BY JAMIE MOORE
Projected municipal water needs by county in 2070 By 2070, several counties in Central Texas are projected to require signicantly more municipal water.
Legislative approach
Acre-feet per year:
State legislators are working on solutions to support water infrastructure across the state. Sen. Charles Perry is pushing for $5 billion to help local utilities purchase more water and upgrade infrastructure, with an additional $1 billion annually for the state water fund, accord- ing to previous reporting by Community Impact . However, some believe that current state legislation may be exacerbating water infrastruc- ture problems. Virginia Parker, executive director of the San Marcos River Foundation, is particularly con- cerned about Senate Bill 2038, which took eect in September 2023. The bill allows properties in a city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction to opt out of city authority through a petition or election. Parker argues that developments leaving a city’s ETJ could face less stringent water regulations.
<1,000
1,000-25,000
25,000-100,000
>100,000
Williamson County
Travis County
Bastrop County
Hays County
Comal County
Bexar County
NOTE: THIS MAP DOES NOT REFLECT THE DEMANDS OF THE UPDATED PROJECTED POPULATION THAT WAS PRESENTED AT CITY COUNCIL.
SOURCE: TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD COMMUNITY IMPACT
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Going forward
San Marcos’ comprehensive approach to meet state supply targets beyond 2075:
Expansion of ARWA projects by 2027 and recycled water applications, both potable and nonpotable
To support conservation, the city oers various water rebate programs, including rebates for rainwater harvesting and irrigation system upgrades. Rainwater harvesting can help collect water for outdoor plants. Robert Mace, executive director of the Meadows Center, said that conservation may mean having more e¢cient toilets and bathroom xtures, or watering as e¢ciently as possible outdoors.
Along with diversifying water resources, San Marcos is prioritizing conservation eorts. Since Oct. 27, San Marcos has been under Stage 3 drought restrictions—the highest available status, which will remain in eect indenitely. Under Stage 3, activities such as at-home car washing, lling decorative water features, lling swimming pools and washing impervious surfaces are prohibited. There are also restrictions on irrigation, according to the city website.
Ongoing eorts to increase water conservation and optimize usage
Pursuing new water supplies as needed
Continuous monitoring of water consumption trends and infrastructure
SOURCE: CITY OF SAN MARCOSCOMMUNITY IMPACT
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