(lighthearted guitar music)
- [Voiceover] Groundwater from aquifers
sustains life of every kind in Texas.
It is a key resource to every industry in Texas,
from farming, ranching and manufacturing,
to energy exploration and refining.
However, we cannot see this resource
until it flows out of the ground
in the form of a spring, or is pumped out of a well.
Aquifers are water-bearing rocks
underneath the land surface.
A spring flows when the aquifer is filled to the point
that the groundwater overflows onto the land surface.
Many Texas rivers and streams are spring-fed.
Natural springs originally helped support
Native American settlements, and served as the key junctions
along hunting and migration trails.
Later, missions and towns developed around these springs,
and grew into the Texas cities we see today.
While surface water from the state's
many rivers and reservoirs continues to fulfill
some of the state's water needs,
groundwater from aquifers still supplies
60% of all water used in Texas.
But rising groundwater usage has led
to steadily declining supplies.
Some springs that sustained early communities have dried up.
Big Spring, in west Texas, has long gone dry, but because
of its significance to the town, the illusion
of a flowing spring is kept up by piping in surface water.
- [Voiceover] Groundwater volume is measured in acre-feet.
One acre-foot of water, about 330,000 gallons,
would cover a football field to a depth of one foot.
This amount of water is sufficient to meet the needs
of two average sized families for one year.
When we look at the numbers, Texas used a total
of eight million acre-feet of groundwater in 2010,
more than other sources of water such as,
surface water from reservoirs and rivers.
Groundwater is used not only for drinking water,
but also to meet the needs of many commercial enterprises,
including agriculture, manufacturing and energy production.
The amount of groundwater that was available in 2010,
was 13 million acre-feet.
By 2060, the amount of groundwater available
is expected to decline to 10 million acre-feet per year.
Meanwhile, the Texas population is expected to increase
from 25 million to 50 million.
With declining supplies, and growing demands for water,
groundwater availability is a critical concern,
both now, and in the future.
- [Voiceover] Texas has nine major aquifers.
A major aquifer covers a large geographic area,
and can produce large amounts of groundwater.
Major aquifers, accounted for 84%
of available groundwater in 2012.
The remaining 16%, was contained in 21 minor aquifers.
A minor aquifer is an aquifer that can produce
only small amounts of water over large areas,
or large amounts over small areas.
Some of these aquifers are the principle source
of water for communities in Texas,
especially in the arid, western part of the state.
In San Antonio, nearly all the water comes from an aquifer,
and it is a good quality, cost-effective, reliable resource
during times of drought.
- [Voiceover] The Texas Water Development Board works
with nearly 100 groundwater conservation districts
throughout the state.
The agency provides these districts
with a wide-range of educational and technical resources,
to develop effective groundwater management plans.
As of 2012, all confirmed districts have plans
that are approved by the Texas Water Development Board,
or are in the process of being approved.
At the state level, regional water-planning groups
across Texas have designed groundwater management strategies
to meet future demands brought on by population growth.
Plans include new ideas for water conservation,
development of new water wells,
increased withdrawal at current well fields,
desalination of brackish groundwater
using surface water to offset groundwater demands,
and transferring water between river basins.
Module four of this video series
describes how groundwater is managed,
at the local, regional and state levels in Texas.
The Texas Water Development Board's Water IQ-
Know Your Water, is a state-wide public awareness program
that educates Texans about water conservation.
Water IQ provides information on
water conservation practices, raises awareness
about the importance of water conservation,
and helps Texans use less water.
- [Voiceover] With the projected doubling
of the state's population over the coming decades,
and the ever-present threat of drought,
Texas is preparing to meet the challenge
of supplying water to its citizens.
Throughout the state, dedicated water management
professionals and community leaders, are working together,
to ensure the availability of quality water,
the essential element, past, present and future,
in the development of the great state of Texas.