AWWA SOURCES59151

Interest in the use of reclaimed water continues to expand in Texas. A major driver of the increased interest is the population growth that is being experienced and is projected to continue. The population in Texas is projected to more than double by the year 2050 with the current population of about 22 million increasing to about 40.9 million people. Major factors contributing to this greater interest in reclaimed water include increased water requirements resulting from this amount of growth together with statewide droughts experienced during the '90s and less severe drought periods that occurred in some areas of the state. Additionally, the successes of using reclaimed water in Texas and other states across the United States have certainly been key to reclaimed water being a viable water resource. At this time Texas ranks fourth in the United States in terms of the quantities of reclaimed water used for beneficial purposes. This paper provides an update regarding some of the current activities and presents some perspectives about some of the future activities related to the further development of reclaimed water programs in Texas.