Key Issues on Texas Water Planning and Conservation

One would be hard-pressed to find someone to disagree with the precept that water is essential to all facets of life. However, beyond that generality, things tend to get fuzzy. How water is procured and delivered to our homes, fields, and businesses feels obscure and often fades into the background when things are functioning normally. The regulatory and legal regimes that manage groundwater and surface water are a complicated tangle. Antiquated and inadequate water infrastructure is the norm in many places.

Within this set of wicked problems some key questions remain ever present: How do we make sure there is sufficient water for all human and non-human communities in the present and the future? How do we ensure equitable access to quality drinking water for all?

In Texas, where communities are frequently dealing with either too much or too little water and our growing urban centers place added strain on water resources, these questions become more important and urgent.

This year we will gather various folks across academic, non-profit, government, advocacy, and artistic sectors to discuss the way water shapes our lives. For this first iteration, join us as our panel of experts lays out some of the key issues and questions surrounding the groundwater and surface water resources of Texas as well as the key scientific, technological, and social contours of water conservation and planning.