Heavy rainstorms not easing water shortages
Soaked soil masks fact that deep reservoirs still struggle to keep up with Texas’ demand
The heavy rains of recent weeks eased the drought, but they did not solve Texas’ water challenges, leaving the future of many Texans’ water suppliers uncertain.
The rainfall that drenched much of the Houston area and the state was thought to have put the drought and water supply concerns at ease as summer approached. Texas, known for multiyear droughts, now has many lakes and reservoirs over, at or near capacity.
As of June 10, only 15,726 Tex- ans were affected by drought — a sharp drop from the 10.8 million affected at the beginning of the year, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
But water shortages are affecting millions because bulging lake levels and soaked soil don’t reflect the levels of underground reservoirs. For example, the eight inches that fell on tiny Laz-buddie in Parmer County in May weren’t enough to restore the un- derground water table.
About 10 million Texans, including 600,000 in the Houston area, are under some level of water restriction, limiting nonessential usage. Of those, 60,000 residents, primarily to the west and south, are at risk of running out of water, according to state data.
Some of the restrictions in Harris, Montgomery, Brazo-
ria, Liberty and Galveston counties range from mild to moderate and include limiting outdoor watering to no more than once a week or prohibiting all outdoor watering.
One problem is that many residents, including those in the Houston area, rely heavily on groundwater
While a lake’s reservoir can be filled in a day or two, it can take several years of significant rainfall and a few more years on top of that for the rain to seep through and recharge an aquifer.
“Aquifers do respond to rainfall, but it’s very slowly,” said Larry French, groundwater resource division director at the Texas Water Development Board. Subdued increases
An aquifer can best be described as an underground river. Texas has nine major aquifers, and they are the sources of well water for much of the state.
Generally, only a small portion of the total precipitation seeps through the soil to reach the water table. In Harris, Galveston, Fort Bend, Jasper, Montgomery and Wharton counties, water levels have declined as much as 350 feet over the years.
That means counties are drawing groundwater fast- er than the underground aquifers can recharge.
The water board measures 17 key monitoring wells in the state, which gives water planners a look at aquifer conditions. By the end of May, 10 of the 17 reported slight increases.
“Compared to the lake level increases, the aquifers’ increases were subdued,” French said.
Historically, the state’s aquifers have been on a decline, he added. That has led to water suppliers drilling and pumping deeper for water.
Swelling residential growth across Texas has required that water suppliers pump more from the state’s underground resource. The need to produce more crops also adds to the increased need for water.
Locally, the declines will lead Montgomery County leaders to begin tapping into Lake Conroe for water by Jan. 1 to reduce their dependency on groundwater.
The use of the lake, however, has sparked conflict. The 2011 and 2012 droughts remain fresh in the memories of many residents, who are rallying against the plan to use the lake as a source of drinking water.
Nowseveral lakeside homeowners associations are circulating a petition asking the Conroe-based Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District to suspend its plan.
However, local planning officials say Montgomery County is outpacing its water supply.
“Imagine the aquifer as a glass of water,” said Ronda Trow, spokeswoman for the San Jacinto River Authority. “In the past, the county had a few straws in it, but now more and more straws are sucking up the water faster than the water is being poured into it.”
According to the state water board, about 2.2 million Texans rely on groundwater from their own wells for their drinking water. And groundwater supplies more than 99 percent of drinking water for the rural population.
To say recent showers ended the drought depends on where a person lives and where their water comes from, French says.
“East Texas has been blessed with an abundance of surface water, but West Texas is a different story,” French said.
Consider the case of Lazbuddie, a small dairy town on the northwest edge of the Texas Panhandle in Parmer County.
The school district there, which doubles as a public water supplier, uses well water and may run out within several weeks.
“We’re at the highest stage of emergency, and it’s a huge concern for us because when the water is gone, so is the school,” said Joanna Martinez, Lazbuddie ISD superintendent. “We’re only doing what we need to do to survive.” Bringing up sand
Lazbuddie ISD has only one campus, meaning every grade from prekindergarten to 12th grade is taught under one roof. Cars outnumber people in the small town that’s located about 600 miles from Houston.
Despite only serving a small population that includes the campus of about 190 students and 16 teacher homes nearby, the district’s water levels have gotten so low in recent years that pumps sometimes bring up sand instead of water.
The district also halted any lawn watering, which has left the land dry and led to gusts carrying dust across the county.
“The only benefit that the rain has had for us is that now the farmers won’t have to pump water from their wells,” she said. “That will help us save our water.” Prospect of closure
She said she’s hoping a new system financed by a $10,000 state block grant will be online by next month. It will include a third well. The well won’t add water volume, but it will add water pressure. During dry periods, farmers rely on the underground reservoirs to maintain their operations. But when they begin to pump water, it draws the water away from the school, resulting in a drop in pressure and the ability of two current pumps to provide water.
It’s Martinez’s hope that the third well will be enough to counteract the pressure drop. If the school can’t provide enough water, the school will close, and students will be forced to attend nearby districts nearly 20 to 30 miles away.
“Lazbuddie has been here for 90 years, and we have faced many challenges,” she said. “We just have to remember that everything is in God’s hands, and that he’s in control.”