Collaborating to Get Big Things Done for Texas

Texas Water Trade’s impact relies on the power of partnerships and interdisciplinary collaboration to get big things done for Texas. Our work along the Gulf Coast began with field testing concepts around “focused flows” to deliver targeted freshwater inflows into key upper estuaries. Today, we’re proud to report that our coastal program delivers more than 4,000 acre-feet of water each year to targeted sites along the Texas coast, directly benefiting habitat, local producers, and local economies.

Texas’ population is growing faster than ever, exponentially increasing demand on our water resources and the need for innovative solutions to meet and manage supply and demand. The reality is that the coast is physically last in line to receive freshwater and other resources desperately needed to maintain healthy rivers, bays, and estuaries for the many species, particularly fish and birds, that rely on them for habitat, which drives the local economies.

The good news is that we work alongside river authorities, navigation districts, corporate partners, and landowners to generate lasting impact and scale.

In the estuaries of East Galveston Bay, Texas Water Trade is expanding on successful partnerships with the Chambers-Liberty Counties Navigation District, Galveston Bay Foundation, and Manomet Conservation Sciences to create and enhance up to 1,000 acres of wetland habitat for waterfowl, shorebird, and other fish and wildlife species in Chambers County, Texas.

We do this by delivering water through dedicated irrigation canals to vulnerable habitats in the East Galveston Bay watershed, and then to agricultural fields to create freshwater wetlands for shorebirds and into upper estuaries to support nursery habitat for numerous ecologically and economically important species, such as blue crab, brown shrimp, and white shrimp.

Over the next 10 years, this project will deliver up to 10,000 acre-feet of water to the system, providing immediate, necessary wetland habitat that may not otherwise be available to wildlife, particularly during drought or abnormally dry conditions.

This project builds upon years of learning and monitoring and leverages support from diverse funders. The General Land Office, Google, Keurig Dr. Pepper, PepsiCo, and private philanthropic organizations such as Harte Charitable Foundation and Knobloch Family Foundation are among those who have helped advance and fund Texas Water Trade’s work to provide freshwater for the Trinity River and Galveston Bay. We’re fortunate to have the support of organizations across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors to ensure a water-secure Texas.

Collaborative projects like this allow Texas Water Trade to implement our innovative water strategies at scale, learn from our findings, and ultimately set the stage for future projects across the state, ensuring a lasting water supply for all who rely on this precious resource.