MIDLAND, Texas — Water may be the most precious aspect of life in not just Texas, but for the rest of the country.
However, Texas has been plagued by multiple water issues. Last year saw 3,000 boil water notices issued across the state. Midland just saw their own boil water notice in early January.
This has led a bipartisan group of lawmakers to try and solve the issues and educate their fellow lawmakers on Texas' water issues.
Calling themselves the Texas Water Caucus, they are associated with the Texas Water Foundation.
Members such as State Representative Brooks Landgraf are currently looking for ways to solve water issues plaguing the state.
“The big point to drive home for lawmakers across the state is that water is our lifeblood here in Texas," Landgraf said. "If we want to continue to grow, if we want to continue to thrive, then we are going to have to have a very good source and a very good supply of water to help meet the growing needs of Texas. If we don’t have water, it’s really hard for us to have anything in this state."
Some issues that the Texas Water Caucus is currently focusing on are the state's water supply and transporting said water across the country. Landgraf also says that the aging water infrastructure is another issue that the caucus is looking to solve.
“We also have aging infrastructure in many cities across Texas, including Odessa, which has had several water outages in recent months, and that's happening all across the state," Landgraf said. "That infrastructure is aging out and the bottom line is that it's gonna have to be replaced in communities across the state.”
A possible solution that Landgraf suggested could come from the Permian Basin and their multitude of oil and gas companies.
“Because we do have an abundant supply of brackish water, in other words water that’s very salty by nature, and you can’t really drink it out of the ground in its current state," Landgraf said. "But if it goes through a desalination process, then it can be fit for human consumption.”