The Water Beneath Our Feet | Season 1, Episode 3

What happens to water after it disappears beneath the surface—and what happens when we keep pumping it back out?

In this episode of The Water Line™, Elizabeth Resch explores groundwater, the Ogallala Aquifer, and the connection between the landscapes we design, and the water supplies we depend on.

Drawing on memories of traveling between Midland and Lubbock during her Texas Tech years, Elizabeth looks at the playa lakes that fill after rain and seem to disappear during dry seasons. Their role in the landscape continues even when they look empty.

The conversation also comes home to Midland’s irrigation wells and green lawns, examining why a lower water bill doesn’t necessarily mean less water use. Elizabeth explains xeriscaping, the living landscapes it supports, and what developers should consider before choosing an installation based on price alone.

In this episode:

• How aquifers store water and how groundwater moves
• The difference between infiltration and aquifer recharge
• Why a wet year doesn’t automatically replace decades of pumping
• How well use can affect water levels, neighboring wells, and water quality
• Playa lakes and their importance across the Texas High Plains
• Xeriscaping with drought-tolerant, locally appropriate plants
• How plant selection, soil, grading, and drainage influence a landscape’s performance
• Five questions to ask before depending on groundwater for a property or development

Whether you’re a homeowner, developer, landowner, or community leader, understanding the water beneath your feet can help you make better decisions above ground.

Explore the resources

• USGS — Aquifers and Groundwater
• Texas Water Development Board — Ogallala Aquifer
• Texas Water Development Board — Playa Lakes
• Texas Water Development Board — Sampling a Private Water Well
• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension — Xeriscape Landscape Water Conservation

Stay connected

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Learn about KDC Associates’ landscape architecture and environmental planning work:
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Follow the podcast and share this episode with someone making decisions about land or water.

Hosted by Elizabeth Resch. Produced by KDC Associates.

The Water Line™
Water, land, and what comes next.

© 2026 KDC Associates. All rights reserved. The Water Line™ is a trademark of KDC SiteWorks, LLC.

Before water ever reaches a pipe, pump, or reservoir, it's already moving through a system that most of us rarely think about: the land itself.

In Episode 2 of The Water Line™, host Elizabeth Resch explores the hidden infrastructure of water—the slopes, soils, watersheds, and natural drainage patterns that influence how water moves across our landscapes.

From West Texas ranches to rapidly growing North Texas communities, we examine how development changes the way water behaves, why slowing runoff can sometimes be as important as moving it away, and how decisions made on one property can affect communities and ecosystems miles downstream.

We'll also explore the connection between flooding and drought, the often-overlooked role of landscape architecture, and the questions every landowner, developer, and community leader should consider before changing the land.

Because before we decide where water should go, we need to understand where it already goes.

Explore weekly water briefings, in-depth reports, and educational resources for all ages at WaterLineReport.com.

The Water Line™ — Water, land, and what comes next.

Water shapes everything.

Across West Texas, it always has. From early settlement routes and rail lines to modern cities, ranchlands, and energy corridors, growth has followed one simple rule — go where the water is.

But something is changing.

In this first episode of The Water Line, Elizabeth Resch explores how water systems that once felt stable are now under increasing pressure. As aquifers decline and population growth accelerates, the conversation around water is shifting — from environmental concern to economic reality.

This episode introduces the foundational concepts behind that shift, including:

• How early settlement and the Texas & Pacific Railway followed water access across West Texas
• Why rapid population growth is placing new demands on long-standing water systems
• The role of base flow — the unseen movement of water beneath the surface that sustains land over time
• How changes underground are beginning to show up above ground, including measurable seismic activity in the Permian Basin
• Why water is becoming one of the most important variables in land value, infrastructure, and long-term planning

As water systems are pushed beyond what they were originally designed to support, the question is no longer whether water matters — but how changing water conditions will shape the future of land, industry, and communities across the region.

This is where the conversation begins.

Hosted by Elizabeth Resch @reschlikefreshwithac
Produced by KDC Associates @kdcassociates

Find us on Instagram @thewaterlinereport

www.kdcassociates.com