"The primary message of the 2012 State Water Plan is a simple one: In serious drought conditions, Texas does not and will not have enough water to meet the needs of its people, its businesses, and its agricultural enterprises," board chairman Edward Vaughan wrote in the introduction.
BusinessWeek- Texas approved a somberly worded plan on Thursday that lays out where the state should spend $53 billion to cope with its water needs over the next half century, and warns that future droughts may mean not enough supply to keep up with growing demand.
The 295-page report by the Texas Water Development Board says that to avoid a potentially thirsty future, the state should implement 562 infrastructure and conservation projects that include building 26 new reservoirs as well as numerous dams, pipelines and wells -- but it provides little guidance on how to pay for such infrastructure.
Texas is suffering through its worst single-year drought on record, making the question especially acute.
The board's latest version of a plan produced every five years says the state's population is expected to grow 82 percent by 2060, increasing water demand 22 percent even as supply is slated to drop 10 percent. It says failing to meet future water needs could cost Texas $11.9 billion per year if the current drought approaches the state's worst on record between 1950 and 1957, and up to $115.7 billion annually by 2060..
