The challenge is not simply to use less water, but to find ways to use it more efficiently while maintaining productive farms, ranches, communities and industries.
As drought, population growth and competing demands place increasing pressure on water supplies across the West, agricultural, municipal, industry and water-policy leaders will come together this month for a national discussion of one of the region’s most consequential challenges.
'Water is the most important natural resource for the state of Texas. It’s the most vital resource for our municipalities, farms and ranches, and industries.’
The Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources and the Texas Section of the American Water Works Association will host the third annual Agricultural Water Sustainability Summit Aug. 24-26 at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center.
The three-day gathering is intended to bridge a longstanding divide between agricultural and urban water users, giving researchers, producers, municipalities, industry representatives and policymakers a forum to examine how water can be conserved without compromising the state’s economy or food production.
“Water is the most important natural resource for the state of Texas,” said Erica Irlbeck, associate dean for outreach and engagement in the Davis College. “It’s the most vital resource for our municipalities, farms and ranches, and industries. The goal for the conference is to unite agricultural and municipal water users to collaborate and find common ground on sustainable water use."
The summit comes at a time when Texas is confronting persistent drought, growing population and rising demand for water from agriculture, cities and industry. Agriculture accounts for more than 60 percent of the state’s annual water use, while supporting an estimated $159.3 billion in food and fiber production and more than 8.6 percent of the state’s gross domestic product.
The challenge, organizers say, is not simply to use less water, but to find ways to use it more efficiently while maintaining productive farms, ranches, communities and industries.
The program reflects that broad approach. Sessions will examine everything from municipal drought planning and groundwater management to irrigation efficiency, crop insurance, cattle water consumption, data centers, rainwater harvesting and conservation programs.
The summit will open Monday morning with a keynote address by Katherine Hayhoe, a nationally recognized atmospheric scientist and Paul Whitfield Horn Distinguished Professor and Endowed Chair in Public Policy and Public Law at Texas Tech.
A legislative panel led by Texas Sen. Charles Perry and National Resources Conservation Service Chief Colten Buckley will follow, along with discussions of Texas water policy and water challenges facing the Ogallala region. The Ogallala States Panel will be led by Krishna Jagadish of Texas Tech and Sumit Sharma of Oklahoma State University.
The afternoon program will turn to weather and agricultural water research, beginning with a Texas and national weather outlook presented by William Baule of Texas A&M University's Department of Atmospheric Sciences.
Technical sessions will explore topics including sorghum and water use, groundwater management, urban irrigation, crop selection for water conservation, commercial conservation programs, data-center water demands, voluntary irrigation suspensions and drought-tolerant peanuts. Other sessions will examine crop insurance and water use during extreme heat, irrigation canal leak testing and emerging approaches to groundwater conservation.
Tuesday’s program will expand the discussion internationally, beginning with presentations on agricultural irrigation and municipal water-system challenges in Argentina.
The day will also feature discussions of rainwater harvesting, the Texas Water Campaign, projected water demand from data centers and updates on regional water planning. Afternoon sessions will address how the dairy industry and feedyards are responding to water constraints, conservation practices that preserve farm profitability, produced-water research, cattle feed and water consumption, playa lake management and municipal water-loss programs.
The summit will conclude Wednesday morning with continuing education covering ethics for water and wastewater operators and professional engineers, chemical applicators and well drillers.
The organizers envision the summit as more than an annual conference. Their goal is to build a national forum where water users can exchange ideas and confront the competing demands surrounding a resource that cuts across agriculture, communities, industry and the environment.
“We want this to be the premier agricultural water event in North America,” organizers said, describing a gathering where researchers, practitioners and industry leaders can share research and applications aimed at improving water sustainability for agriculture, Texas and the nation.
The Texas Section of the American Water Works Association, a nonprofit organization with more than 4,500 members, has been involved in Texas water issues since its founding in 1971. It is the second-largest of AWWA’s 43 sections and contributes to the development of water-quality standards across North America.
Additional information about the summit, including exhibitor and conference registration, is available through the Texas Section of the American Water Works Association.
CONTACT: Erica Irlbeck, Associate Dean for Outreach & Engagement, Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2809-7953 or erica.irlbeck@ttu.edu
0818NM26 | Editor’s Note: For more information on the Agricultural Water Sustainability Summit, visit here