What We Do to Protect Texas Living Waters

In the face of rapid population growth and a warming climate, Texas' water resources have never been under such intense pressure.

The Texas Living Waters Project works to ensure that Texas has enough fresh water for people and wildlife. With our partner, the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club, we work to reform the way Texas manages and uses its fresh water at the state and local level.

Since 2001, this award-winning coalition has worked to protect vulnerable wildlife habitats and drinking water supplies while promoting increased water efficiency and educating the public and policymakers.

In 2007, NWF and its partners reached a historic milestone when Texas lawmakers created a formal process to reserve water for environmental purposes.

NWF is now working with scientists, stakeholders and citizen groups to make sure the new stakeholder-driven process incorporates good science and guarantees sufficient water for Texas rivers and bays.

The Texas Living Waters Project works to:

• Ensure that Texas' coastal estuaries have the freshwater they need to remain healthy and sustain wildlife.
• Protect Texas groundwater by advocating for the sustainable use of these supplies--using it only as fast as nature can replenish it--so current and future generations will have healthy and reliable groundwater resources.
• Encourage the most efficient use of existing water supplies before new supplies are developed.