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Texas Environmental Almanac, Chapter 1, Water Quantity, Page 6

REGIONAL DEMAND AND SUPPLY ISSUES (58)

Assuring a safe, adequate supply of water for irrigation, for industrial and municipal needs and for the environmental needs of individual rivers, bays and estuaries is largely a regional question. Most projections show that Texas has enough water in the state as a whole, but each region in the state has different water resources, has differing needs and faces different problems. This section looks at eight major regions in Texas, and highlights the expected demands, supplies and problems in each of them.

Texas' Eight Major Regions Map TEXAS EIGHT MAJOR REGIONS MAP

Upper Rio Grande and Far West Texas

Water Resource Problems:

UPPER RIO GRANDE AND FAR WEST TEXAS WATER SUPPLY AND DEMAND DISTRIBUTION, 1990 - 2040
Major Cities: El PasoAverage Annual Precipitation:8 to 18 inches
Population, 1990:615,196Annual Net Evaporation Rate:66 inches
Total Water Use, 1990:526,103 acre-feetMajor Economic Sectors:Mineral Production,Manufacturing, Retail and Wholesale Trades, Agriculture, Tourism and International Trade.
Population, 2040:1,367,668Physiography:Flat to rolling to mountainous, sparsely-vegetated desert with flat, floodplain areas adjacent to Rio Grande.
Total Water Use, 2040:559,245 acre-feetPrimary River:Rio Grande
Major Aquifer:Hueco-Mesilla Bolson

High Plains and Trans-Pecos

Water Resource Problems:

HIGH PLAINS AND TRANS-PECOS
WATER SUPPLY AND DEMAND DISTRIBUTION, 1990 - 2040
Major Cities:Lubbock, Amarillo, Midland, OdessaAverage Annual Precipitation:10 to 22 inches
Population, 1990:1, 097, 609Annual Net Evaporation Rate:53 inches
Total Water Use, 1990:6, 113, 219 acre-feetMajor Economic Sectors:Agriculture, Agri-business, Mineral Production, Manufacturing, Retail and Wholesale Trade.
Population, 2040:1,583,323Physiography:In the High Plains, level plains in the south and southeast changing to arid, flat plains of Trans-Pecos area rising to high mountains.
Total Water Use, 2040:5,320,539 acre-feetPrimary Rivers:Canadian, Red, Brazos, Colorado, Pecos
Major Aquifers:Ogallala, Cenozoic, Pecos,Alluvium, Edwards-Trinity

West Central Texas

Water Resource Problems:

WEST CENTRAL TEXAS
WATER SUPPLY AND DEMAND DISTRIBUTION, 1990 - 2040
Major Cities: Abilene, Wichita FallsAverage Annual Precipitation:19 to 30 inches
Population, 1990:518,465Annual Net Evaporation Rate:51 inches
Total Water Use, 1990:370, 955 acre-feetMajor Economic Sectors:Mineral Production, Agriculture, Agri-Business, Manufacturing, Retail and Wholesale Trade, Government.
Population, 2040:603,856Physiography:Rolling prairies in the west turn to flat, relatively treeless prarie and cross timber country in the east.
Total Water Use, 2040:344,896Primary Rivers:Red, Colorado, Brazos
Major Aquifer:Seymour

North Texas

Water Resource Problems:

NORTH TEXAS
WATER SUPPLY AND DEMAND DISTRIBUTION, 1990 - 2040
Major Cities: Dallas, Fort Worth, Denton, Sherman, Waco, TempleAverage Annual Precipitation:26 to 40 inches
Population, 1990:4,852,254Annual Net Evaporation Rate:41 inches
Total Water Use, 1990:1,258,691 acre-feetMajor Economic Sectors:Manufacturing, Retail and Wholesale Trade, Finance, Services, Transportation and Tourism.
Population, 2040:9,136,942Physiography:From flat to rolling wooded cross timbers in the west to wooded rolling hills and flat lands of the Blacklandsand Post Oak Belt in the east.
Total Water Use, 2040:1,934,135 acre-feetPrimary Rivers:Red, Trinity, Brazos
Major Aquifer:Trinity

