Addressing Challenges to Ensuring Justice and Sustainability in Policy and Infrastructure for Texas Water Resources in the 21st Century

While environmental justice and sustainability have both become major concerns for water resource management, the approach to these topics has varied across municipalities, leaving a patchwork of water availability and management issues across the state. This paper explores the different water equity and sustainability challenges faced by Texans from across the state. Challenges include water access, affordability, contamination, flooding, drought, and aging infrastructure. Additionally, the paper assesses the various policy and planning efforts put in place at both the state and local level to address these concerns, as well as identifies gaps in these approaches and makes suggestions for improvements.