Life requires water. In Texas the surface water, owned by the state, is drying or dried up, and everyone from farmers to politicians are looking underground to make up the state’s growing water deficit according to the Texas Tribune.
Is underground water a solution? Aquifers are finite and decreasing. Complicating matters further, underground water supplies are owned by the property owner, yet regulated by state water districts. Each conservation district makes its own rules, and with nearly 100 districts in the state, the long-standing drought, and recent court decisions, this is an uncertain time for ground water management.
Information to understand the big picture of Texas water can be found on The Texas Tribune’s website. This overview article is the first in a five-part series called, Beneath the Surface.