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Drought Management Droughts are a fact of life in Texas. Every decade in the 20th century, there was a serious drought in at least some part of the state. During a drought, not as much rainfall fills our rivers and reservoirs, or recharges our aquifers. Therefore, less water is available for human use. Ironically, we have a tendency to use even more water during droughts because there is less rainfall. By contrast, during these dry periods it makes sense to cut back on non-essential uses, such as frequent lawn-watering. These types of "drought management" measures help ensure that we have enough water to meet essential needs. Drought management, also called drought contingency planning, is a way to ensure that critical water needs are met during a dry period, minimizing the economic impact of a drought. Water utilities across the state have prepared for such occasions by developing tactical plans, called drought management plans, to reduce peak demands and extend water supplies during a drought. Topics  How Drought Management Works Is Texas Planning for a Drought? Water Conservation and Drought Management Examples of Drought Management Economic and Environmental Aspects of Drought Management What You Can Do Links to Drought Contingency Plans Additional ResourcesHow Drought Management Works
Most drought management plans are based on trigger levels. When reservoir storage, aquifer levels or springflows fall to a defined amount, municipalities and/or water suppliers take steps to cut back on demand.These plans frequently include multiple stages, where smaller or voluntary cutbacks are implemented first. As an area's available water supply declines, the cutbacks usually increase in severity or become mandatory. In urban and suburban areas, water use increases dramatically in the summer due to lawn watering. Municipalities frequently see water use more than double during summer months. However, the Texas Water Development Board estimates that about half of this water is wasted due to over-watering or runoff. Therefore, many municipalities' plans focus on restricting landscape irrigation. Watering during the heat of the day is inefficient because much of the water is lost to evaporation. Most, if not all, plans limit lawn watering during the day. Another common strategy is to restrict watering to once or twice a week. Often this is based on the last digit of a customer's address, on garbage pickup day, a system of zones, or other strategy. Other strategies include prohibitions or restrictions on car washing, filling pools and fountains, flushing fire hydrants, and watering golf course fairways. In some cases a municipality might seek additional supplies just for the dry period. For example, a city might enter into an agreement with a farmer not to irrigate his/her crop during an especially dry year. The city then uses the farmer's water to meet urban demands. The farmer is compensated for lost income, and the city avoids the cost of implementing an additional water supply option. Agricultural irrigation districts also create drought management plans. These generally include reductions in supply allotments. Irrigators may have the ability to transfer or sell these allotments. Is Texas Planning for a Drought?
With the passage of Senate Bill 1 in 1997 and Senate Bill 2 in 2001, the Texas Legislature called for drought management to be an essential part of water planning in Texas. Today, most water suppliers are required to have drought contingency plans that include "specific, quantified targets for water use reductions" on file with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. These plans must be updated every five years. The most recent update was due May 1, 2009.In addition to the plans created by local water suppliers, Texas' long-range regional water planning process requires that the sixteen regional planning groups include the drought contingency plans discussed above and also consider drought management as a strategy to meet water needs. Unfortunately, none of the 2006 Regional Water Plans recommend drought management as a water supply strategy. Ultimately, this means our long-range plans do not reflect reality. Drought management is widely accepted by water utilities and is commonly practiced during times of shortage. Therefore, it makes sense to include the savings available from drought management in the state's long-range plans. Water Conservation and Drought Management
One of the best ways to prepare for drought is simply to have an excellent on-going water conservation program. Using water efficiently on an ongoing basis can mean a community has greater reserves of water on hand before drought begins.The difference between water conservation and drought management is that water conservation is an on-going effort, whereas drought management is a short-term response to a water supply shortage. Examples of Drought Management
Drought management has been proven to reduce water demands. Consider the following examples:
Economic and Environmental Aspects of Drought Management
While droughts can be economically damaging for a region-particularly in agricultural areas-drought management planning can help a region prepare for droughts and minimize a drought's economic impact.There are those who argue that we should build enough dams, pipelines and pumps to fully supply even the most extravagant uses of water during severe droughts. However, constructing new water supply sources needed solely during severe droughts is a fiscally irresponsible use of public dollars. Furthermore, water supply projects such as dams, pipelines and pumps can deplete Texas' future water supplies and negatively impact fish and wildlife habitat. Responsible drought management practices ensure that our essential water needs will be met, even during the driest times. What You Can Do
You can contribute to the effectiveness of drought management by learning about your local water system and its drought contingency plan. If your water supplier's plan is not available online, call them and ask for a copy.There are many things you can do to educate yourself and your community about drought:
Links to Drought Contingency Plans
Here are some sample drought contingency plans from around the state: Austin Water Utility Corpus Christi Water Department Dallas Water Utility El Paso Water Utilities San Antonio Water System Tarrant Regional Water DistrictAdditional Resources
Drought Contingency Planning, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Planning for Drought, National Drought Mitigation Center
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