent rains that ended drought conditions across Texas.

But it’s hard to ignore that Texas is sitting in the shadow of one of the worst droughts in history — one that’s crippling the rest of the West.

As temperatures rise and groundwater levels remain low with little rain in the forecast, it is imperative that we develop solutions to manage our water supplies more sustainably.

Unfortunately, state leaders put water on the back burner this legislative session, failing to take action on several water bills — even a benign bill to study groundwater and surface water interactions. But just because state leaders haven’t taken action doesn’t mean we can’t.

Here are three steps that all Texans can take now to build momentum behind protecting our rivers, streams and groundwater. Read More »

Posted in Uncategorized / Tagged Texas, texas climate, texas drought, texas water, western water | Comments are closed

Pristine streams in Texas need protection. It’s up to the state Senate to act.

By Vanessa Puig-Williams / Bio / Published: May 18, 2021

The first time I paddled the Nueces River I was blown away by the water — crystal clear, aqua colored, almost tropical. I could easily see the bottom of the river many feet below me and fish as they darted under my kayak.

Fed by springs that percolate up from groundwater beneath the Edwards Plateau, the Nueces is among the last remaining uniquely pure waterways in Texas.

More development is leading to an increase in discharge permit applications in Texas, putting pristine waterways like the Nueces at risk.

House Bill 4146 by Rep. Tracy King (D-Laredo) and Senate Bill 1747 by Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) in the state Legislature will protect these unspoiled streams and rivers by prohibiting wastewater discharges in them. HB 4146 has passed the House and now awaits a hearing in the Senate Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee.

Posted in Uncategorized / Tagged ecosystems, legislation, rivers, Texas, water, water quality, western water | Comments are closed

As Texas drought worsens, two bills can advance sustainable, equitable groundwater management

By Vanessa Puig-Williams / Bio / Published: April 26, 2021

Drought conditions are now confronting 75% of Texas, putting more pressure on critical water supplies.

Thirty-two cities or water supply entities in Texas are under voluntary or mandatory water restrictions. Flows in a majority of river basins across South Central Texas have dropped below or far below normal. And the Edwards Aquifer, which stretches across thousands of acres in South Central Texas and serves San Antonio, has dropped nearly 10 feet below average levels for March.

Amid this grim news, state lawmakers have the opportunity to take two important steps toward more sustainable and equitable management of vital water resources.

Posted in Uncategorized / Tagged climate change, drought, ecosystems, groundwater, rivers, sustainability, Texas, water use, western water | Read 1 Response

3 lessons from a Texas groundwater district on managing during drought

By Vanessa Puig-Williams / Bio / Published: March 3, 2021

The Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District in central Texas urges residents to “please protect your aquifer by limiting water use.” The district manages groundwater in Hays County, Texas, one of the top five fastest-growing counties in the U.S.

Due to drought, the district has imposed a 20% curtailment on groundwater pumping districtwide and a 30% curtailment in a 39 square-mile region within the district that includes the iconic Jacob’s Well spring, the second-largest underwater cave in Texas and a popular tourist destination. Read More »

Posted in Uncategorized / Tagged drought, ecosystems, groundwater, groundwater management, Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District, Jacob's Well, Texas | Comments are closed