Community Environmental Issues: Drought In Central Texas

Community Environment Issue
Student Name
SCI/275
August 11, 2013
Mouna DiBenedetto
Community Environmental Issue
Central Texas, especially Travis County, has been under drought conditions since La Niña, a weather pattern where the surface temperatures are cooler in the Pacific ocean, thus creating drier weather in the southern part of the United States, in 2011 (StateImpact, n.d.). Although this type of weather pattern is typically combated with the arrival of El Niño, which has the opposite effect, it failed to occur in winter of 2012 and central Texas was left with the driest conditions it has experienced since the lowest drought on record in the 1950s (StateImpact, n.d.). Couple this drought with the challenges that central
Water Usage in Central Texas As a result of a three year drought Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan, the two main reservoirs for central Texas ' water supply, are at an all time low at just 35% full (Central Texas Sustainability Indicators Project, 2009). Storms in central Texas during July 2013 brought 2 to 4 inches of rain to the majority of the Texas hill country and as much as 8 inches in certain spots yet rain fall is significantly below the typical averages (StateImpact, n.d.). Currently, Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan hold 702,157 acre feet of water versus their capacity of 2.01 million acre feet. In 2011 inflows were the lowest in history at about 10% of average, in 2012 inflows were the fifth lowest in history at about 32% of average, and in
The United States Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, divides water pollution into two categories: point and nonpoint source pollution. Point source pollution comes from a specific place, such as a water treatment plant, while nonpoint source pollution comes from many sources which are not as easy to detect or control (Berg, Hager, & Hassenzahl, 2009). Nonpoint pollutants are the leading cause of water pollution in central Texas and have been known to cause issues with drinking water. Common nonpoint pollutants include fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, oil, grease, and pet or livestock waste. According to The Central Texas Sustainability Project (2009) 40,000 people were served by a public water provider while the provider was in violation of EPA water quality rules. This is a major concern for all citizens, and it is critical that the issue be addressed by reducing pollutants with small changes to the way things are done. Applying the appropriate amount of pesticide, properly disposing of oil and grease, and disposing of pet waste properly are all small steps one can take to reduce the amount of nonpoint pollution that contributes to lower water qualities in central