Testimony on SB 4 and the State Water Plan
Before the Senate Natural Resources Committee
The drought has underscored that we can’t continue with business as usual when it comes to our water future. As we respond to the drought and plan how to meet our water needs in the years to come, we need to pursue a balanced solution that improves the efficiency of water use and leaves more water in our rivers and aquifers to support the ecosystems that depend on water. It’s important to remember that many of the projects in state water plan have real environmental consequences. The proposed Marvin Nichols reservoir would flood 30,000 acres of increasingly rare bottomland forest. Water diversion from our rivers can decrease freshwater flows into our estuaries, which are breeding grounds for birds and fish. And desalination plants produce massive amounts of waste in the form of brine and are energy intensive, which adds to the strain of our already overburdened electric grid, increasing water consumption and air pollution.
Environment Texas
Good morning Chairman and members,
My name is Luke Metzger and I am the Director of Environment Texas, a statewide, citizen-funded advocate for clean air, clean water and open spaces.
The drought has underscored that we can’t continue with business as usual when it comes to our water future. As we respond to the drought and plan how to meet our water needs in the years to come, we need to pursue a balanced solution that improves the efficiency of water use and leaves more water in our rivers and aquifers to support the ecosystems that depend on water.
It’s important to remember that many of the projects in state water plan have real environmental consequences. The proposed Marvin Nichols reservoir would flood 30,000 acres of increasingly rare bottomland forest. Water diversion from our rivers can decrease freshwater flows into our estuaries, which are breeding grounds for birds and fish. And desalination plants produce massive amounts of waste in the form of brine and are energy intensive, which adds to the strain of our already overburdened electric grid, increasing water consumption and air pollution.
In addition, many of these projects are very expensive – often several times more than the cost of conservation, and that’s before you factor in the cost of water treatment, which can almost double the cost again. Supply-side projects also take years or decades to build. What if the state water plan’s projections are off? The 1968 water plan predicted water demand would reach 32 million acre-feet in the year 2020. Well, we’re almost at 2020, but we’re actually only using about 18 million acre-feet of water. We must be careful not to saddle future ratepayers and taxpayers with a huge debt for projects we don’t end up needing.
So it’s critical for both the environment and our economy that we exhaust water efficiency first. The good news is we have vast untapped reserves of water conservation potential and we have great models here in Texas to look to.
Senator Uresti, we all heard last week how San Antonio’s population has grown 68% while using the same amount of water. Other cities can achieve such success through programs to encourage use of drought-tolerant landscaping and low-flush toilets.
Senator Hegar, you’ve seen LCRA help save 3 billion gallons of water by helping rice farmers laser level their fields, thanks to HB 1437 passed in 1999.
Senator Duncan and Senator Seliger, in your districts the High Plains Underground Water Conservation District have adopted a metering program that could cut water use on farms by 10-20%.
And there is far greater potential to save water in agriculture by lining irrigation canals, brush removal and improving irrigation technologies and practices.
Thanks in part to SB 20 by you Chairman Fraser, we now generate 9% of our electricity from wind power, saving billions of gallons of water that would otherwise be used to cool fossil fuel or nuclear plants. We have potential to save more water through expanded use of renewable energy and energy efficiency and by investigating the potential for dry cooling in new power plants.
I’m also glad you’ve highlighted the need to reduce water use in oil and gas, Chairman Fraser. Requiring recycling and reuse of frack water or use of brackish water could further save billions of gallons.
Achieving our water conservation potential will require a mix of standards, incentives and better planning. We recommend that half of any new funding go toward conservation and re-use programs, reducing water loss, and to purchase water rights to guarantee we leave enough water in our rivers to protect wildlife and recreation.
I also encourage you to include funding for education. According to the LBB, if all Texans reduced their water use by just 1 gallon per day, it would save the state $407 million in water supply costs.
Finally, I urge you to include a strong prioritization process that rewards utilities with a strong commitment to conservation and projects with low environmental impact.
