Learn what brackish groundwater is, why it matters in Texas, and how reverse osmosis turns it into usable water for industry and agriculture.
Brackish Water Reverse Osmosis in Texas
In many parts of Texas, the groundwater available to a facility or farm isn't fresh enough to use directly. It isn't seawater either. It's brackish water, and with the right treatment it can become a reliable water source.
What Is Brackish Water?
Brackish water contains more dissolved salts than fresh water but less than seawater. The Texas Water Development Board classifies groundwater with 1,000 to 9,999 mg/L of total dissolved solids (TDS) as brackish. According to the board, Texas holds more than 3.2 billion acre-feet of this water underground.
Why It Needs Treatment
The salts and minerals in brackish water can cause scale in equipment, damage sensitive crops, and affect product quality in industrial processes. Before it can be used, most of those dissolved solids need to be removed.
How Reverse Osmosis Treats Brackish Water
Reverse osmosis pushes water through a semi-permeable membrane that rejects most dissolved salts. The process produces treated water, called permeate, and a concentrate stream that carries the salts away. Because brackish water has a lower salt content than seawater, the system operates at lower pressure and uses less energy.
A successful brackish water system depends on:
A complete water analysis
Proper pretreatment to remove iron, manganese, and solids
The right recovery rate for the water's mineral content
A plan for managing the concentrate
American Water Solutions, LLC is a Texas-based company specializing in reverse osmosis water treatment systems for residential, commercial, and industrial applications.
