The map below shows cities across Texas where water systems are especially strained due to drought, infrastructure problems or both. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the source of the data, collects data on water systems that are at risk of running short of water within 180 days. Public water systems self report this information to the TCEQ, and each one noted below is in that 180-day danger zone. Click on each location to see how close the area's public water system is to running short.
If, or when, a community runs short, it won't be the first. Spicewood Beach, near Austin, saw its wells dry up in early 2012, forcing the local water agency to truck in water. Barnhart, a small community in West Texas, ran out of water earlier this month.
Name | Pop. | Could be out of water in... | View on Map |
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Comments (25)
Lani Rosales via Texas Tribune on Facebook
cc Brandon C. Alderete
Brandon C. Alderete via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Thank you, my dear.
Lani Rosales via Texas Tribune on Facebook
you've probably already seen it, but it looks SUPER useful for some of your work
Morris Creedon-McVean
Finally a drought map that considers population density and the dependency of urban centers upon reservoirs not soil moisture which has been the tradition since the population was spread out and agriculture was the main industry. But Texas has gown from a 90% rural population to a 90% urban population in one cities and the economies of those cities is based on high tech and require several time the water that agricultural usage would. So the map published on the front page of the new Texas Water Commission's, "Water" issues page indicates that Austin is in a moderate drought zone, which is accurate if we raised hogs,corn soybeans and corn, is a bold faced lie because it does not consider our population density (1.7 million in the Austin metropolitan zone) which are water dependent on reservoirs, not on rain fall and soil moisture. So the map implies that the drought is not too bad and is getting better, and deception or bold face lie, dependent on your rating system for lying. To me since it is intentional and meant to convince the public that no action is needed, which is the preposterous opinion of the Governor, a pathological liar, with not a scrap of evidence to support his comical political postion. is a BOLD FACED LIE OF THE HIGHEST ORDER SINCE IT PUTS THOUSANDS OF LIVES AT RISK.
The following is the letter I would like for every citizen in Texas to have access to and read. And why the Democratic party has not made a major issue of this in a campaign year is totally baffling.
South Texas is an Acute State of Emergency
On June 29, 2012 the combined lake reservoirs of Travis County (Austin)hit a predetermined trigger point that was set during the1951 drought. The recommendation of the former Texas Water Commission directed by a scientist and Professor of Biology at Texas A&M with an impeccable pedigree and long record of successful management of Texas water crisis was immediate dramatic cutbacks on our usage of both water and power, including rolling brownouts. But nothing happened Utilities routinely follow the commissions recommendations because of their impeccable history of success. However, Gov Perry intervened and stopped the recommendations from being executed. A month later, he had the water districts issue a letter to all retail customers stating There is no longer a water problem, and no further conservation efforts will be necessary. He defined away the problem. Meanwhile our reservoirs steadily went lower. Then last Friday the LCRA announce a complete change in the Board of Directors, filled with people from the real estate and financial sectors who have an obvious conflict of interest with any conservation efforts or even an honest warning to the general public about the general potential dangers that they may face. No a single scientist is on the board. Non on the new board members have any experience in water management.
I then did some simple calculations based on the current water supply in the reservoirs : 898,809 acre feet on Sept 2, 2012. All numbers are in units of acre feet unless otherwise indicated.
898,809 ( *1) divided by 40,000/week (an average usage rate)= 22.47 weeks =157.29 days= 5.243 months.
Thus, this estimation projects that we will run completely dry by the first week in February 2013. Draconian cutbacks in power and water will have to begin well before that, no matter what the Governor names the situation. So extreme cutbacks should begin as early as October (that is next month) to avoid the risk of running completely dry in 5 short months which would mean1.7 million people without power water food or gasoline and no warning that this was going to happen. That sounds like a serious problem to me. No preparations of any kind have been made by any organization on any level of government from county/city to FEMA; and neither have any NGOs (Non-Government organizations). People in Travis County will be like people in the Sudan, no supplies to sustain life, no way of escape, and no one ready to provide the massive relief necessary.
