The consideration of climate change in the 2021 regional water plans for Texas

Keywords: policy, water resources, water planning, climate change, Texas
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

A pillar of the politicization of science is the mystification of climate science. In the State of Texas, plans for future water needs are evaluated over a 50-year period and include, at a minimum, the potential for a repeat of the worst drought of record; however, due to climate change, Texas will experience droughts worse than what is recorded over the past 130 years. Political leadership limits the ability of state agencies to provide the science and policy necessary to build resilience. For example, the 2022 State Water Plan, consisting largely of 16 regional water plans developed by a group of water-use stakeholders, hides behind climate model uncertainty as a reason to not consider climate change in water planning. We examined the 2021 regional water plans to evaluate what the regional water planning groups said about climate change. Our results show that eight groups make direct statements on climate change, two make indirect statements on climate change, and six make no statement or reference to climate change. Seven groups used safe yields (a way to increase resilience beyond drought-of-record conditions) for current supplies (but not for future supplies), eight did not, and one did not but intends to in the next water plan. Several planning groups called for the state agency to provide scientific guidance and how to employ that science to build resilience in their water plans, demonstrating that while the state is not concerned about climate change, water providers and users across the state are.