Editor’s note: This is part of Drifting Toward Disaster, a Texas Observer series about life-changing challenges facing Texans and their rivers.
Water is shaping up to be a priority during the 88th Legislature. Texas weathered its fourth-most intense drought on record last year and entered 2023 with half the state still in drought. Spurred by this precarious situation, a group of House lawmakers recently formed the first bipartisan caucus on water issues. Among other options, they’re eyeing expensive proposals to try and expand the water supply by constructing new reservoirs or building desalination plants.
One expert, Jennifer Walker, is aiming to attract attention to a cheaper but often overlooked option: plugging leaks. After studying biology at the University of Texas at Austin, Walker spent the first 18 years of her career with the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club. She now directs the National Wildlife Federation’s Texas Coast and Water Program. Alongside her day job researching statewide water policy, Walker serves on the volunteer task force helping steer the City of Austin’s water plans.
