The state of Texas is divided into 16 regional water planning areas, with a water planning group in each region. Harris, Galveston, and 15 other counties constitute water planning Region H. Every five years the Region H Water Planning Group revises the water plan for this region. The draft “2016” Region H Plan (termed the “Initially Prepared Plan” or IPP) has been released for public comment with a comment deadline of September 1, 2015. Electronic comments may be submitted to the Planning Group at info@regionhwater.org.
- The draft 2016 Region H Plan contains a wealth of information on existing water supplies in the region, estimated population growth and water demands, potential water projects and water management strategies to meet anticipated water needs, existing water loss, current drought contingency plans by water suppliers in the region, and opportunities for greater water conservation.
- At the same time the draft Region H Plan proposes a variety of proposed water infrastructure projects that potentially would provide water far in excess of the region’s overall needs during the 50-year planning horizon (2020-2070). The draft Plan projects water “needs” (projected demands minus existing or available water supplies) of 224,217 acre-feet per year by 2020, increasing to 1,017,548 acre-feet per year by 2070. However, the draft Plan proposes projects that would potentially provide 1,777,299 acre-feet per year of water to the region by 2070 – an excess of approximately 760,000 acre-feet per year above what is projected to be needed. Such “overbuilding” would lead to unnecessary environmental, financial, and social costs and be a disincentive for water conservation.
- While making incremental progress in water conservation, including reduction in water loss, the draft Region H plan misses significant opportunities to further advance conservation through additional recommendations for actions being used in other areas to reduce water use. The recent joint report of the Sierra Club and the National Wildlife Federation, Water Conservation by the Yard, for example, estimates that the adoption by municipalities and others in Region H of a no-more-than-twice-a-week outdoor watering restriction (which has been adopted on an ongoing basis by the Cities of Dallas, Fort Worth, and Irving, among others) could reduce water use in Region H by 62,348 acre-feet per year by 2060, a four percent reduction in water use from that projected for 2060 in the 2011 Region H Plan. Such simple measures as this ought to be included as recommendations in the 2016 Region H Plan.