Abstract

Texas Water System Map - Improved Mapping for better Planning
Track: Water, Wastewater, and Stormwater
Authors: Sumant Mallavaram, Kevin Kluge

The Texas Water Development Board oversees the state/regional water planning process for surface and ground water supply management in Texas. Advancements in groundwater modeling, emphasis on conservation metrics, and an increase in the number of non-city utilities necessitated the creation of a comprehensive geodatabase of Public Water Systems (PWS) and their service area boundaries (SABs). A data model based on a conceptual geodatabase design formed the framework for the repository. SABs for more than 4,000 residential community systems serving a minimum population of 25 were developed. The process included reaching out to 1,750 PWSs through letters, devising procedures and creating tools to delineate the SABs using best available data including Census 2010 and spatial relationships among systems and their underlying water districts and cities. The geodatabase will serve a critical role in facilitating inter-agency coordination and more accurate population and water demand estimates in the future state water planning cycles.