Bill Text: TX SCR34 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Engrossed
Bill Title: Directing the Texas Water Development Board to conduct a feasibility study on the use of brackish groundwater sources in Montgomery County.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (N/A - Dead) 2015-05-11 - Referred to Natural Resources [SCR34 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-SCR34-Engrossed.html
By: Creighton, Nichols | S.C.R. No. 34 |
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WHEREAS, Among the most urgent issues facing Texas is the | ||
recent prolonged drought that has resulted in a diminished | ||
freshwater supply and the need to find alternative water sources; | ||
and | ||
WHEREAS, Montgomery County is one area that is facing special | ||
difficulties in sustaining an adequate water supply, not only | ||
because of the drought, but also because of its increasing | ||
population, which grew by 9.5 percent between 2010 and 2013, and its | ||
need to comply with a mandate to reduce usage of the Gulf Coast | ||
Aquifer by 30 percent by the year 2016; and | ||
WHEREAS, Texas is estimated to have more than 2.7 billion | ||
acre-feet of brackish groundwater, a crucial option for an | ||
alternative water supply, and desalination techniques can reduce | ||
the saline content of those brackish supplies to meet freshwater | ||
standards; and | ||
WHEREAS, The City of El Paso and Fort Bliss have established a | ||
successful desalination program at the Kay Bailey Hutchison | ||
Desalination Plant, which can produce up to 27.5 million gallons of | ||
potable water each day from brackish water; employing a similar | ||
desalination method, Montgomery County could replenish and | ||
maintain a sufficient water supply through its access to brackish | ||
groundwater sources; and | ||
WHEREAS, Treating the abundance of brackish groundwater in | ||
the area to comply with freshwater regulations has the potential to | ||
provide Montgomery County residents with sufficient water | ||
resources while alleviating pressure on freshwater resources, and | ||
this innovative process is indeed deserving of further research; | ||
now, therefore, be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
hereby direct the Texas Water Development Board to conduct a | ||
feasibility study on the use of desalinated brackish groundwater | ||
from brackish groundwater sources for water supply in Montgomery | ||
County; and, be it further | ||
RESOLVED, That this study be completed no later than January | ||
1, 2018; and, be it further | ||
RESOLVED, That the board submit a full report, including its | ||
findings and recommendations, to the 85th Texas Legislature, the | ||
county judge of Montgomery County, and the county commissioners of | ||
Montgomery County no later than June 1, 2018. |