AWWA SOURCES59268

Projecting future groundwater supplies in Texas requires knowing how much water is available and the rate at which Texans are consuming that supply. Municipal and industrial water use is for the most part metered. Therefore, relative to agricultural use, which is generally not metered, estimates of the amount of municipal and industrial water used is much more exact. To establish the relationship between water use, aquifer level, and precipitation within fully metered monitor plots and improve the accuracy of determining agricultural groundwater use estimates, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has developed a voluntary irrigation metering program in cooperation with Groundwater Conservation Districts (GCDs). This paper describes the formation and implementation of this program in Texas, presents data from a participating district, and examines the positive impact the program may have on future water planning efforts. Includes 2 references, tables, figures.