Texas Comptroller Susan Combs has released a report examining the effects of the water challenges facing the state and offering recommendations to the Legislature. Texas Water Report: Going Deeper for the Solution, which revisits the effects of recent drought conditions, examines research-driven approaches for augmenting Texas’ water supply and proposes practical answers for the state’s growing thirst, according to the comptroller.
“Texas has been prone to cycles of drought for centuries, and there is no reason to expect that basic pattern to change,” Combs said. “Yet our state has changed, and its booming population and economy are creating an increasingly unquenchable demand for water.”
The report, which can be found at www.window.state.tx.us/specialrpt/water, also explains the $2 billion in new funding for water projects approved Nov. 5 by voters in a constitutional amendment. Combs said Texans’ approval of Proposition 6 is a positive step toward assuring our water supplies, but additional innovative strategies are needed.
“We need a breakthrough in this field, and some of our state funding should be used for innovative technologies which increase conservation,” she said.
In the report, Combs recommends that the Texas Legislature establish a prize framework to reward those who develop proven new, cheap sources of drinking water. The report concludes that in order to continue to support its rapidly growing population, Texas must find cost-effective supplements to its reservoirs and aquifers.
Read the comptroller’s full news release for more information.