That is the course the State Government led by our Governor who doesnt believe government has any role is social services, which quite bizarrely includes not warning the public of impending disasters. But, we are a free people and we are not bound to follow the Governors advice (do nothing). But we must dramatically reduce our usage of power and water by 50% to buy time to prepare for the day our lakes are empty and total social, economic, chaos and panic result.
The Gov could be impeached and removed from office; so that a person capable of managing this disaster (like a retired Army Cornel with experience in disaster relief) could take control. But that must happen quickly, in less than a month. Not impossible, but this state is totally dominated by Perrys party, which will go down in history as the party that destroyed the States capitol our of pure negligence. The populous is so conditioned to take the word of the party in power that we dont even question their near dictatorial powers. And in this case the lack of a healthy opposition will prove to be catastrophic. And what I am talking about is just Austin. I have every reason to believe that the situation is even worse in San Antonio and in the Valley. Eastern Texas cities, Dallas-Fort Worth and Houstons reservoirs aree in better condition, but they certainly dont have even remotely an excess that would enable them to help the critical shortages in South Texas. To the north there are catastrophic droughts all the way to southern Minnesota.
My grandparents all lived their lives on farms. Living of the land with hard work, intelligent use of limited recourses---they wasted NOTHING. They showed the kind of courage that built this great country and reached its peak of accomplishment after WWII after saving the world from fascism. Then for the first time in history, instead of pillaging the losers, America rebuilt the devastated German and Japanese economies and installed democratic republic governments, to end the cycles of wars causing wars due to the desperation of the defeated which is exactly what happened after WWI, and created fertile ground for Hitler to gain power by promising hope.
This is not the time for Texans, long respected for their toughness and determination under the most trying circumstances to be passive and swallow the bold face lies our government is dishing out on a daily basis. The Austin-American Statesman has sold out to the Perry fantasy that prayer will save is from the devastation of this doubt. He stated this in a speech in December of 2011 when he acknowledged that there was a drought.
It is normal to be frightened by this unprecedented drought, but we must act and do our best in spite of our fear. Courage is the ability to act and do the right thing in spite of our fear. Cowardice is giving into our fear and becoming paralyzed to take action. We are presently acting more like the later than the former. I believe we are better than that. The spirit that our ancestors had is still alive in us, it is just in hiding. But, it must be found and roused into action soon. Thousands of lives are at stake. The drought is real. It is already threatening to destroy the economy and the population base of the state, now at 26.5 million, the World Climactic Change is Real, and Texas is the first State (along with the less populous states of New Mexico and Arizona) to suffer the consequences of these devastating climactic changes that no one living has ever experienced. But we must break through our fear and denial and actively do every thing in our power to mitigate the effects. Just pretend it is the worst hurricane to ever hii the state. The main difference is that this event will not last a few days and disappear. This climactic event will laast for years.
Morris Creedon-McVean, D.O.
Born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas
BS in Radio-TV-Film University of Texas at Austin 1971
DO from the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine 1980
Retired in 2011 due to medical disabities
www.biologybehaviorchaos.blogspot.com
mcreedonmcvean@gmail.com
*1 Source hydormet.lcra.org;lakevolume (a service of the Texas State Water Commission calculated in real time using feet above sea level as the methodology.)
*2 Usage rate used at the higher end of the range of variable usage rates because of the high temperatures which are likely to continue and the constantly increasing population, and the Governors written message to utilities that there is no more water problem and no further conservation measures are needed
gypsy314 ne
Texas knows were we have floods every year build lakes to hold flood waters and pipe it to were it is needed whats the hold up???
Papa Ray
If they (state, county, city governments) had listened to those who knew and begged them to build desalinization plants to harvest the vast ocean of brine water under Texas YEARS ago, we wouldn't be in this preamble of disasters of Biblical proportions in Texas.
But no...they said it cost TOO much.
But then continued to build other multimillion boondoggles everywhere and even neglected to keep their highways and streets repaired.
Governments are faulty because of the idiots that are in those same governments.
