Overview:
A new report gives nods to SAWS for how it has diversified its water source portfolio and worked to plan ahead for major drought.
A new report from the Center for Energy Studies at Rice University’s Baker Institute on Texas’ future water needs as climate change makes droughts more severe gives a nod to the San Antonio Water System.
Researchers say the way SAWS has diversified its water source portfolio showcases what other Texas cities will likely need to do.
The report, commissioned by the nonpartisan public policy think tank Texas 2036, explores the effects of multi-year dry spells on the state’s energy production and economy, and points to opportunities created by new investment in water infrastructure.
Throughout the 60-page report, which comes just ahead of the 89th Texas Legislative Session, author Gabriel Collins, a Baker Botts fellow in energy and environmental regulatory affairs at Rice University’s Baker Institute, points to the San Antonio Water System as an example of a major Texas city existing within the famed Texas Triangle thinking ahead.
Collins calls San Antonio “and other Central Texas cities” the “proverbial ‘canaries in the water mine'” for the Lone Star State, and adds that SAWS has made San Antonio more resistant to issues that come with persistent drought through its proactive planning. He adds however that it also showcases diversifying one’s water portfolio, as SAWS has done since the 1990s in San Antonio, requires large capital investments because “new [water] sources are frequently substantially more expensive.”
“… San Antonio, … has augmented its traditional (but drought-exposed) Edwards Aquifer water resources with the 142-mile Vista Ridge Pipeline and the H2O Oaks brackish desalination plant, among other newer sources,” the report states. “Each costs a multiple of what raw water from the Edwards does.”
It also states that all Texas cities are susceptible to the economic effects of severe drought, which it says has shaped the face of Texas today.
“Reduced river flows in the Brazos, Colorado, and Trinity River systems would be particularly problematic given that every major Triangle city other than San Antonio depends on surface water from these watersheds,” it states. “And even San Antonio is drought-exposed given that its baseload water supply comes from the precipitation-sensitive Edwards Aquifer.”
To be ready for future droughts that compare to Texas’ 1950s drought of record, “Texas will need to invest at least $154 billion over the next 50 years on new water supplies and infrastructure upgrades,” Collins says.
Because much of Texas’ water systems are aging and deteriorating — with many operating past their useful life — inadequate water infrastructure risks severe economic consequences and threatens electric reliability within the state.
The report urges lawmakers to consider these facts as they enter into session in January by suggesting three courses of action: establish a dedicated funding stream for the Texas Water Fund; recapitalize the Texas Water Fund with a $5 billion interim endowment; and establish enhanced legislative oversight and transparency to assess Texas’ progress toward fixing its water infrastructure challenges.
