Water, Texas – Interactive Dashboard

Dashboard Description:

Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) is a state agency that gathers data and collaborates on strategies to secure sufficient water supplies for current and future Texas residents. The State Water Plan is issued every five years and is highly regarded to determine what should be done over the next 50 years: 2020-2070. The State Water Plan is based on 16 regional water plans, and addresses the needs of all water user groups in the state. Specifically to prepare for times of drought and population growth.

TWDB’s interactive dashboard allows for viewers to take an up-close look at data in the 2017 State Water Plan and how water needs to change for Texas over time. TWDB’s interactive dashboard does so by showing projections for water demand, existing water supplies, water needs or potential shortages, the water management strategies recommended to address potential shortages, and recommended capital projects and their sponsors. The State Water Plan data offers direction on how much should be spent on Texas to safeguard sufficient water supplies and encourages new practices of conservation and innovation to make it easier to live through drought and a rising demand.

This data is primarily used for the state’s response in securing water supply, however, it is demonstrated in the Water, Texas data dashboard to provide context on the water demand, existing water supply, and water needs of areas that this series covers. The water management strategy supplies for these areas are also included. The strategy supply data references what will be needed after identifying water surpluses and potential water shortages in these regions. The measurements that you will see for Water demand, Existing Water Supplies, Water Needs (Potential Shortages), and Strategy Supplies are measured by acre-feet per year. One acre-foot is 326,000 gallons of water.

Due to Texas’ flourishing economy and attractive cities, population growth has also been an influential factor on demand and supply. Population rates are also included in the dashboard to demonstrate how this can influence a rising demand and create stress on these region’s existing supplies.

The Water, Texas data dashboard complements the writing by providing readers with a greater context of the area’s access to water based on the current and projected demand, supply, and population. The dashboard also showcases the projected water needs of those areas and the strategy supplies shows the number of recommended strategies the water user group and counties hold based on these identified needs to analyze regional and statewide water planning.

The dashboard interactively showcases this data for the cities and counties that are located on the map with visualizations that are embedded in the Water, Texas dashboard.

Sources:

1. State Water Plan Glossary: http://www.twdb.texas.gov/waterplanning/swp/2017/chapters/10-SWP17-GLOSSARY-APPENDICES.pdf?d=13820.584999979474

2. Texas Water Development Board’s Water Management Strategies: http://www.twdb.texas.gov/waterplanning/swp/2017/chapters/08-SWP17-MANAGEMENT-STRATEGIES.pdf?d=13820.584999979474