Three Essays on Freshwater Supply, Fracking Use and Agricultural Technological Progress

Abstract

Water efficiency and a productive agriculture are key factors in our ability to meet future water and food demands under population growth and climate stressors. This study investigates freshwater supply, water use in hydraulic fracturing and forces driving agricultural technical progress.

The research involves three studies. In the first study, cost and GHG emissions estimates were constructed on a mobile solar powered nanofiltration unit designed to provide safe water to communities in South Texas. The second study looks at water usage and its cost in the Texas hydraulic fracturing industry along with cases where the cost of recycling produced water is competitive with the cost of traditional input water. In the final study, an analysis will be done on the effects of agricultural research funding and climate change on technical progress for US crop yields.

The major findings are as follows: 1) Within a case study in South Texas colonias, while tap water is the most cost efficient water delivery system, a mobile solar powered unit provides a next best, cost efficient alternative with low GHG emissions; 2) Water usage in the Texas Eagle Ford shale hydraulic fracturing industry is increasing and increasingly costly due to the transportation of the water; 3) Recycling and reusing produced water in hydraulic fracturing industry is cost competitive if raw freshwater needs to be transported more than 314 miles; 4) Total research and development funding increases crop yields for cotton and sorghum but in recent times at a decreasing rate; 5) Climate change, in the form of increased temperatures, appears to be diminishing yield growth rates with decreased precipitation negatively effecting hay, sorghum, winter wheat and spring wheat. 6) Low temperatures have both a positive and negative effect on crops and high temperatures have consistently negative effects on all crop yields; 7) Agricultural funding of research and development and funding towards adaptation are key factors in adapting to climate change to compensate for decreasing crop yields and increasing global demand.