Looking Ahead While Water Demands Grow: How North Texas Plans for the Future
North Texas continues to grow at an astounding rate, attracting people and businesses with its thriving economy, friendly culture and standard of living. Our water supplies, whether used for life, safety, health, recreation or industry, are an integral part of continuing this positive trend.
The North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) provides wholesale treated water to a service area with more than 2.3 million people in a 2,200 square mile area. NTMWD’s service area includes some of the fastest-growing counties in the country, so careful long-range water planning is essential for sustaining quality of life.
Using the extreme conditions Texas experienced during a “drought of record,” planners develop scenarios to help reduce the impact of water scarcity. The statewide drought of record spanned seven years in the 1950s and spurred the creation of the long-range planning processes used today.
While the drought of record for the entire state was the drought of the 1950s, portions of the state have experienced more severe drought at different times, such as the drought of 2011-2015. Regional and local water planners look closely at historical weather to ensure there will be adequate supply during a repeat drought of record scenario for their area.
State water planning is conducted in five-year cycles. The upcoming water plan will be finalized in 2027 and has a 2080 planning horizon. The reason for the planning timeline is based on the array of factors that can impact water supply, including rapid population change, weather patterns and drought. Additionally, long-term projects like new reservoirs can take decades to complete.
Because of its large size and diverse climate conditions and geography, multiple factors must be considered when developing a water plan for Texas. The bottom-up structure adopted in 1997 allows plans to be developed and assessed by local entities before they are compiled and moved to the state level.
Texas is divided into 16 water planning regions, which are administered by the Texas Water Development Board. NTMWD is part of Region C Water Planning Group, which includes the Dallas-Ft. Worth metropolitan area as well as numerous rural communities. Region C contributes 30 percent of Texas’ gross domestic product and contains 27 percent of our state’s population while accounting for only 10 percent of statewide water used annually.
Like the rest of Region C, our existing water supplies will not meet demands during a dry year, by the mid-2030s. Based on population growth projections and historical water usage trends, the gap between supply and demand will grow without new water supplies.
Using data like growth projections, water use trends and climate outlook, planners at NTMWD and other water providers develop water supply strategies to mitigate the likelihood of an inadequate water supply. The strategies are categorized according to the length of time needed for implementation and method of procuring water. Because no single strategy will provide enough water to meet our future needs, a combination of conservation, reuse and new water sources will be needed. Developing multiple, varied strategies concurrently ensures water supplies are diverse, sustainable and resilient.
As with other endeavors, careful planning is critical to ensuring success when it comes to ensuring we have enough water to foster the quality of life that draws people to North Texas. NTMWD is committed to providing this vital resource now and in the future.