State lawmakers aim to fund water projects for years to come

Yahoo

13-03-2025

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Gov. Greg Abbott called on state lawmakers to make a Texas-sized investment in water infrastructure and supply during his State of the State address, amid concerns the resource can't keep up with growth in the state.
Lawmakers have already filed two bills, one in each chamber, that would amend the Texas Constitution to create a dedicated stream of revenue to the Texas Water Fund, which was created in 2023 after Texas voters approved a one-time $1 billion investment.
But since the creation of the Texas Water Fund, the threat facing Texas is becoming clearer. Farmers in South Texas are only able to plant on 50% of their land as the U.S. and Mexican governments dispute over a water treaty, local officials warn of the potential of public health crises, water reservoirs are drying up, and West Texas residents face constant boil water notices and leaky pipes.
Water experts say the investment in 2023 was a good start but it is barely enough. 'It was a good measure and a good appropriation but it's literally a drop in the bucket compared to the $154 billion that we need to invest long term,' Jeremy Mazur explained. He is the director of infrastructure and natural resources at Texas 2036, a nonpartisan public policy research organization.
State Sen. Charles Perry, R–Lubbock, and State Rep. Cody Harris, R–Palestine, authored their respective bills in each chamber. Perry's bill has 25 other co-authors in the Senate, showing bipartisan support for the initiative.
Both bills would dedicate a portion of sales tax revenue to the Texas Water Fund (TWF), similar to what the state does for the State Highway Fund. Harris' bill would allocate up to $2 billion each year to the TWF, while Perry's bill would allocate $1 billion each year with an emphasis on new water supply.
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) is responsible for doling out the funds from the TWF. The TWDB uses the money from the fund to award money through existing financial assistance programs. The TWDB has committed $48,459,153 of TWF money to water infrastructure improvement projects in rural areas.
The agency also approved a one-year, $2 million contract with the Texas Water Foundation to develop a statewide water awareness campaign, according to a spokesperson with the agency.
Texas voters would have to approve the dedicated funding for the TWF if the constitutional amendments pass. Mazur said Texans already show support for water legislation, adding, 'If we want to see this thing called the Texas economic miracle continue for generations to come, we need three things in place — dependable electric grid, reliable workforce, and dependable water infrastructure.'
Traditionally, Texas' water sources have been rivers, lakes, wells, and aquifers, but the state must now search for new supplies.
Dr. Robert Mace, the executive director of the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University, said the near future of water in Texas will be about reuse and water conservation. 'Squeezing every drop out of our drops of water,' Mace explained.
A growing trend communities around the state are exploring is direct potable reuse, where you treat wastewater and then bring it back into the drinking water supply. 'In many ways your wastewater treatment plant is like a local source of water,' Mace said.
El Paso Water recently began construction on its Pure Water Center, a facility that will use direct potable reuse to provide 10 million gallons of drinking water per day for its customers on the western tip of the state.
'El Paso Water now is going to be the beacon for a lot of communities to show that it is possible to close their recycling loop,' Gilbert Trejo, the vice president of operations and technical services for El Paso Water, said. 'To be able to have a drought-resistant, sustainable water supply.'
The utility has been leading the way on finding new supplies of water, including housing the world's largest inland desalination plant. The Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant produces 27.5 million gallons of water per day and the utility is working to expand that capacity to 33.5 MGD. A spokesperson for El Paso Water said the desalination plant produces 10% of the yearly water supply for El Paso.
Mace says the future of Texas' water supply could come from the Gulf Coast, where seawater desalination plants could be developed. Currently, Texas does not have any seawater desalination plants, but Corpus Christi is in the process of creating the first one in the state and plans to finish it by 2028.
'The fact that we have the Gulf right there is comforting,' Mace said.
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