Project Summary:

Texas’ population is expected to increase by more than 70% between 2020 and 2070. During that time, we can expect water demands to increase by almost 20%, and existing water supply to continue to decline. Fortunately, Texas has a State Water Plan that identifies thousands of water management strategies to address our water budget needs. The State Water Plan also identifies that almost 45% of that future water will need to come from conservation and reuse. While conservation success is determined in part by investment in infrastructure, it is equally impacted by water users and the way we value water. For this reason, water leaders have called for a statewide water campaign to address the behavioral and cultural changes needed to achieve our water conservation targets.

Texas Runs on Water is a first-of-its-kind statewide water campaign built on Texas’ strong sense of local pride. Led by the Texas Water Foundation, Texas Runs on Water is working to address the state’s growing water supply needs by inspiring all Texans to participate in a viral cultural movement that spurs action and conversation around water. As Texas experiences steep population growth and a widening water availability gap, it is paramount the campaign inspires Texans to reconsider how we use water, and how we value it. 

The Texas Runs on Water campaign inspires action by linking the value of water to pride in all things Texas. The state’s thriving economy, wild landscapes, and beloved Texas products and pastimes all exist because of water – denim jeans, tacos, barbecue, and even college football games all Run on Water. Texas is uniquely diverse, and so are the relationships with water across the state. This campaign is intentionally designed as an umbrella concept that can be localized by region, audience, or water use, with the potential to link water entities, brands, industries, cultural ambassadors, and Texan iconography to water. 

Launched in 2021, the Texas Runs on Water piloted in three locations, gaining millions of views in Houston, the Texas Hill Country, and the Panhandle. In the pilot phase, Texas Runs on Water partnered with Houston Public Works to manage and support a “Houston Runs on Water” campaign. The campaign included paid social media, live ads in the Houston Hobby Airport, bilingual ads in grocery stores, a Houstonia magazine partnership, radio, and additional grassroots efforts to reach the entire Houston community. The partnership proved successful, earning nearly 9 million impressions and reaching a 21% brand awareness metric. In 2022, Texas Runs on Water plans to expand to three additional markets in West Texas, San Antonio, and South Texas to inspire water conservation awareness and action across the state. Texas Water Foundation hopes that through this campaign, all Texans fully internalize that everything they love about Texas is rooted in water.

@txrunsonwater Sticking to the rivers and lakes (and watering holes) that we’re used to 🤠 #jacobswell #travel #swimminghole #ByeByeSundayBlues #texas ♬ original sound – Texas Runs On Water

Project Mission:

Texas Runs on Water aims to inspire all Texans to value and conserve water for future generations. Texas Runs on Water offers a nonpartisan campaign for water, inviting every Texan to get involved and keep the Lone Star State running.

Project Impact:

• 3.5+ million people live in areas where Texas Runs on Water launched its pilot markets.
• Investing $2 billion in conservation strategies could yield $2.6 billion state output, provide 17.4k jobs, and $1.6 billion state value (Texas Water Efficiency Impact Report).
• If Texas’ State Water Plan’s water management strategies are not implemented, Texas could see  a $153 billion potential annual economic loss (2022 State Water Plan).
• 70,000+ square miles of watershed could be impacted by Texas Runs on Water pilot markets (Ogallala Aquifer, Blanco River, Spring Lake, Middle Trinity Aquifer, Buffalo Bayou, Galveston Bay)
• Localized campaign launches earned 8,748,261 impressions in Houston, 4,365,790 impressions in the Panhandle, and 475,633 total impressions in the Texas Hill Country.

Partners Include:

Texas Runs on Water would not be able to inspire water conservation across the state without the support of these partners: Alta Seeds, Amarillo’s ABC 7, the Amarillo Area Foundation, Bandera County River Authority and Groundwater District, Blank Spaces, City of Amarillo, Harbinger AI, Harmon Friday, Hill Country Alliance, Houston Public Works, Meadows Foundation, North Plains Groundwater Conservation District, Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District, Texas Cool Seltzer, and the Texas Water Development Board.

Project Needs:

Texas Runs on Water was selected as a Texan by Nature Conservation Wrangler based on the project’s positive impact to people, prosperity, and natural resources. Through the program, Texan by Nature is working with Texas Water Foundation to address the following needs:

• Media visibility to encourage statewide water conservation efforts among all Texans.
• Municipality and local water partnerships to customize the Texas Runs on Water campaign for water entities that lack water conservation marketing efforts, or would like to increase engagement in their existing water conservation strategies.
• Corporate and brand stewards to develop collaborative partnerships that build brand awareness and a corporate stewardship program for corporations committed to water conservation. 
• Research to measure behavioral and cultural change metrics surrounding water conservation in Texas.

Texan by Nature’s Vision and Support:

Texan by Nature (TxN) is working with Texas Water Foundation (TWF) to bring a broader awareness to the need for statewide water conservation efforts, in addition to building on the pilot success of Texas Runs on Water to develop the campaign into a universally recognized statewide water resource that all Texans participate in. TxN is working with TWF to create templatized campaign messaging and resources, establish new relationships, measure campaign impact, and more.

Contact Texan by Nature at info@texanbynature.org & (512) 284-7482 if you can provide resources, connections, or are interested in partnering and would like to learn more.