With the Texas population expected to double in the next 50 years, maintaining an adequate water supply has become a vital issue for the state.

The Brazos River Authority, along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has secured a $224,000 project to study water issues in the Middle Brazos basin, Congressman John Carter (TX-31), who helped secure the funding, announced today.

"With a growing population, especially in Central Texas, it’s critical to study how to best maximize our resources and preserve our water," Carter said. "Fresh water obviously is a key component for our area’s people and industries to thrive."

Carter’s district makes up most of the middle region and part of the lower region of the Brazos basin.

The Middle Brazos Feasibility Study has investigated increasing water supplies by raising lake levels at the nine reservoirs in the Brazos basin. Several reservoirs have been identified for further study, which will be funded by this project.

Future efforts will include studying saltwater intrusion – which threatens 299,000 acre-feet of water per year – and the feasibility of a saltwater barrier near the mouth of the Brazos River.

During low-flow periods, saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico moves into the lower reaches of the Brazos River, threatening the supply of fresh water to industries, agriculture and municipalities in that lower region. Those affected are then forced to use stored freshwater upstream.

The project is part of the Energy & Water Appropriations Project for Fiscal Year 2010.