The tourist season in Terlingua has started. Here’s why and how you can help save water during your visit.

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The International Chili Cookoff Original Terlingua Championship started on Wednesday. It’s a time-honored tradition in Texas’ wild west, featuring live music, opportunities to meet authors and, you guessed it, chili contests.

The event attracts thousands of visitors from across the United States and abroad and marks the beginning of the tourist season in Terlingua, a rapidly growing tourist haven that for years has been known more as a paradise for loners than a popular destination for those seeking refuge from city life.

Many tourists will spend time exploring the desert community and gathering with its 154 full-time residents. Others can hike the breathtaking trails of nearby Big Bend National Park and camp in some of its pockets.

They will need water to hydrate, shower and cool down. In this desert, the exact extent of available water is unknown. As more people arrive and the demand for water increases, residents and experts recommend maintaining an eco-friendly approach to help them protect these limited resources.

This guide aims to help you enjoy water like a local and save money.

Where is Terlingua?

Terlingua is an isolated desert community about 40 miles east of Big Bend National Park that locals call the last frontier to the developed world. It is unincorporated, meaning it has no municipal government and operates under the jurisdiction of Brewster County.

Its proximity to the national park has made it a popular tourist destination throughout the country. Particularly appealing to visitors are the luxury, short-term custom rentals: tipis, A-frame structures, and bubble-like structures that offer 360-degree views of the night sky – the largest dark sky reserve in the world.

Tourism in Terlingua has tripled in the last six years, according to Bram Gallagher, an economist at AirDNA, a data analytics company that tracks U.S. short-term rental data. In 2018, there were 133 short-term rental properties. In 2024, the number increased to 399.

If it’s a desert, where does the water come from?

When rainfall is low, the Terlingua Desert benefits from springs and water naturally stored underground.

Experts also believe that aquifera large sea of ​​water similar to Ogallala Aquifer on the High Plains, flows underground in southern Brewster County. It is commonly called the Santa Elena aquifer.

However, unlike all other aquifers in Texas, scientists have not yet been able to determine its exact boundaries. State officials expressed confidence that there is an aquifer beneath the Terlinguan soil.

The state last surveyed the area in the 1990s. And while local and state officials are showing renewed interest in testing the aquifer, the effort could take hundreds of thousands of dollars and years, and local cooperation has historically resisted government regulation.

Why should people care about saving water in the Terlingua area?

Water in Texas is not unlimited. Across the state, experts and farmers are pleading with state officials to take water and infrastructure protection seriously.

Water is already hard to find in Terlingua. This is an expensive investment that involves drilling a well that can cost over tens of thousands of dollars without providing water.

“When I think about saving water, I think about using it as efficiently as possible,” said Robert Mace, executive director of the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment. “Recognizing that water comes from somewhere and wherever it comes from, the use of that water has an impact not only on the environment, but also on other people who may depend on it.”

Locals hope that increased economic activity in the region will not cost them water.

Why is water a problem?

Terlingua’s appeal is mainly based on its untouched environment. There is no water supply in the area serving all residents. Those who live there have only a few options for accessing water.

In a neighboring municipality next to Terlingua called Study Butte, the Study Butte Water Supply Corporation provides water to a limited number of residents within specific geographic boundaries. Terlingua Ranch Lodge, a 200,000-acre complex where more than 5,000 people own land, has drilled five water wells. The ranch management sells this water to residents who register with the association. Residents outside both companies’ service areas must drill wells or build water collection systems to retain rainwater.

The lack of any major investment in water infrastructure prevents local and state officials from knowing exactly how much water is underground in the area.

Due to the rapid increase in demand for water, residents fear that once it is delivered to guests, there will be no water in the area.

Has the increase affected water sources?

Over the years, more and more people used the water. Data from the Texas Water Development Board, which keeps records of water supply, shows that since 2018, owners and developers have drilled more than 50 deep wells.

Study Butte Water Supply Corporation data provided exclusively to The Texas Tribune shows that more customers have been using more water over the past decade. In 2014, water managers released water to 227 taps connected to reservoirs, selling 8.4 million gallons of water. In 2023, the number of taps did not increase significantly, but the volume of water increased – 18 million gallons were sold. That’s enough to fill about 27 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

This year, the Terlingua Ranch Property Owners Association took action reduce water consumption in its territory. In August, board managers told residents the ranch would reduce the amount of water available for sale as water levels dropped.

What actions are being taken to solve water problems in this region?

In short, not much yet. Locally, there is no consensus on whether water levels are dropping dramatically. State officials and scientists say there is not enough technology to monitor water levels to indicate a regionwide trend.

The Brewster County Groundwater Conservation District hopes increased cooperation with state officials and greater local outreach will be helpful. Efforts are being made to persuade property owners to voluntarily provide information on water levels in wells. Terlingua Ranch Lodge has agreed to place monitoring technology in one of its five wells.

What role can tourists play in saving water?

Listen to residents and follow applicable guidelines. As state and local governments negotiate how best to monitor water supplies, tourists can play an important role in helping residents save water.

“Choose lodgings that care about water conservation,” said Larry Sunderland, a former member and chairman of the Terlingua Property Owners Association water board and a longtime supporter of local water sources. “Ask your hosts about their water source and any water-saving devices they have.”

• Consider scheduling a shower and try to limit it to five minutes.

• Turn off the shower while lathering.

• Avoid flushing the toilet frequently. One flush can use more than a gallon of water.

• Turn off the tap when you are not using it.