A water emergency has highlighted issues with water planning in Texas. The state has updated its water plan every five years for over 25 years to forecast supply and demand. This process is meant to give communities warning about potential water shortages, allowing them to take action.

However, the planning process relies heavily on past droughts, which may not be an effective approach due to climate change. Further details about the flaws in Texas' water planning are available. The planning process has been in place for a significant amount of time, but its effectiveness is being questioned.

Climate change is making droughts more frequent and severe, which may render historical drought data less useful for planning purposes.