Wednesday March 22nd 2017 was the World Water Day. In celebration of this event and to raise awareness of water issues in Texas, Texas Water Foundation organized “Texas Water Day at the Capitol”. The program featured speakers from national and state levels with different topics that covered various water programs and issues in Texas. Several exhibitor’s water programs were also displayed.
During the program, 2017 Blue Legacy Awards were awarded to different organizations in different categories: Agricultural Non-producer, Producer, Retail or Wholesaler Water Supplier serving three different population ranges (less than 10,000, 10,000-50,000 and 50,000 – 100,000), River Authority or Regional Water District and Innovative Water Projects.
According to the United Nations, there are currently, 663 million adults and children living without a quality source of drinking water. In 2017 the Texas Water Development Board reported that because our existing water supply is not enough to meet our future demand for water during times of drought, Texas would need to provide 8.9 million acre-feet of additional water supplies, including in the form of water savings through conservation, to meet its demand for water in 2070. CARC’s researchers Ali Fares and Ripendra Awal participated in this program.
Ripendra Awal, Ph.D.
Research Scientist, Cooperative Agricultural Research Center
riawal@pvamu.edu
(936) 261-5092