Stress Fracturing Texas Town’s Infrastructure
It’s not enough that we have new stresses on Texas water supplies, at 62-percent of capacity, and all branches of government too afraid to implement pro active water conserving policies.
Now we are being told that billions of gallons of water are lost every year to cracks in the aging pipes that supply that water to us all.
A recent editorial that appeared in the Denton Record Chronicle threw out some staggering numbers in relation to the water losses here in Denton County, Texas. Annually, the county loses “1.6 billion gallons, or 7.5 percent, of their drinking water and wastewater annually through line breaks, leaks and other factors.” That data is from the Texas Water Development Board.
City officials in Pilot Point, Texas, are “considering” replacing 20 miles of pipeline there after studies show they are losing 25-percent of their water supplied through broken and cracked water lines! Twenty-five percent! This is what you get when water is still plentiful “considering” recovering a 25-percent loss. It’s pretty obvious water is too cheap in Pilot Point, Texas.
QUOTE -“Water development board officials estimate the state will use an additional 330 billion gallons of water by 2020 and 1.2 trillion gallons by 2060.
According to state researchers and legislative reports, Texas experienced an “unprecedented drought” in 2010 and 2011 that devastated the state.
Since then, more than 1,000 public water systems have enacted some form of water restrictions. At least 20 water systems have less than a year’s supply of water and are in danger of running dry, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality reports.”
Feel free to read the entire article at Drops in the Bucket.
You have to also remember that the aging infrastructure is also being stressed more and more, as the population boom in North Texas, and Texas in general, shows no sign of letting up. While existing citizens of Texas have been paying taxes for years, and passing bonds, our new arrivals start with a funding of $0.00 invested in the infrastructure, and their take away begins the first time they drive down the street, or turn the water faucet handle.
Feel Free to Think.
Category: Causes, Science and Environmental
Water. What an incredibly important subject. I remember in college in one of my wildlife classes a professor of mine said that in our lifetime we would see the day where much like we saw a gold rush in the 1800’s we would see a water rush. In which water rights would become a paramount topic. Some would say we have already entered that in some parts of Texas. We are not doing enough to protect one of our most important resources and we are all responsible for that. Of course I write this shortly after coming inside after watering some of the beautiful plants in my backyard because we are in the middle of this horrible drought. So am I a hyprocrite…. Yea probably so,but admitting it is the first step I am trying and I talk about it often to anyone that is bored enough to listen. I am continuing to make small steps in the serious buisness of water conservation and very much appreciate this thoughtful article. We should all be concerned and all be making steps even of they are baby ones.