Most of us never think twice about where our water comes from before we turn on a faucet.  In fact, it’s usually not until drought conditions begin to take hold that most wonder where their water originates or where it goes as lake levels begin to drop. 

For those receiving water from the Brazos River Authority system of reservoirs, here is the answer: 

In 2017, Brazos River Authority customers used approximately 253,000 acre-feet of water. (An acre-foot is the amount of water needed to cover an acre of land one foot deep, or 325,851 gallons)   Of that number, 47 percent was used for industrial purposes (including electric generation); 45 percent went to municipal use; 6 percent for irrigation; and 2 percent for mining purposes.

The total inflow of water into the Brazos system of 11 reservoirs during calendar year 2017 was more than 2.6 million acre-feet, with 1.7 million acre-feet of floodwater released from the reservoirs.

One interesting note is that the total amount of water that evaporated from the reservoirs due to weather-related factors such as temperature, humidity, and wind was estimated at 494,061 acre-feet – nearly double the amount of water used by customers throughout the Brazos basin for the year.  Those that have maintained swimming pools during the summer can likely relate to this as you’ve had to add water to make up for water lost to evaporation.

To view complete details on water use in 2017, click the graphic above or go here.