Synthesis, Elaboration, Summary, and Conclusions

This chapter elaborates on the book’s exploration of water management in Texas along with summarizing and articulating conclusions. Management of water resources and constructed infrastructure of the river and reservoir systems of Texas is driven by extreme hydrologic variability, rapid population growth, depleting groundwater supplies, intensifying demands on surface water resources, and uncertainties about future hydrology and demands on water resources. Water management in the 15 major river basins and eight coastal basins of Texas is representative of water needs, problems, issues, constructed facilities, institutions, management strategies, and practices throughout the United States and other countries. Texas encompasses all or portions of 15 major river basins and all of eight coastal basins located between the lower reaches of the major river basins. Reservoir projects in Texas are accompanied by major conveyance facilities comprised in several cases of more than a hundred or even several hundred miles of pipeline and associated pumping stations to transport water to cities.