BartonSpringsSalamander_WaterSecurity_Devitt_Tom_AustinTX_16October2023_Reel4177.mp3

Tom Devitt [00:00:00] Amphibians are really in bad shape globally.

Tom Devitt [00:00:04] Over the last couple of decades, they've just been getting hammered. It's really the death by a thousand cuts scenario, where climate change, habitat degradation, invasive species, overuse, harvesting for some species, all of these things are contributing to the demise of amphibians globally.

Tom Devitt [00:00:28] And so, I think the species, at this point in time, in west central Texas, have been spared some of those effects.

Tom Devitt [00:00:38] But, we're starting to see more and more springs dry up. Right? So, springs that used to flow, prior to groundwater development, really starting in about the 1950s, these springs are no longer flowing.

Tom Devitt [00:00:52] And so, when you get springs that stop flowing, obviously there's no habitat for organisms that require that groundwater to survive.

Tom Devitt [00:01:02] And maybe there are other springs where that species still lives. But, when too many springs dry up, those populations go extinct locally, and then eventually the species goes extinct, right, if all the sub-populations go extinct.

Tom Devitt [00:01:20] And it's not just the salamander, of course, that occurs there. There are, you know, many other species and there are interactions among those species. And so, if one species goes extinct, maybe another species relied on that for prey or whatever. There's myriad direct and indirect species interactions that take place in an ecosystem. And so when one species is affected, the other species are affected.

Tom Devitt [00:01:42] So, really this groundwater depletion, I really think, is the biggest threat to these salamanders in central Texas.

Tom Devitt [00:01:50] And, as climate change intensifies - I mean, this last summer was unprecedented, right, we had 108-degree temperatures for I don't know how many days in a row - but as climate change intensifies, people are going to be using more and more groundwater. And so it's just going to exacerbate that groundwater depletion, which, of course, is going to result in habitat loss and a decline in ecosystem functioning.

Tom Devitt [00:02:19] And we rely on that ecosystem functioning for things like water purification, for example. So, these organisms that occur in the groundwater serve a role. They're not just there not doing anything. They do things like biodegradation of contaminants. You know, they maintain spaces for water flow. There's a variety of things that these groundwater organisms do that are of benefit to humans. And if those things go extinct, the water quality is going to be compromised. It's that simple.

Tom Devitt [00:02:52] But the bottom line is we're using the water faster than it's being replenished, by a lot. And climate change is intensifying and making that problem worse.

Tom Devitt [00:03:04] And so, we really need a sea change in how we think about and use water in central Texas, because the conditions are only going to get worse. I think people really need to understand why water security is at risk, because it is at risk, and it's more at risk than people realize.