Texas Tech to host national forum on agricultural water sustainability
Water is one of the nation’s most critical resources, and nowhere is that more prevalent than in the High Plains.
Texas Tech’s Davis College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and the Texas Section of the American Water Works Association will convene the second annual Agricultural Water Sustainability Summit from Oct. 14 to 15 at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center.
“The Davis College is thrilled to partner with Texas American Water Works Association to bring attention to this critical issue,” Erica Irlbeck, Davis College associate dean for outreach and engagement said. “All Texans want to ensure enough water for the future, and this summit gets the agricultural and municipal industries in the same room to discuss the topic.”
Organizers are hoping to help bridge the gap between ag and urban water users in Texas and on a national level. The two-day event will have topics ranging from municipal drought planning to real time water monitoring for cattle, to climate conscious sorghum, and to a golf course water use panel.
Conference speakers will include Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Chairwoman Brooke Paup; Texas Sen. Charles Perry, R-District 28; Robert Mace, executive director of the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University; John Nielsen-Gammon, a professor of meteorology at Texas A&M University and the Texas state climatologist; and John Zhu, a hydrologist at the Texas Water Development Board.
Other scheduled speakers include Adrianne Lopez, research and development manager with Texas Pacific Water Resources; Drew Satterwhite, general manager with the Canadian River Municipal Water Authority; and Mason Miller, a source water protection specialist with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Stakeholders across the spectrum are expected to share their perspectives and help align priorities at the summit. Sixty percent of Texas’ annual water supply is consumed by agriculture—and that number has an impact on both the economy and environment in the state. That water usage supports the production of $159.3 billion in food and fiber, accounting for more than 8.6% of the state’s gross domestic product.
Aiming to make this annual event a premiere relevant ag water event in North America, organizers are hoping research, applications and practitioners from across the country will meet to discuss creating water sustainability for agriculture in Texas and the U.S.
For more information visit www.tawwa.org/page/awss2025.
The Texas Section of the AWWA, a nonprofit with more than 4,500 members, has long played a key role in shaping water policy in the state. Founded in 1971, it is the second largest of AWWA’s 43 sections and contributes to setting water quality standards across North America.
Kylene Scott can be reached at 620-227-1804 or [email protected].
