Residents at the sprawling Terlingua Ranch near Big Bend National Park will limit residents to 1,000 gallons of nondrinking water per month.
Marcos Carley checks the water level of his portable tote as he and his wife purchase nondrinking water from the Terlingua Ranch property owners association. The ranch just announced new restrictions on nondrinking water.— a weekly dispatch about the people, places and policies defining Texas, produced by Texas Tribune journalists living in communities across the state.
The water scarcity in this West Texas village is a microcosm of the state’s own water crisis. Texas’ booming population is straining water systems and supplies, and the state is only beginning to meet the demand. The Texas Water Development Board, which manages the state’s supply, began$1 billion in taxpayer-approved dollars for urgent projects addressing those needs. In Terlingua, this is the first step to conserving water and the start to understanding how much water flows underneath them.
Its unclear how much water these new limits will save. More than 5,000 people own property on the ranch. But most don’t live there, and the number of full-time residents changes frequently. The board will use a 0-4 rating system to meausre the health of its wells. At 0, sales will be normal. At 1, the ranch will begin reducing water sales by 20%, to 800 gallons monthly. At 2 it will cut water sales by 50%. At 3, its second highest status, the board will cut 75% of the water it sells to just 125 gallons. And at 4, the highest rating, the ranch will stop selling water altogether until the well recovers.
The board will use the sounding tube at the start of each month and publish the results on its website.
Drought Environment Groundwater Politics State Government Water Supply Texas Water Development Board Odessa Brewster County West Texas Texas Legislature
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