http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/aug/11/texas-tragedy-ample-oil-no-water

So what is a town like Barnhart to do? Fracking is a powerful
drain on water supplies. In adjacent Crockett county, fracking accounts for up
to 25% of water use, according to the groundwater conservation district. But
Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist at Texas Tech University in Lubbock,
argues fracking is not the only reason Texas is going dry – and nor is the
drought. The latest shocks to the water system come after decades of overuse by
ranchers, cotton farmers, and fast-growing thirsty cities.

"We have large urban centres sucking water out of west Texas to put on their
lands. We have a huge agricultural community, and now we have fracking which is
also using water," she said. And then there is climate change.

West Texas has a long history of recurring drought, but under climate change,
the south-west has been experiencing record-breaking heatwaves, further drying
out the soil and speeding the evaporation of water in lakes and reservoirs.
Underground aquifers failed to regenerate. "What happens is that climate change
comes on top and in many cases it can be the final straw that breaks the camel's
back, but the camel is already overloaded," said Hayhoe.

Mitch in a broken water main at Big Spring. Photo by Linda
Salamone