Chapter 2 Regional Summaries - Texas Water Development Board

2 Summary of
Llano Estacado (O) Region
The Llano Estacado Regional Water Planning
Area encompasses 21 counties in the
southern High Plains of Texas.
The Llano Estacado Regional Water Planning Area encompasses 21 counties in the southern High Plains of Texas
(Figure O.1). The region lies within the upstream parts of four major river basins (Canadian, Red, Brazos, and
Colorado). Groundwater from the Ogallala Aquifer is the region’s primary source of water and is used at a rate
that exceeds recharge. The largest economic sectors in the region are livestock and crop operations, producing
about 60 percent of the state’s total cotton crop. Major cities in the region include Lubbock, Plainview, Levelland,
Lamesa, Hereford, and Brownfield. The 2011 Region O Regional Water Plan can be found on the TWDB Web site
at https://www.twdb.state.tx.us/wrpi/rwp/3rdRound/2011_RWP/RegionO/.
PLAN HIGHLIGHTS
• Additional supply needed in 2060—2,366,036 acre-feet per year
• Recommended water management strategy volume in 2060—395,957 acre-feet per year
• Total capital cost—$1.1 billion
• Conservation accounts for 74 percent of 2060 strategy volumes
• Two new major reservoirs (Jim Bertram Lake 07, Post)
• Significant unmet irrigation and livestock needs
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Chapter 2: llano estacado (0) region summary
WAT E R FOR TEXAS 2012 STATE WATER PLAN