There really is no Stage 5 water use restriction in North Texas - yet. Heavy rains are forecast for Monday and Tuesday that will help with our current drought. Helping in the short-term is not solving in the long-term. For a state that has the ninth-largest economy in the world we have a simple fact - in serious drought conditions, Texas does not and will not have enough water to meet the needs of its people, its businesses, and its agricultural enterprises. We are slowly matching toward a big mess. A mess bounded by rapid growth and declining water supplies is slowly developing.
In Texas, we appear to be making two huge mistakes. The first is not elevating the importance of water and water investment in the minds of voters. During our current election cycle, who is championing the concept of an intrastate water pipeline to run parallel to the planned oil pipeline? Who is talking about the potential of desalination combined with our fracking revolution that could turn Texas into the desalination capital of the world?
The second is more disappointing than the first. No other state bleeds capitalism and the value of the private sector over government than Texas. Yet the state appears totally divorced from the power of markets and market incentives to modify water consumption behavior. We have yet to touch the full potential of the water conservation toolbox - from real-time smart water metering to (much) higher pricing strategies for discretionary use. The state needs more aggressive pricing to manage its water supply. How can a state that is so Republican and conservative not want to be a leader in using the markets to more effectively manage its limited water resources?
Like the Dallas Morning News recently pointed out - Without water, we don't stand a chance.
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