My dad's little development in the middle of the West Texas near-desert (well north of the Rio Grande Valley, close to Oklahoma), right by a reservoir that they do not have water rights on (City of Lubbock, about 80 miles away, has that locked up), is served by a little water co-op that draws ground water. This summer, the water has been shut off for several hours or even days at a time until the co-op can truck some in because the pressure fell too low.
Fortunately (?), my dad always has a lot of bottled water around because even the State of Texas won't claim that ground water is safe.
I have no idea why anyone not involved in the oil industry lives west of Abilene anymore.
Might anyone here be familiar with Texas' hydrology? At the handwave level, it seems like one could capture surface water in the Gulf coastal strip, then pump it (uphill, with wind/solar power) further west and north...
OTOH, Pecos, TX is over 400 miles from the coast, at an elevation of nearly 2,600'.
Fortunately (?), my dad always has a lot of bottled water around because even the State of Texas won't claim that ground water is safe.
I have no idea why anyone not involved in the oil industry lives west of Abilene anymore.