The Texas Supreme Court’s Decision Concerning Ownership of Produced Water in Cactus Water Services LLC v. COG Operating LLC: When Is Water Not Water?

As water scarcity intensifies in Texas, the legal status of "produced water"—a byproduct of oil and gas extraction—has gained increasing attention and significance. A recent decision of the Texas Supreme Court, Cactus Water Services LLC v. COG Operating LLC, addressed a novel and consequential property rights question: Who owns the produced water extracted alongside hydrocarbons? This article analyzes the Court’s decision, which held that oil and gas lessees own produced water absent express lease language to the contrary. The ruling relies upon traditional assumptions about produced water as waste, perhaps in the face of the evolving value and treatability of produced water and Texas law regarding the ownership of groundwater. Through an examination of the majority and concurring opinion and their underlying bases, this article also explores the implications for drafting future oil, gas, and groundwater rights leases, and offering practical guidance on how parties can avoid unintended conveyances of produced water. 

Hydrological Responses and C-N Pools of Two Watersheds under Shrub Management

Editor-in-Chief’s Note: In May 2025, the Texas Water Research Network, led by the Environmental Science Institute at The University of Texas at Austin, held its 12th meeting. For the first time, presenters were invited to submit extended abstracts associated with their contributions to the Texas Water Journal. Seven extended abstracts were submitted and underwent a blind peer-review process before being included in this special issue

Quantifying Surface Water Quality under Environmental Change Scenarios in the Bosque River Watershed, Central Texas, United States

Editor-in-Chief’s Note: In May 2025, the Texas Water Research Network, led by the Environmental Science Institute at The University of Texas at Austin, held its 12th meeting. For the first time, presenters were invited to submit extended abstracts associated with their contributions to the Texas Water Journal. Seven extended abstracts were submitted and underwent a blind peer-review process before being included in this special issue

Abrupt Shifts in Precipitation Recorded by Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) False Rings

Editor-in-Chief’s Note: In May 2025, the Texas Water Research Network, led by the Environmental Science Institute at The University of Texas at Austin, held its 12th meeting. For the first time, presenters were invited to submit extended abstracts associated with their contributions to the Texas Water Journal. Seven extended abstracts were submitted and underwent a blind peer-review process before being included in this special issue

Integrating Remote Sensing and Weather Data with Machine Learning to Assess Drought Effects on Climate Divisions in Texas

Editor-in-Chief’s Note: In May 2025, the Texas Water Research Network, led by the Environmental Science Institute at The University of Texas at Austin, held its 12th meeting. For the first time, presenters were invited to submit extended abstracts associated with their contributions to the Texas Water Journal. Seven extended abstracts were submitted and underwent a blind peer-review process before being included in this special issue

Predicting Future Drought Shifts in the Cypress Creek Watershed Using CMIP6 Projections

Editor-in-Chief’s Note: In May 2025, the Texas Water Research Network, led by the Environmental Science Institute at The University of Texas at Austin, held its 12th meeting. For the first time, presenters were invited to submit extended abstracts associated with their contributions to the Texas Water Journal. Seven extended abstracts were submitted and underwent a blind peer-review process before being included in this special issue

Integrating Geospatial Data with Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis for Flood Susceptibility Assessment in Texas, USA

Editor-in-Chief’s Note: In May 2025, the Texas Water Research Network, led by the Environmental Science Institute at The University of Texas at Austin, held its 12th meeting. For the first time, presenters were invited to submit extended abstracts associated with their contributions to the Texas Water Journal. Seven extended abstracts were submitted and underwent a blind peer-review process before being included in this special issue

Water-Energy-CO₂ Nexus for Turfgrass Irrigation in the Four Urban-Dominated Counties of Texas

Editor-in-Chief’s Note: In May 2025, the Texas Water Research Network, led by the Environmental Science Institute at The University of Texas at Austin, held its 12th meeting. For the first time, presenters were invited to submit extended abstracts associated with their contributions to the Texas Water Journal. Seven extended abstracts were submitted and underwent a blind peer-review process before being included in this special issue

From Source to Sea: Case Study of a Watershed-Scale, Transdisciplinary Field Program in Coastal and Marine Graduate Education

The National Science Foundation-funded Research Traineeship on Stakeholder-Guided Environmental Science (STAGES) at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi aims to improve interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaborative science and communication through a combination of hands-on, experiential training and coursework for graduate students. A core feature of this program is the Headwaters to the Ocean (H2O) field trip, which immerses students in practical interdisciplinary research and data collection within the Nueces River watershed. The field trip spans the river from its headwaters near Uvalde, Texas, to Nueces Bay, with students studying various environmental indicators such as water chemistry, air pollution, hydrogeologic setting, and microplastics to assess the impacts of human activities. Through these experiences, STAGES seeks to build a common language among participants from diverse scientific backgrounds, ultimately fostering more effective research collaborations and preparing students for complex environmental science challenges. The STAGES program also offers recommendations for improving interdisciplinary teamwork, enhancing communication, and refining project planning, making it a model for training future scientists in integrated environmental science approaches

Commentary: 89th Texas State Legislature: Summaries of Water-Related Legislative Action

Editor-in-Chief ’s Note: September 1 of every odd-numbered year is the date when most new legislation from the most recent session of the Texas Legislature typically goes into effect. With this in mind, the Texas Water Journal invited seven organizations that work closely with the Texas Legislature to provide their take on the changes to Texas water policy and law that were made during the 2025 session. The opinions expressed in these summaries are the opinions of the individual organizations and not the opinions of the Texas Water Journal, the Texas Water Resources Institute, the Bureau of Economic Geology, or the Water and Environment Research Center