Papa Ray
Morris Creedon-McVean
Why Rainfall Doesnt Always Help Us
September 17, 2012
Why rainfall doesn't help us. The geological structure of the greater Austin area is composed of a base of limestone, because most of Texas was the bottom of an ancient lake. Most of the greater Austin area has a very thin layer of topsoil, averaging as little as 4 to 6 inches; and underneath that, solid limestone. This is especially true of the Hill country, which makes up the majority of the watersheds for our 2 main reservoirs, lakes Austin and Buchanan. Because of this geological structure, rainfall general measurements are a poor indicator of the amount of water that ends up in our reservoirs. Our predominant rainfall comes in the form of thunderstorms, which produce brief but torrential rains. The initial 20 min. or so of what is called a gully washer, is quickly absorbed by the dry and parched topsoil. The water fall after that rapidly runs off and ends up in the Gulf of Mexico. So, unless the generalized pattern of scattered thunderstorms produces a storm directly over the relatively small watershed areas of the 2 reservoirs, it adds nothing to our water reserves. Since we live in a County with a high population density, approximately 1.7 million people in the greater Austin area, we are totally dependent on these reservoirs for a constant steady and reliable source of water. To make matters worse, the growth of this area has been in the high tech sector which has attracted people from all over the United States and abroad for these jobs in cutting edge high tech industries. Included, in the high-tech sector are many semi-conductor fabrication plants (approximately 14 in number). These chip fabs, as they are called in the industry, use phenomenal amounts of water in their manufacturing process. For example, it takes over 800 gallons of highly purified water to rinse a single 8 inch silicone wafer. Each of these factories produce thousands of wafers every day. An article on the subject, estimated that an average chip fab used an amount of water that would support a city of over 50,000 people. Therefore, these drought conditions with ever declining water levels in our reservoirs puts these chip fab factories in jeopardy. Since they represent enormous capital investment to build and maintain, and require a very highly educated and sophisticated workforce, they have tremendous leverage on the local economy, and thus the politicians who stake their careers on Austin's reputation on a national level as a high tech center which produces a constant stream of highly placed well-paying jobs.
It has become increasingly evident that this conflict of interest between the high-tech industries that attract people to this area, and the normal and unavoidable need for water to sustain life and maintain other facilities that make Austin such a wonderful place to live within its beautiful lakes and parks and other amenities. This conflict produced a dramatic example last year, 2011, the hottest and driest year in the state of Texas ever recorded. In spite of the miserable relentless heat, Travis County saw 26,000 people move into the area from all over the country. Then last winter, nature gave us an unexpected break from the relentless heat and lack of rainfall, and we were blessed with 7 straight months of average rainfall. And the result, which is counter intuitive, we saw our reservoirs levels went down. There can be no mistake about the data, for the lake levels are measured several times a day by state of the art techniques using feet above sea level as the standard. This data is published daily on the LCRA (Lower Colorado River Authority) web sight.
The meaning of this is clear, we have simply outgrown what nature will give us in terms of replacing the water that we use from our reservoirs. And I repeat, these 2 reservoirs are our only source of water. The problem is of course not purely a growth issue, but partially due to the fact that only a very specific pattern of rainfall adds a significant amount of water to our reservoirs. Generally speaking, the predominant rainfall pattern comes in the form of scattered thunderstorms, is almost useless. The only rainfall pattern that can be counted on to enter the reservoirs is a slow gentle constant rainfall over a large part of the greater Austin area, which we just experienced over this past weekend, September 15-17.
