In a semi-arid state like Texas where drought is a common occurrence, just supplying water for people is a major challenge. To meet the water needs of our cities, towns, farms, and industries, Texas has been damming its rivers and pumping its aquifers at a rapid clip over the past fifty years. The water-supply challenge will only intensify over the next 50 years, as the state’s population doubles to more than 40 million people. Many of our fresh water sources are already stretched past the point of sustainability, and as human demand increases, the pressure on our rivers and streams, our springs and aquifers, our coastal bays and estuaries, and the wildlife that depend on them, could reach critical proportions. Already some of our most water-dependent ecosystems are showing signs of decay.

While planning to meet human water needs, decision-makers must protect the state’s abundant wildlife resources and cherished landscapes. Otherwise, we’re setting the stage for the de-watering of Texas rivers, the loss of irreplaceable wildlife habitat, and the degradation or collapse of our vibrant coastal ecosystems. If environmental water needs are not figured into the water-supply equation, many Texas rivers and streams will become what the once-mighty Rio Grande is today – a river that no longer flows to the Gulf, that limps along, degraded and nearly devoid of fish and wildlife.

Water Planning
The immediate venue for these water management decisions is the statewide water-planning effort authorized by the Legislature in 1997. The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) is administering this planning process and must develop a new State Water Plan by January 2002. For the past three years state-appointed regional planning groups, representing a range of water users, managers, and suppliers, along with environmental groups and the general public, have assessed their expected water needs and water supplies. They made recommendations to the state about how to meet those water needs over the next fifty years. The TWDB will release a draft State Water Plan to the public in mid-September and will hold public hearings around the state in October.

The Rio Grande no longer runs into the Gulf

In contrast to many other regions, the Houston area planning group (Region H) paid some attention to environmental water needs. In particular, the group assessed and quantified the volume of fresh water inflows needed to maintain the productivity of Galveston Bay, though they did not recommend a strategy for meeting those needs. Unfortunately, they also recommended several expensive and environmentally damaging projects – three reservoirs at Little River, Bedias, and Allen’s Creek – that could be avoided with more aggressive conservation and better management of existing water supplies.
Environmental water needs are not well protected under Texas law, and as a consequence, water-planners and managers have typically ignored the water needs of wildlife and their habitat. But today’s water-planning decisions will have far-reaching consequences for Texas’ remaining ecological heritage, and we cannot afford to do business as usual. New dams and diversions recommended by regional planning groups will destroy thousands of acres of riverine wetlands and bottomland hardwood habitat, decrease estuarine productivity, and degrade or dry up rivers, streams, and springs. They would also cost a lot of money – $17 billion according to the Texas Water Development Board. Both in Region H and across Texas, aggressive water conservation is key to environmentally sound water planning. With advanced conservation measures in place, many costly and environmentally damaging dams and reservoirs may prove unnecessary.

Take Action
Here is the bottom line. Through smart planning and aggressive conservation, Texas can meet the water needs of both people and wildlife for the next 50 years. The National Wildlife Federation (NWF), through its Gulf States Regional Office in Austin, is pursuing a multi-year program to promote environmentally and economically sound water management in Texas. NWF is teaming up with other state-level environmental groups – the Sierra Club, Environmental Defense, and the Texas Center for Policy Studies – in a multi-faceted effort to ensure adequate water for human and environmental needs. Most importantly, we are involving citizens at all levels of the campaign
The TWDB is well aware that conservationists are paying close attention to this planning process, but we still need your help. Opportunities for involvement range from submitting comment letters, to attending water planning group meetings, to testifying at public hearings. Citizens must not accept a State Water Plan that drains our rivers dry, degrades irreplaceable and increasingly rare wildlife habitat, and leads to the destruction of our bays and estuaries.

If you are interested in getting involved in this campaign, or receiving updates on our progress, please email Dave Moldal at moldal@nwf.org or call 512-476-9805. For further information, please see www.nwf.org/texaswaterforwildlife.