From .
The latest most of Texas is in some stage of drought. The worst of it is up in the Panhandle, but almost everything southwest of the Brazos is affected.
Drought has long been a reality in Texas, and while the last few years have been wetter and lakes have refilled, the most recent drought of record isn鈥檛 that far removed. And the next one may not be too far away.
Texas is a bellwether for water debates across the nation as a whole, as journalist argues in his new book, 鈥� .鈥�
鈥淓very possible manifestation of a looming water crisis across the United States can be found somewhere in Texas,鈥� McGraw says. 鈥淎nd the other thing that is fascinating about Texas is that every possible human response to it can also be found in Texas.鈥�
McGraw says climate change already has a significant impact in Texas, with dry times getting dryer and closer together, and wet times getting wetter. He predicts that storms will become more destructive in the Lone Star State, not necessarily because the storms themselves are more destructive, but because there鈥檚 more to destroy.
鈥淵ou are a fast growing state, your population is skyrocketing,鈥� McGraw says. 鈥淎nd there is not a single drop of water in the world today that wasn鈥檛 here at the beginning. It鈥檚 not that there isn鈥檛 enough water necessarily, it鈥檚 that there isn鈥檛 enough water where we have deemed we need it.鈥�
Since the worst drought on record took place in the 1950s, there have been at least two more droughts that were about as deep. McGraw says the response hasn鈥檛 been sufficient.
鈥淭he reality is that droughts like that are not at all uncommon in Texas鈥� history,鈥� McGraw says. 鈥淎s the state itself acknowledges, you are simply not ready for another drought of record.鈥�
Written by C茅sar E. L贸pez Linares.
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