Providing access to clean water is a grand challenge in engineering, and supplying sufficient, clean water is a problem around the globe. This challenge is visible in Texas, where drought coincides with population growth and increases in water demand. Using Texas as a case study, this article addresses which policies
are desirable to best manage the supply of brackish groundwater. We review the geological, technical, and legal contexts of groundwater in Texas and situate brackish groundwater within those constructs. We consider efforts by other U.S. states to regulate brackish groundwater and identify desirable goals for
its management, including facilitating access to and incentivizing use of brackish groundwater and protecting fresh water aquifers from potential saline intrusion related to brackish groundwater production.