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With a flood of people comes a wave of water worries.
The population of Frisco, TX, a Dallas-Fort Worth suburb, is expected to almost double between now and 2040. As a result, it leads Texas’ largest cities for projected water needs over the next 25 years.
A data analysis by LawnStarter shows that among the 22 biggest cities in Texas, Frisco will need 151 percent more water in 2040 than it used in 2013. That projection comes from the Texas Water Development Board, which compiles water-use forecasts for cities throughout the state.
In 2013, users in Frisco soaked up more than 8.7 billion gallons of water. That’s the most recent figure available from the Water Development Board. In 2040, water use in Frisco is expected to reach nearly 22 billion gallons. As a means of comparison, the typical Olympic-size swimming pool contains about 660,000 gallons of water, while the typical American family uses 320 gallons of water each day.
‘Precious Resource’
“Texas’ rapidly growing population and burgeoning economy have created new strains on an already precious resource. Recent drought conditions only underline the importance of planning for our future water needs,” according to a report from the Texas Comptroller’s Office.
In the 2012 State Water Plan, the Water Development Board warned that during drought conditions in Texas, the state “does not and will not have enough water to meet the needs of its people, its businesses, and its agricultural enterprises.”
Jean-Philippe Nicot, a senior research scientist with the University of Texas Bureau of Economic Geology, says demand will exceed supply if the population keeps growing and nothing is done to match the supply with the demand. However, Nicot says residents of large Texas cities shouldn’t be “overly concerned” about future water supplies.
“Ultimately, it is a question of cost and economics. Water is available, but it needs to be treated if it’s of poor quality and transported to where it’s needed,” he says.
‘True Change’
In Dallas-Fort Worth, water providers are gearing up for the ramped-up demand.
Denise Hickey, a spokeswoman for the North Texas Municipal Water District, says that about one-fourth of the ballooning demand for water in the Dallas-Fort Worth area will be met through various conservation measures, such as lawn-watering restrictions and water recycling. The district serves a 2,200-square-mile, nine-county swath of the Dallas-Fort Worth region.
From a personal standpoint, Hickey says wasting water must become “socially unacceptable” — just as smoking and littering in public did — before “true change” will happen in water conservation. “A little peer pressure is going to help,” she says.
Here are the 22 largest cities in Texas, ranked in order of their projected increases in water demand from 2013 to 2040.
1. Frisco, TX
2013 water use: 8,735,425,055 gallons
2020 projected water use: 13,553,790,106 gallons
2030 projected water use: 17,718,171,343 gallons
2040 projected water use: 21,925,564,969 gallons
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 151.00%
2013 population: 137,062
Projected 2040 population: 280,000
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 104.29%
2. Fort Worth, TX
2013 water use: 40,596,200,033 gallons
2020 projected water use: 61,182,841,488 gallons
2030 projected water use: 75,898,943,634 gallons
2040 projected water use: 92,761,754,981 gallons
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 128.50%
2013 population: 792,727
Projected 2040 population: 1,490,815
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 88.06%
3. Brownsville, TX
2013 water use: 7,163,191,920 gallons
2020 projected water use: 11,760,629,703 gallons
2030 projected water use: 13,657,410,860 gallons
2040 projected water use: 15,636,306,576 gallons
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 118.29%
2013 population: 181,860
Projected 2040 population: 291,955
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 60.53%
4. McKinney, TX
2013 water use: 9,036,511,774 gallons
2020 projected water use: 11,197,884,289 gallons
2030 projected water use: 13,319,828,781 gallons
2040 projected water use: 19,261,729,553 gallons
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 113.15%
2013 population: 148,559
Projected 2040 population: 274,566
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 84.82%
5. McAllen, TX
2013 water use: 9,442,196,800 gallons
2020 projected water use: 12,619,574,065 gallons
2030 projected water use: 15,386,378,532 gallons
2040 projected water use: 18,206,948,484 gallons
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 92.83%
McAllen Convention and Visitors Bureau
2013 population: 136,639
Projected 2040 population: 244,325
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 78.81%
6. Austin, TX
2013 water use: 38,958,796,612 gallons
2020 projected water use: 53,815,992,426 gallons
2030 projected water use: 62,759,310,692 gallons
2040 projected water use: 72,359,545,434 gallons
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 85.73%
2013 population: 885,400
Projected 2040 population: 1,330,492
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 50.27%
7. Grand Prairie, TX
2013 water use: 8,118,588,304 gallons
2020 projected water use: 11,468,015,122 gallons
2030 projected water use: 13,299,625,993 gallons
2040 projected water use: 14,390,902,422 gallons
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 77.26%
2013 population: 183,372
Projected 2040 population: 283,493
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 54.60%
8. Corpus Christi, TX
2013 water use: 14,048,106,721 gallons
2020 projected water use: 21,120,386,092 gallons
2030 projected water use: 22,461,264,715 gallons
