In light of recent drought, calls for construction of additional desalination plants are gaining traction. Earlier this month, Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson’s office announced that the Texas General Land Office (GLO) is exploring the potential of a desalination project that would turn some of Texas’ abundant brackish groundwater into finished drinking water on a 2,000-acre tract of land along Interstate 35, between Austin and San Antonio.
The project could be the first in a series of such projects spearheaded by the GLO. The GLO has been looking at water projects for about a year now, and is looking to be involved in the water business as an aggregator and retailer to municipalities and public regional consumers, Patterson says.