Northeast Texas

Water Resource Problems:

NORTHEAST TEXAS
WATER SUPPLY AND DEMAND DISTRIBUTION, 1990 -2040
Major Cities:Texarkana, Tyler, Longview, MarshallAverage Annual Precipitation:42 to 48 inches
Population, 1990: 901, 300Annual Net Evaporation Rate:20 inches
Total Water Use, 1990:595, 849 acre-feetMajor Economic Sectors:Manufacturing, Wholesale and Retail Trade, Services, Mineral Production, Agriculture and Agri-business.
Population, 2040:1,127,011Physiography:Flat wooded areas to very wooded rolling hills and river valleys.
Total Water Use, 2040:785,981 acre-feetPrimary Rivers:Red, Sulphur, Cypress, Sabine, Neches
Major Aquifer:Carrizo-Wilcox

South Central Texas

Water Resource Problems:

SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS
WATER SUPPLY AND DEMAND DISTRIBUTION, 1990 - 2040
Major Cities: San Antonio, Austin, San Angelo, Del RioAverage Annual Precipitation:14 to 42 inches
Population, 1990:2, 718, 316Annual Net Evaporation Rate:17 inches
Total Water Use, 1990:1, 564, 590 acre-feetMajor Economic Sectors:Manufacturing, Retail and Wholesale Trade, Agriculture, Agri-business, Mineral Production, Government and Tourism.
Population, 2040:6,453,944Physiography:Rolling, grassy prairies in the west leading to hilly, wooded hill country in the central and eastern parts of the region.
Total Water Use, 2040:1,995,852 acre-feetPrimary Rivers:Colorado, Guadalupe, Nueces, San Antonio, Rio Grande
Major Aquifers:Edwards-BFZ, Edwards-Trinity, Carrizo-Wilcox

Southeast Texas and Upper Gulf Coast

Water Resource Problems:

SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND UPPER GULF COAST
WATER SUPPLY AND DEMAND DISTRIBUTION, 1990 - 2040
Major Cities: Houston, Galveston, Beaumont, Orange, Port Arthur, VictoriaAverage Annual Precipitation:32 to 56 inches
Population, 1990:4,933,364Annual Net Evaporation Rate:45 inches
Total Water Use, 1990:3,698,499 acre-feetMajor Economic Sectors:Manufacturing, Mineral Production, Finance, Services, Retail and Wholesale Trade, Agriculture, Tourism, Commercial Shipping and Fishing and Government.
Population, 2040:9,437,876Physiography:Rolling, hilly wooded area in East Texas turning into grassy, flat coastal plains.
Total Water Use, 2040:4,195,071 acre-feetPrimary Rivers:Sabine, Neches, Trinity, San Jacinto, Brazos, Colorado, Lavaca, Guadalupe
Major Aquifer:Gulf Coast

South Texas and Lower Gulf Coast

Water Resource Problems:

SOUTH TEXAS AND LOWER GULF COAST
WATER SUPPLY AND DEMAND DISTRIBUTION, 1990 - 2040
Major Cities: Corpus Christi, Laredo, McAllen, BrownsvilleAverage Annual Precipitation:21 to 40 inches
Population, 1990:1, 350, 320Annual Net Evaporation Rate:53 inches
Total Water Use, 1990:1,654,501 acre-feetMajor Economic Sectors:Agriculture, Agri-business, Manufacturing, Retail and Wholesale Trade, Services, Mineral Production, Tourism and International Trade.
Population, 2040:3,282,085Physiography:Flat, grassy coastal plains with flood plains near the coast and Rio Grande river valley.
Total Water Use, 2040:1,593,503 acre-feetPrimary Rivers:Nueces, Rio Grande
Major Aquifer:Gulf Coast

Texas Environmental Almanac, Chapter 1, Water Quantity, Page 6
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