Hurricane Harvey sparks renewed push for underground water storage projects

In Harvey’s wake, lawmakers are re-upping calls for state support of “aquifer storage and recovery” projects in which water is pumped into underground reservoirs and stored for future use. Some estimate that the amount of rain the storm dropped on the state could meet all its water needs — household, agricultural and otherwise — for at least eight years. Instead, those 34 trillion gallons ended up in the Gulf of Mexico. The practice of capturing water and injecting it into underground aquifers is well established. According to the Texas Water Development Board, there are at least 175 operational aquifer storage and recovery projects throughout the United States, including three in Texas. The Texas Tribune digs into the prospect of using geology’s natural reservoirs to store water. Read more…