181-4 The Effects of Ecotourism on Groundwater Resources in Brewster County, Texas

Session: Community Engaged Research for Environmental Sustainability and Community Resilience (Posters)

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Abstract:

Brewster County, located in far west Texas, is culturally and geologically complex with diverse habitats and attractions, featuring the towns of Alpine, Marathon, Terlingua, and Lajitas, as well as the Rio Grande and the Big Bend National and Big Bend Ranch State parks in the southern region of the county. Located within the Chihuahuan Desert, Brewster County receives ~ 17 inches of precipitation annually. All public and private water supplies are sourced from the "igneous" aquifer and an unnamed Cretaceous aquifer. Via the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) and the county's Groundwater Conservation District (GCD), enabled by the Texas Water Code Chapter 36, Brewster County is able to monitor and regulate its groundwater use.

With the rise in tourism in the county in recent years, there has been concern regarding long-term groundwater sustainability and availability. The population of the county is not projected to increase, but there is an evident increase in transient water users, presumably increasing transient groundwater consumption. Our research aims to estimate this increase in groundwater use through the Residential Gallons Per Capita Per Day equation developed by the TWDB, Texas Commission of Environmental Quality, and the Water Conservation Advisory Council. Using eCognition Object-Based Image Analysis and change-detection algorithms, we intend to conduct a longitudinal study to monitor the development of short-term rental properties in Terlingua and Lajitas. A qualitative study will also be conducted to gain insight into the local communities' perspective on groundwater use in the region. All these components will provide the Brewster County GCD with essential information about the unmeasured increase in transient groundwater use.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-9051

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