The near seven-year drought in Texas has been drying up major portions of the Brazos River, which has caused a decline in water levels and is threatening water supplies in Fort Bend, Brazoria and Galveston counties. The Brazos River, which is the longest river inside Texas, supplies about 6.75 billion gallons of water annually to cities, schools, counties, agriculture, businesses and industries as well as for recreational purposes along its 840-mile span, according to the Brazos River Authority. "The Brazos is not just the lifeblood of the cities [throughout its basin]," said Ivan Langford, general manager for the Gulf Coast Water Authority, a senior water rights holder on the river. "It's the lifeblood of agriculture, business and industry across the state." Climatologists project Brazos water levels will continue to diminish in the coming decades as water demand along the Brazos—especially in the lower region of the basin—is expected to triple by 2060. In response to declining water levels, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality started work on the Brazos Watermaster Program in April 2014 to monitor use and enforce water rights for the rights holders in the area. Water rights are recognized at the state level and can be granted to individuals, cities, utility districts and businesses. The commission plans to launch its watermaster program June 1, TCEQ spokeswoman Lisa Wheeler said. Officials are in the process of training staff and compiling a database of water rights holders along the river. The ongoing drought and rapid population growth throughout the Brazos River basin has also intensified competition for river water and fueled tensions between stakeholders throughout the basin. A number of organizations in the upper and middle regions of the basin are attempting to limit, reduce or restrict the flow of water downstream to the lower region of the basin. Restricting river flow downstream would be detrimental to residents, communities and other interested parties in areas, such as Fort Bend County. "Groups in the upper and middle portion of the basin support limiting water flow downstream," said Matt Sebesta, Brazoria County judge and chair of the Lower Brazos River Coalition. "We want to make sure the river's limited resources can be used for the benefits of all." Local activists formed the LRBC in late January in an attempt to combat such restrictions, advocate for the fair allocation of river water and represent water users in the lower Brazos region, as water resources are expected to become even scarcer. "For the last two years, our agriculture producers have not received water unless they were senior holders," Sebesta said. "Some of the water set aside for recreational use upstream would be more beneficial downstream." Local drought effects About 60 percent of the water used in Fort Bend County, mainly by the county's cities and municipalities, comes from groundwater sources via the Gulf Coast Aquifer. The Brazos River provides most of the alternative sources of water to Fort Bend County, which is water used for manufacturing, mining, irrigation, steam-electric and livestock purposes. However, the county's reliance on groundwater is expected to decrease due to mandatory restrictions implemented by the Fort Bend Subsidence District, which will in turn increase the county's need for surface water from the Brazos, according to the Texas Water Development Board. The FBSD mandate was approved in September 2003 and required areas of the county to convert to 30 percent surface water by 2014 and 60 percent by 2025. The mandate was based on the legislature's requirement to reduce groundwater pumping that causes subsidence, the lowering of the land-surface elevation, which can lead to flooding and damage to infrastructure, FBSD General Manager Mike Turco said. The ongoing drought paired with future increased water demands due to expected population increase by 2060, has compounded the issue of increasing surface water uses for the county. "The drought has really exposed the Brazos River as maybe not being as reliable as we had hoped it would be as a future supply for surface water," Turco said. "The river has been hit very hard by the drought. There's still a water shortage there, and the drought is still an issue with the Brazos that we are dealing with every day." A gauge measuring river height in Richmond for the BRA showed record-low levels in 2013 and 2014, with levels generally hovering around 10-12 feet. Despite being limited by the low water levels in the Brazos, Turco said the county is seeking alternate options to find additional water supplies while also reducing its reliance on groundwater. "The plan is to move water from other basins into Fort Bend County," he said. "The county is also looking at a lot of other options like wastewater reuse and doing whatever it can to maximize the amount of water it has because the Brazos River does have some limitations." Watermaster program After establishing the Brazos Watermaster Program in response to record-low river levels, the TCEQ appointed Molly Mohler to serve as watermaster in January. Mohler formerly served as a water specialist with the Concho River Watermaster Program. A 15-person Brazos Watermaster Advisory Committee was appointed by TCEQ in March and will take effect May 10, Wheeler said. Members include representatives from the GCWA and the BRA. The watermaster's coverage area starts at Possum Kingdom Lake in Palo Pinto County and extends south along the Brazos River until it reaches the Gulf of Mexico. In June, Mohler and her team will begin monitoring and enforcing water rights for the 900 rights holders along this tract. The watermaster will also monitor surface water use on a day-to-day basis. "With the system we have in place, there is just no way to monitor who is taking water and how much," said Amy Settemeyer, TCEQ's watermaster sections manager. "The watermaster program will require all users to purchase instruments to measure the water they use, which our staff will check through regular patrols." Water rights will be enforced on the basis of seniority, TCEQ officials said. As the oldest water rights holder on the Brazos, the GCWA—the agency that represents water users in Fort Bend, Brazoria and Galveston counties—will have priority in times of scarcity. Water rights for junior holders could be suspended, except for municipalities and power plants, which are exempt. Grass-roots effort The LBRC has seen growing support since it formed in January, including from the BRA and the GCWA. Coalition members have communicated concerns to legislators in Austin with regard to keeping the river flowing downstream. The coalition officially opposes legislation that cuts funding for the watermaster program, holds more water upstream or reclassifies recreational water use to give it equal priority. Several bills were filed that took aim at the BRA, but no bills have made it through the committee process as of March. "It's not a cure-all, but it will help manage the water and help people fully understand the amount being pulled from the river," Sebesta said. "We've just been going on the honor system in the past. We're here to explain the widespread use of that river water for municipalities, agriculture, industry and for habitats of birds and fish."