Houston water supply

Hmmm. Having some trouble finding the source article for MSNBC's claim that Houston has some of the worst water in the country (not that I'm arguing with that), but I did find another tidbit on the 24/7 Wall St. website that talks about the elephant in the (Texas) room: water shortage. Houston comes in second, after Los Angeles, as the (big) American city most likely to run out of water. Here's what they say:

2. Houston, TX

Major Water Supply: Jasper Aquifer, Lake Houston, Lake Conroe
Population (U.S. rank): 2,257,926 (4th)
Population Growth Rate: 15.6%
Average annual rainfall: 53.34 inches

Throughout most of its history, the city of Houston primarily drew water from the Jasper Aquifer, located along the southeastern coast of Texas. Over the last 30 years, the city began to suffer from dramatic rises in sea level of nearly an inch a year. Geologists eventually realized that the cause was Houston’s withdrawal of fresh water from the aquifer located under the city. This discovery forced city officials to use nearby Lake Houston and Lake Conroe for municipal water instead of the aquifer. Since 2000, Houston has been the fifth-fastest-growing city in the country, and its presence in an area with high drought likelihood makes it an immediate risk for serious water shortages. [emphasis added]

The article, from an October 29, 2010, post on 24/7 Wall St., names its sources (what a refreshing change):

 24/7 Wall St. looked at an October, 2010 report on water risk by environmental research and sustainability group, Ceres. We also considered a comprehensive July, 2010 report from the National Resources Defense Council which mapped areas at high risk of water shortage conflict. 24/7 Wall St also did its own analysis of water supply and consumption in America’s largest cities, and focused on the thirty largest metropolitan areas. One goal was to identify potential conflicts in  regions which might have disputed rights over large supplies of water and the battles that could arise from these disputes.  And, 24/7 Wall St. examined geographic areas which have already been plagued by drought and water shortages off and on.

I'm still on the hunt for the origin of MSNBC's claim that Houston has lousy water (not that I am quibbling), but the discussion of water shortage--which we saw up close and personal this past summer--provides a nice focus for more thought about Houston's water supply.  It's more than just keeping the lawn green, aifinkso.

Severe droughts that could affect large cities are first a human problem. The competition for water could make life in some of America’s largest cities nearly unbearable for residents. A number of industries rely on regular access to water. Some people would be out of work if these industries had poor prospects for continued operation. The other important trouble that very low water supplies creates is that cities have sold bonds based on their needs for infrastructure to move, clean, and supply water. Credit ratings agencies may not have taken drought issues into account at the level that they should. Extreme disruptions of the water supply of any city would have severe financial consequences.

This past year we experienced months of drought and searing temperatures.  Lawns shriveled.  Old trees died or lost major limbs.  The City of Houston had to haul water to keep newly planted landscaping in the medians from dying--although they were too late for a goodly portion of that.  What happened in terms of water quality?  The mystery deepens?