Alpine became the center of a growing regional conversation about water sustainability in February as more than 350 landowners, scientists, policymakers and community leaders gathered at Sul Ross State University for the Water in the Desert 2026 conference.
The three-day event also served as the first major public gathering tied to the newly launched Meadows Research Institute for West Texas Water, signaling what organizers described as a new era of coordinated research and collaboration focused on water challenges in the Trans-Pecos.
“This was more than a conference,” said Dr. Louis Harveson, director of the Borderlands Research Institute and associate provost for research and development at Sul Ross State University. “It was the public debut of a new, permanent home for West Texas water research and collaboration.”
Attendance at the conference increased significantly from the inaugural Water in the Desert event in 2024, reflecting growing concern about water scarcity across Far West Texas and expanding interest in science-based approaches to water management.
The Meadows Research Institute officially launched Jan. 1 after two years of planning, partnerships and philanthropic investment. The institute, incubated at the Borderlands Research Institute and housed at Sul Ross State University, focuses on applied research, education and technical assistance aimed at improving water sustainability in the Trans-Pecos region.
Conference sessions opened with presentations outlining land and water trends unique to the region, where large working ranch landscapes remain common and groundwater resources play a critical role in supporting communities, agriculture and wildlife.
Texas State Climatologist Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon presented an assessment of climate trends affecting the region, including rising temperatures and intensifying drought cycles, emphasizing the need for adaptive water management strategies.
Lawmakers and policy experts also discussed the importance of improved coordination among groundwater conservation districts and the role reliable data plays in shaping future water policy.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission Chairman Paul Foster, speaking as a West Texas landowner, highlighted the complexity of groundwater systems that extend across property and county boundaries.
“Water doesn’t respect ownership the way we might like it to,” Foster said.
Foster described commissioning groundwater studies on his ranches to better understand aquifer and spring connections, noting that some groundwater beneath the region dates back tens of thousands of years.
Although research suggested significant production potential, Foster said he chose not to pursue commercial development, citing responsibility to neighboring landowners and future generations.
Another major focus of the conference was Proposition 4, a $20 billion, 20-year investment in Texas water infrastructure and supply approved by voters in 2025. Speakers described the funding as historic but cautioned that its long-term impact will depend on how effectively projects are implemented, particularly in rural communities that may lack the technical capacity to access state and federal funding programs.
Across West Texas, aging water infrastructure, declining aquifer levels and water quality concerns continue to affect municipal systems, ranching operations and economic development.
Conference sessions also explored groundwater and surface water interactions, ecological flows and the management of produced water from oil and gas operations in the Permian Basin.
Eric Meadows, president and CEO of The Meadows Foundation, said the organization’s investment in the new institute grew out of conversations that began during the first Water in the Desert conference in 2024.
“It was really through those conversations that we started learning about some of the needs and felt there was a real opportunity to make a difference,” Meadows said.
The Meadows Foundation committed a $2.5 million endowment and $250,000 in multiyear operational funding to establish the institute, along with additional philanthropic partners.
Harveson helped cultivate the partnership following the 2024 conference, working with foundation leaders to translate regional water challenges into a long-term research initiative based in Far West Texas.
Water in the Desert began as a regional forum focused on water issues affecting ranchers, communities and ecosystems. By 2026, organizers said the event had grown into a platform connecting policymakers, researchers and landowners working toward shared solutions.
“This conference confirmed what we’ve believed from the beginning,” said Billy Tarrant, interim director of the Meadows Research Institute for West Texas Water. “West Texas doesn’t lack commitment or expertise — it needs a place to connect the dots. Our new institute is that place. And this is just the beginning.”