This is exactly the common rainfall pattern in Seattle Washington. I know this well because I lived there for 20 years. Seattle only receives about 42 inches of rain per year, which is about the same as Houston Texas, and only slightly more than the Dallas Fort Worth area. Yet, the average tree, which is a Douglas fir, is 150 feet tall with trunks 3 feet in diameter. And these are 2nd growth trees. The trees that were present when the loading industry arrived averaged between 250 and 300 feet in height. An average tall tree in any Texas urban area averages about 50 feet, and these trees have the benefit of irrigation. The point of all this is that the slow heavy drizzle type rainfall is so much more effective for plant life, that when compared to a radically different pattern of rainfall such as our scattered thunderstorm, it renders evaluating drought in terms of average rainfall almost completely useless. When assessing drought conditions, and the chances of recovery or worsening of those conditions, rainfall patterns and population density must be weighted at least as much as measurements of total rainfall. None of the standard rainfall maps that are thrown in our faces by the Austin-American newspaper consider anything but soil moisture. The originals of this type of map made sense when the population was spread out into small town's and the dominant industry was agriculture. Our local newspaper ran a front-page story about a month ago stating the case that the drought was getting better. They published a map from an institution that I was not familiar with. I looked it up, and the source was a research organization in Omaha, Nebraska, whose main concern is the soil moisture as it affects their main agricultural products: hogs, corn & soybeans. Their database covered the entire country and our newspaper selected a portion that included Central Texas which do make it appear that drought conditions were improved. But this is intentional deception, clearly meant to soften local concerns about our drought. We grow computer chips here, not hogs or soybeans and maybe a tiny bit of corn. As far as I know, and though I readily admit I am not an expert on the history of Travis County. But I do have a good working knowledge of horticulture, and I know that you can not grow vigorous crops of corn or soy beans on 6 inches of top soil. The situation a few miles to the northeast of Round Rock (home of Dell Computer), in the area around Hutto and Taylor, the soil is rich and deep and is some of the most productive in the state. However, that area shares our water shortage and an 8 foot pipeline to supply Hutto with water has just been completed.
As far as I know, there has never been an agricultural basis for the economy here in Travis County. Austin has always been an intellectual and political power center, propelled by the large state government and the huge and highly ranked University of Texas. Since I attended there in the 1960s, this prestigious university have and still has 55,000 students, including over 20,000 graduate students whose research before and after graduation brings in countless dollars and corporate investment and facilities. The highly trained and sophisticated PhD's produce a virtual endless stream of talent for any company doing any type of research and development. Therefore, comparing the rainfall and it's affect on the economy of the agricultural based small town of Omaha Nebraska, to the intellectual research and development mecca with a population of over 30 times the size of Omaha is laughable, as well as being deceptive. It is disturbing that Perry and his allies stoop to cheap tricks to deceive the public about the level of danger that brewing and getting worse by the day.
I we the people of Travis County do not wake up and see clearly that we are rapidly running out of water, in as soon a six months; AND absolutely nothing is being done to mitigate the situation. There are not even in plans in the making as to what emergency measures need to be taken IF we run out of water (which is a as close to a scientific certainty as is possible). We are in a long term drought pattern with no end in sight, and we use much more on a daily basis the the reservoirs can supply, even given an occasional break from nature.
Climactic change which produces less resources in the form of rain and food production, in a culture whose economic system based on a need for constant growth, and the need for essentially endless recourses, is a conflict so basic it is bound to be profoundly disruptive. But WE humans must adapt to these changes or we will perish. No better argument for conservation and living within your means has ever been made that the current situation in Central Texas where I live. It is a heart wrenching process to watch. We are being tested by nature, and at this point it appears to me that we are going to fail. But Texans and all of humanity have risen to the demands of worse situations that this, so I remain hopeful.
Morris Creedon-McVean, D.O.
Kathi Thomas via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Serious business.
Karen Spivey-Cummings via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Ya think?
Karen Spivey-Cummings via Texas Tribune on Facebook
But, but Texas lawmakers and Perry are too busy passing anti-women/abortion laws, defunding public education and gun laws. Water isn't important. *roll eyes*
Karen Spivey-Cummings via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Oh, and passing Merry Christmas bills.
Andy Jones via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Tim to train the humans on water CONSERVATION
Neil Moyer via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Dust bowl...leave!!
Renita Demore via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Read that the Supreme Court ruled in favor if Oklahoma not selling water to Texas' Tarrant County. Need an emergency water conservation plan. NOW!!!!! What are we waiting on?!?!
Thomas Vinson via Texas Tribune on Facebook
This is part of a global shift in weather patterns. Predicted for decades.
Thomas Vinson via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Btw, big story in NM is that Texans are using up their water
Steven Felfe via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Spicewood is still trucking in water several times a day. And they are still trying to figure out a solution. The canadian company Corix who will be the owner of the system is brain storming how to meet water demand. Unfortunately they most likely will double or triple the water rates.
Matthew Cowan via Texas Tribune on Facebook
False, has not been predicted. The climatologist for have said that they could not predict the drought of 2011 nor does their models predict the drought of the 1950's.
