Texas Land Conservation Assistance Network

Texas has 367 miles of coastline within which 21 river basins terminate, bringing fresh water from surface run-off, rivers, and streams into individual bays. Here, bounded by barrier islands, the mixing of freshwater and seawater in these bays forms estuaries. The quality, quantity, and timing of freshwater inflow from rivers is important to maintaining the natural salinity, nutrient, and sediment loading regimes which support the unique biological communities of each estuary and also to ensure healthy ecosystem function.   

Aquifers and Streams
by The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment

Aquifers are an important source of water for humans, supplying about 60% of the water we use. Most of the water pumped from aquifers goes to agriculture to irrigate food crops. Over 80% of the irrigation water used in Texas comes from one aquifer, the Ogallala. The largest aquifer in the United States, the Ogallala stretches from South Dakota southward into Texas and underlies much of Texas’ High Plains region. This aquifer’s thickness averages 95 feet, although it can be over 800 feet thick in some places.

Most of Texas’ land surface lies above aquifers, some large and some small. There are nine major aquifers and 21 minor aquifers in Texas. A major aquifer contains large amounts of water spread across a large area. Minor aquifers contain smaller amounts of water spread over large areas, or larger amounts of water spread over small areas.

Irrigation is the application of water to land for agricultural production. Effective irrigation will influence the entire growth process from seedbed preparation, germination, root growth, nutrient utilization, plant growth and regrowth, yield and quality. The key to maximizing irrigation efforts is uniformity. The producer has a lot of control over how much water to supply and when to apply it but the irrigation system determines uniformity

Livestock watering systems ensure that livestock have ready access to clean drinking water from sources such streams, ponds, springs or wells. Used mainly with grazing systems, well-designed watering systems protect soil and water quality while improving livestock health and productivity. Well-planned livestock water systems are especially important in riparian areas — i.e., in or near stream corridors and around lakes or ponds. They reduce sediment and nutrient loading in streams and lakes by preventing bank and shore erosion and limiting the amount of livestock urine and feces deposited directly in the water.

Best Management Practices (BMPs) are the principal means of protecting water resources during forestry activities. BMPs are conservation practices that protect soil and water resources, two key elements necessary for growing a healthy, sustainable, and productive forest. BMPs can include methods such as leaving a buffer zone of trees next to a stream, installing a culvert to cross a waterway, or establishing grass on forest roads to prevent erosion.

The Texas A&M Forest Service provides a list of Publications on Water Resources And BMPs

Streams and Rivers
by The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment

Texas has 15 major river basins and over 3,700 named streams. If you lined up all the streams and rivers in Texas end to end, they would flow over over 191,000 miles distance. Most rivers begin within the state and all empty into the Gulf of Mexico. Rivers form several of our borders. The Red River forms the border between Texas and neighboring states to the north. The Sabine River forms our border with Louisiana to the east. The Rio Grande forms our border with Mexico in the south and west. It is the second longest river in the US.

Lakes and Ponds
by The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment

Texas has over 1.2 million acres of freshwater lakes, ponds, and reservoirs in 2013. These bodies of lentic water (water that is not flowing) are among Texas’ most -known and popular aquatic ecosystems. Almost all of Texas’ lakes and ponds were built by placing dams across streams or rivers. Because of this they can also be called reservoirs. Usually only very large bodies of water are actually named “reservoir.” All the rest of the water bodies are usually called a lake or pond, depending on size. These range from small ranch and farm ponds of less than an acre to large lakes containing millions of acre-feet of water such as Lake Lewisville near Dallas, Lake Travis near Austin, and Lake Amistad on the Rio Grande.

Texas lakes, ponds, and reservoirs have been built to hold water for use by people for drinking, production of electric power to reduce flooding, for use in agriculture such as for watering crops and ranch animals, and for recreation such as fishing and boating. This water is critical to Texas’ economy.

There are over 200 major reservoirs and over 5,000 smaller ones in Texas. The only naturally-formed lake in Texas is Caddo Lake, created by a large log jam hundreds of years ago on the Red River. Although a natural logjam created the lake, today dams and reservoirs keep its waters under human control.

Most parts of Texas are incredibly dry and the lack of permanent water is a major problem in the management of wildlife species. Without permanent water, many wildlife populations are usually low or nonexistent even where all other habitat requirements are met. Therefore, the game manager, landowner or sportsman must evaluate the location and quantity of the permanent water supply when establishing a wildlife management program.

In Texas, water rights depend on whether the water is groundwater or surface water. Generally, Texas groundwater belongs to the landowner. Groundwater is governed by the rule of capture, which grants landowners the right to capture the water beneath their property. The landowners do not own the water but have a right only to pump and capture whatever water is available, regardless of the effects of that pumping on neighboring wells. Surface water, on the other hand, belongs to the state of Texas. It can be used by a landowner only with the state's permission.