TWDB dashboards are a gateway to essential statewide water data

TWDB dashboards are a gateway to essential statewide water data Posted on March 18, 2026

In addition to water itself, the water industry is powered by data. Water utility operators rely on real-time information about water quality and system demand; water resource engineers analyze data to make decisions about designing infrastructure; and hydrologists and other scientists analyze everything from streamflow to meteorological data.

Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) staff not only depend on extensive datasets to support long-term water planning, groundwater availability modeling, reservoir storage analysis, drought monitoring, and flood planning, but the agency also serves as major provider of statewide water data. The TWDB collects and shares a wide range of information with the public, state and federal agencies, local governments, academia, and private industry. One of the most effective ways the TWDB delivers this information is through online dashboards.

Visual tools that make complex data easy to understand

Data dashboards make interpreting and understanding massive amounts of data much easier. Instead of scrolling through intensive spreadsheets or long reports, key metrics, charts, and graphs can be found online in dashboards that are designed for clarity and real-time updates. They're an effective tool for anyone who needs fast, user-friendly information.

In addition to being responsive and easy to access, data dashboards are powerful decision-making tools. Users can quickly compare results, spot trends, or identify changes that occurred over time. Want more detail? Many of the dashboards allow for customized viewing using adjustable filters to sort details by date, deeper insights, alternate views, and more.

The TWDB understands the value of data dashboards in making complex information clear and accessible. Taylor Christian, the TWDB Manager of Data Coordination and Innovation, says a data resource is only useful if it is findable and presented in a way that informs without overwhelming. Christian says, "My goal is to make Texas water data easier to access so people can better understand and appreciate the resource."

Below you'll find a list of some of the most widely used interactive dashboards that support the daily work of water industry professionals, scientists, lawmakers, and the public.

Texas Water Service Boundary Viewer

The Texas Water Service Boundary Viewer provides access to the most current data on water service areas across the state. This mapping application allows users to search for water suppliers by address and identify water providers. In addition, the maps display major river basins and aquifers located within service areas. The TWDB developed the application through a grant from the U.S. Geological Survey and utilizes the information gathered to support its annual water use estimates and water demand projections for the state's water planning process.

Historical Water Use

"Data always tells a story, and dashboards are an especially effective tool for visualizing that story," says Jane Bullan, Water Use Survey Team Lead at the TWDB. She oversees the agency's Water Use Survey program, which collects approximately 7,500 surveys annually from water systems and industrial water users across Texas.

The data collected through the annual TWDB Water Use Survey forms the foundation of the state water plan and is made available through the TWDB Office of Planning Historical Water Use Estimates Dashboard. The dashboard provides interactive regional and county-level data on historical water use and breaks down usage into six categories: municipal, manufacturing, mining, power generation, irrigation, and livestock. Regional water planners rely on the information in this dashboard to project and plan for future demand-an essential step in developing the regional and state water plans.

Interactive Water and Flood Plans

Both the 2022 State Water Plan and the inaugural 2024 State Flood Plan are available in traditional print format as well as interactive data dashboards.The platforms allow users to explore and download the datasets behind each plan, including the recently approved 2026 regional water plans data.

Through the Interactive State Water Plan, users can examine how the State of Texas intends to meet its future water needs. This dashboard offers a dynamic, statewide view of water management data, visualizing 50 years of regional projections, project locations, and water-use trends. It also enables users to review project details, download data, and gain a deeper understanding of long-term strategies for their region.

The Interactive State Flood Plan Viewer complements Texas' inaugural 2024 State Flood Plan by providing access to the extensive dataset generated through the statewide flood planning program. Users can explore and download information on flood risk, as well as recommended flood risk reduction solutions. This widely used interactive resource draws approximately 200,000 views in peak months and provides detailed, location-specific information on recommended flood mitigation strategies.

Flood Planning Data Hub

The Flood Planning Data Hub is designed to support regional flood planning groups by providing centralized access to comprehensive flood-related data. Developed by the Flood Planning Division in collaboration with the Texas Geographic Information Office, the hub integrates state and federal flood risk information across a wide range of data layers, including critical infrastructure, flood infrastructure, flood risk, hydrology, jurisdictional boundaries, parks, population, property, terrain, and transportation. This robust GIS resource enables users to analyze and understand various flood risk-related datasets across the state.

Water Data for Texas

Water Data for Texas is one of the most utilized TWDB dashboards. The platform allows users to get a big picture of current and historical conditions for water resources in Texas. Water Data for Texas is maintained by the TWDB Office of Water Science and Conservation and hosts a wide range of datasets, including historical and current reservoir conditions, drought indicators, automated groundwater-level recorder data, coastal information, and lake evaporation and precipitation rates. The Water Data for Texas landing page offers the most comprehensive view available of conditions in 122 major water-supply reservoirs across Texas, as well as Elephant Butte Reservoir in New Mexico. In many cases, the website provides data spanning the entire history of the reservoir.

Groundwater Data Viewer

The Groundwater Data Viewer is an interactive map that lets users explore Texas water well records and groundwater data, including geology, aquifers, well construction, well properties, logs, and more. The application from TWDB Office of Water Science and Conservation provides easy access to multiple geographic information system (GIS) layers and tools-such as measurement, location buffering, and reporting-to support water research, planning, and understanding of local groundwater conditions using data from the Groundwater Database, Brackish Groundwater Database, and Submitted Drillers Reports Database.

TexMesonet

TexMesonet, also managed by the TWDB Office of Water Science and Conservation, is an interactive mapping application designed to view, analyze, and access real-time and historical data from a network of weather stations and rain gauges across Texas. The TexMesonet dashboard provides crucial information for flood monitoring, drought, and agricultural planning. Users can view current weather conditions, radar data, and time-series graphs. The network serves to improve water management, flood preparedness, and weather forecasting across the state.

TxGIO Tools

Looking for high-quality, easily accessible geographic data? The TxGIO DataHub, a product of the TWDB Texas Geographic Information Office, provides more than 2,000 geospatial datasets covering all 254 Texas counties. It brings together key StratMap layers, such as elevation, address points, and historical aerial imagery dating back to the 1920s, along with other datasets. Users can filter by topic or location, stream layers directly into GIS applications, and access new data added throughout the year. The DataHub is free, user-friendly, and continuously updated.

This article is posted in Aquifers/ Water Planning/ Flood/ Financial Assistance/ Technology/ Drought/ Water Supply/ Groundwater/ Conservation/ Rivers/ Coast/ Reservoirs/ Water Data.