Articles and Reports

A new water fight is brewing in West Texas, where a distant public utility has bought the right to pump almost all of the available water from an aquifer near Fort Stockton that is a lifeline for dozens of local ranchers. The utility, the Colorado River Municipal Water District, is based some 150 miles away and provides water to Abilene as well as the Permian basin oil hubs of Midland and Odessa. It finalized an agreement last year, which was made public this summer, with the sprawling La Escalera Ranch just off Highway 385...

Competition for groundwater in Texas is growing faster than water managers and planners can handle, providing an opportunity for lawmakers to ensure that this critical resource is protected and shared fairly. Most of the competition is playing out in rural areas of the state, where we have family roots and business enterprises, because that’s where most of the available groundwater is located...

A yearslong dispute over exporting water to growing Texas cities offers a hint at the battles to come as the state’s population booms and water supply dwindles.

Located 99 miles from Midland, Belding Farms, a 60-year-old pecan orchard in Fort Stockton, is making significant strides to safeguard its groundwater supply. The farm recently petitioned the local groundwater district to create a mitigation fund. This mitigation fund would be used to help offset potential negative impacts on water wells as a result of declining aquifer levels which are driven by increasing water exports.

Texas groundwater is legally and hydrologically complicated, and it is in increasingly high demand. In the newest issue of txH2O magazine, meet the researchers, local water professionals and educators working to help manage and protect Texas aquifers. From the intricacies of groundwater laws around Texas and the United States, to the widespread success of the Texas Well Owner Network, this issue covers some ground.

To cope with a growing population and increasing demand for water, a popular resort and residential complex in Terlingua told its residents that it would limit water sales. The eight-member board overseeing 200,000 acres of privately owned land and short-term rentals called Terlingua Ranch Lodge — about 70 miles from the Big Bend National Park — sells drinking and nondrinking water to permanent residents. Many rely on the association for their monthly supply.