LEGAL AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORK FOR BRACKISH GROUNDWATER DESALINATION AND WATER RECYCLING IN TEXAS

Project Director:
Gabriel Eckstein, Professor, Texas A&M University School of Law

Authors:
Authors: Seth J. Boettcher, Courtney Gately, Alexandra L. Lizano, Alexis S. Long, Alexis Yelvington — Texas A&M University School of Law Capstone ​Seminar students

These Technical Report on Legal and Regulatory Framework for Brackish Groundwater Desalination and Water Recycling in Texas examine the legal frameworks that affect brackish groundwater desalination and water recycling in Texas. The goal of these reports is to provide insight into the legal and regulatory barriers, challenges, and opportunities for these technologies to go online.

Each desalination and water recycling implementation site must find ways of complying with various laws and regulations. The information in these reports comes from the study of brackish groundwater desalination facilities and water recycling facilities currently operating in Texas. 

All three Technical Reports compile information based on extensive research into available literature and documents from various agencies. While there is no updated “one-stop-shop” resource that provides detailed information on all the necessary permits to build, operate, and maintain such facilities, these Technical Reports aim to compile the existing, available information in an organized and accessible fashion. 

The Brackish Groundwater Desalination Technical Report is the first of three reports; the second is the Water Recycling Technical Report; the third is a Case Study Report reviewing regulations in San Antonio and El Paso where these water alternatives are in place.