Water has always been important to Texas, but perhaps never more than now, with the state attracting more and more industries, with the energy sector running at full speed and with agriculture – as always – leading the way. But Texas faces numerous water issues, and none may be bigger than the drought which has enveloped much of the state for years.

Recent rains have lessened some of the drought’s impact in several areas, but overall, Texas is still hurting for water — about 70 percent of the state is in some sort of drought status ranging from moderate to exceptional, the highest rank.

John Nielsen-Gammon, professor atmospheric sciences at Texas A&M University who also serves as the State Climatologist, knows more about the state’s past – wet or dry – than anyone. He travels the state on a regular basis speaking to various groups about the drought, and the most often-asked question is, “When will the drought end?”

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AUSTIN – Today Texans are more aware than ever of the importance of groundwater. As part of ongoing efforts to synthesize and communicate water-related data to scientists, policy makers and the public, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) today announced its Water Data for Texas website now includes groundwater data. The website has been a source of information on reservoirs and drought since November 2012.

TWDB’s Recorder Well Program has more than doubled in the past 15 years, partially because more groundwater conservation districts are participating in the program. TWDB currently maintains 184 recorders in 79 counties. In addition to the TWDB network, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Edwards Aquifer Authority also maintain their own networks of recorder wells in the state. All of these data, including the U.S. Geological Survey and Edwards Aquifer Authority networks, are now available at waterdatafortexas.org.

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