“That’s not a good idea at all.”
Benito Lara, Resident of Big Spring, Texas
Desperate times call for desperate measures. The drought in Texas is making folks desperate. Just ask the citizens of Big Spring, Texas (population 25,233).
More than 100 years ago, the town’s namesake served as a popular watering hole for settlers heading West. In the 1880s, when the railroad came through, the big spring was pumping 100,000 gallons of water per day. That was then; this is now. The big spring has long since dried up. It was reworked a few years ago to divert water from Comanche Trail Lake to area residents. But after the latest drought, which has seen only 3 inches of rain in the last year, the diverted water is drying up, too.
The town of Big Spring has been scrambling to save water: no more washing cars at home, watering lawns restricted to two times a week, and watering cans only, not hoses, allowed on flower beds. These restrictions aren’t enough. The town will run out of water unless it takes drastic action. And that’s just what it’s doing.
The town is building a $13 million water treatment plant that will turn sewage wastewater into drinking water. That’s right—the stuff that’s flushed today will come out of the faucet tomorrow (or thereabouts). The head of the water district says the treatment plant will provide 2 million gallons of water per day, and it’ll be good water people will like. The residents aren’t buying it. Some say they'll move if the town follows through on its wastewater repurposing plan.
For the folks who remain, they may need to reconsider the name of their town. Instead of Big Spring, maybe Big Flush?
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