Thomas Vinson via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Mathew I suppose anyone can say anything google "drought predicted since 1980s". Two dozen peer reviews articles popped up. Or just believe what you will. Everyone can have an opinion.
Cindy Rhoton Cook via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Drinking water should be a priority but like everything else, it will be ignored until we reach critical mass. Texas is a big desert anyway, conservation efforts must be implemented and we must learn to live without wasting water. Next time you turn the water on and just let it run down the drain, you are part of the problem!
Matthew Cowan via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Thomas, the drought we just experienced was not predicted by the global models that are used to predict weather. We know that droughts do occur in cycles just as earthquakes do but to predict when they occur has not happened. You can stick to your opinions but I will stick to the facts.
Thomas Vinson via Texas Tribune on Facebook
My statement was not that a particular drought was predicted. I said it was part of a global pattern which had been predicted. That is what I wrote and all you have to do is read it to verify that I wrote it.
You or anyone can also do the google search I recommended. The articles predicting this pattern are all available for anyone to look at. I am not sure how that is opinion and your unsupported statements and disagreement with whAt i didn't say is fact. . That is some interesting logic.
But what bothers me deeply is that current predictions say things are going to get worse and America is in denial.
Matthew Cowan via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Thomas, we can see cycles. That is not in question. The geologic record and biologic record demonstrates this. What we do not know is when these cycles will start or end. We only have vague information.
You state that "part of a global shift in weather patterns. Predicted for decades." So to say that there will be droughts is like saying there will be day and night. It is a given.To say that this drought was predicted for 2011 is not true and the models certainly did not predict it.
We do not know if the climate will get worse or not. A weatherman can not predict more than 3 days into the future with any degree of certainty. The climatologist can only give vague warnings based upon historical information. Historical information also says that there will be in the future very cold weather which is part of the cycle seen in the geologic record.
My suggestion is to forget climate change. Worry about ensuring that water supplies are available and safe. We know that our population is going to grow and that the uses of water will increase. We as a state need to plan on how water is used like more reservoirs, ability to capture more rain events and ability to transfer water between river basins.
Thomas Vinson via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Matthew, your answer sound a bit more rational than they did it first however I still, respectfully, disagree and believe that our disagreement is a misunderstanding of the difference between climate and weather
As you say predicting a specific weather pattern is very difficult and tricky. I did not in anyway imply that anyone had predicted a drought on the specific date in a specific area.
What was predicted and what is occurring is an increase in the number and severity of droughts in the world and in specific in our area. This was well discussed and documented it was a prediction based on the increase of carbon in the atmosphere
There is no evidence of any. In the Earth's history were increasing carbon has not led to increasing average temperatures on a global scale. When I say no evidence that is your cue to show me any evidence whatsoever that there has ever been a time or we have had high levels of carbon and lower temperatures.
As a result of higher temperatures it is easy to predict that there will be more droughts exactly what year they occur on how long they last varies. That there are more of them over the past decade and that they have increased in severity was predicted.
To be more precise what was actually predicted was an increase in severe weather events during this decade as a result of increasing man made carbon emissions. There is also a prediction back by a number of lines of evidence that there will continue to be increasingly severe droughts.
As you say population increase and other factors will also put pressure on our water supply. We do need to address this very quickly and we are not.
But one of the major root causes is climate change. Politicians have tried to get this out of the reports that were issued from the states however the reports have stood. Whether this drought would have occurred at this time or not cannot be determined. What is obvious to people who study this is it is being aggravated by increasing global temperatures.
You can also look forward to more intense hurricanes happening over a longer period of time, deeper winters with more snowfall, and an increase in the number and severity of fires and tornadoes. These patterns have all been happening and are all well documented.
Even if we shut off all carbon emissions tomorrow, this would continue to happen and continue to increase in severity it is not something you can turn off overnight it is like heating up in the oven it takes time to cool. But we are not turning off the heat we are turning it up. No amount of reservoir reservoir allocation irrigation or rainwater collection is going to get us out of this problem by itself.
karen bruett
LCRA Spicewood Beach has been out of water for over 18 MONTHS due to LCRA's 2011 release of water to the rice farmers. Water is currently being purchased from a local subdivision's well, and trucked in. Lake Travis is now at 36% capacity.