Texas is headed for a drought—but lawmakers won’t do the one thing necessary to save its water supply

Texas property owners can use nearly as much water under their land as they want. That’s unlikely to change even as the state approaches a crisis.

LUBBOCK — Every winter, after the sea of cotton has been harvested in the South Plains and the ground looks barren, technicians with the High Plains Underground Water Conservation District check the water levels in nearly 75,000 wells across 16 counties.