2040 projected water use: 23,223,431,202 gallons
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 65.31%
2013 population: 316,381
Projected 2040 population: 384,420
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 21.51%
9. Mesquite, TX
2013 water use: 5,225,353,483 gallons
2020 projected water use: 7,280,824,285 gallons
2030 projected water use: 7,774,163,345 gallons
2040 projected water use: 8,589,769,467 gallons
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 64.39%
2013 population: 143,484
Projected 2040 population: 186,335
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 29.86%
10. Laredo, TX
2013 water use: 12,125,909,153 gallons
2020 projected water use: 13,642,421,694 gallons
2030 projected water use: 16,402,383,281 gallons
2040 projected water use: 19,090,657,554 gallons
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 57.44%
2013 population: 248,142
Projected 2040 population: 438,558
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 76.74%
11. Irving, TX
2013 water use: 12,378,444,009 gallons
2020 projected water use: 18,291,669,855 gallons
2030 projected water use: 19,599,311,631 gallons
2040 projected water use: 19,375,125,849 gallons
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 56.52%
2013 population: 228,653
Projected 2040 population: 284,500
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 24.42%
12. Amarillo, TX
2013 water use: 12,745,352,716 gallons
2020 projected water use: 15,553,214,462 gallons
2030 projected water use: 16,980,117,861 gallons
2040 projected water use: 18,511,619,568 gallons
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 45.24%
Amarillo Convention & Visitor Council
2013 population: 196,429
Projected 2040 population: 260,789
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 32.77%
13. Houston, TX
2013 water use: 117,770,852,003 gallons
2020 projected water use: 148,419,133,821 gallons
2030 projected water use: 156,870,090,581 gallons
2040 projected water use: 165,693,169,670 gallons
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 40.69%
2013 population: 2,203,806
Projected 2040 population: 2,606,077
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 18.25%
14. Lubbock, TX
2013 water use: 12,580,146,042 gallons
2020 projected water use: 14,866,319,654 gallons
2030 projected water use: 16,104,880,928 gallons
2040 projected water use: 17,412,522,705 gallons
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 38.41%
2013 population: 239,538
Projected 2040 population: 312,043
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 30.27%
15. San Antonio, TX
2013 water use: 67,389,659,469 gallons
2020 projected water use: 76,682,290,464 gallons
2030 projected water use: 84,283,752,554 gallons
2040 projected water use: 91,495,170,484 gallons
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 35.77%
San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau
2013 population: 1,411,766
Projected 2040 population: 1,910,744
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 35.34%
16. El Paso, TX
2013 water use: 33,387,063,062 gallons
2020 projected water use: 36,030,369,838 gallons
2030 projected water use: 39,204,814,440 gallons
2040 projected water use: 42,267,166,150 gallons
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 26.60%
Newspaper Tree
2013 population: 674,433
Projected 2040 population: 904,900
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 34.17%
17. Plano, TX
2013 water use: 19,132,692,388 gallons
2020 projected water use: 22,490,265,492 gallons
2030 projected water use: 23,007,717,558 gallons
2040 projected water use: 23,804,750,148 gallons
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 24.42%
2013 population: 274,409
Projected 2040 population: 290,656
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 5.92%
18. Garland, TX
2013 water use: 9,842,668,204 gallons
2020 projected water use: 12,340,319,392 gallons
2030 projected water use: 12,384,635,186 gallons
2040 projected water use: 12,222,035,324 gallons
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 24.17%
2013 population: 234,566
Projected 2040 population: 243,522
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 3.82%
19. Dallas, TX
2013 water use: 86,277,311,584 gallons
2020 projected water use: 89,706,572,002 gallons
2030 projected water use: 95,279,934,809 gallons
2040 projected water use: 106,525,067,554 gallons
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 23.47%
2013 population: 1,260,725
Projected 2040 population: 1,531,680
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 21.49%
20. Arlington, TX
2013 water use: 19,190,693,942 gallons
2020 projected water use: 21,811,191,118 gallons
2030 projected water use: 22,662,966,748 gallons
2040 projected water use: 22,761,373,879 gallons
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 18.61%
2013 population: 379,577
Projected 2040 population: 421, 748
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 11.03%
21. Waco, TX
2013 water use: 9,892,849,324 gallons
2020 projected water use: 10,289,084,659 gallons
2030 projected water use: 10,875,943,079 gallons
2040 projected water use: 11,406,429,202 gallons
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 15.30%
2013 population: 129,030
Projected 2040 population: 153,286
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 18.80%
22. Pasadena, TX
2013 water use: 6,706,022,368 gallons
2020 projected water use: 7,438,862,227 gallons
2030 projected water use: 7,428,760,833 gallons
2040 projected water use: 7,450,267,027 gallons
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 11.10%
2013 population: 152,735
Projected 2040 population: 163,121
Percentage increase 2013-2040: 6.80%
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