In arid West Texas, where rain is infrequent and rivers and lakes are few, groundwater ? water from sources beneath the surface of the earth ? is key to survival. And as the oil and gas industry in the Permian Basin demands more of this resource from the surrounding area,?researchers are scrambling?to study the systems of webbed aquifers that feed households, farms, ranches and industry in the region. But for residents there?s a familiar tension over who gets to decide the fate of their water….
