State
BY HANNAH NORTON
Senator proposes water supply plan
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them,” Kirkle said. “The water infrastructure needs that [communities] have are far beyond their available funding capacity. Boosting water supplies is a top priority of state leaders this legislative session. Gov. Greg Abbott named the plan one of seven emergency priorities during his biennial State of the State address Feb. 2.“We will put Texas on a path to have plenty of water for the next 50 years,” Abbott said during his speech at Arnold Oil in East Austin. “Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who oversees the Texas Senate, addressed concerns about “the water problem” during a Feb. 20 speech to members of the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation. “We need a steady stream of money [for water],” Patrick said. “We’re working on a way to find that because we need to invest money every year into building water projects, or we’re going to be way behind.”
The state would use that money to desalinate— or remove salt and other minerals from—sea- water and groundwater; access water extracted during oil and gas production; and acquire water from nearby states, Perry said. “Everything in water takes 20 years to develop,” Perry said. “This is not a plan that’s going to solve everybody’s problems tomorrow [and] it won’t happen as quick as we need it. But ... Texas does big things, and Texas is in a position financially to do big things.” Lawmakers have nearly $195 billion available, including a $23.8 billion surplus, for the next state budget, according to the Texas comptrol- ler’s office. Sarah Kirkle, policy and legislative director for the Texas Water Association, told Community Impact the time is now to invest in water infrastructure. “Thirteen hundred people a day are coming here, and none of them are bringing water with
Abbott named investments in water infrastructure an emergency priority. Declaring emergency priorities allows lawmakers to bypass a constitutional rule preventing them from passing legislation before the 60th day of the legislative session—March 14.
Far-reaching impacts Over 7.7 million Texans, or nearly 25% of the state population, live in areas affected by drought.
Texas communities are grappling with water shortages and aging infrastructure as people and businesses move to the state in droves. “We needed water yesterday in some areas,” state Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, told Community Impact on Jan. 16. Perry plans to ask his colleagues in the Texas Legislature for a dedicated funding stream to help local utilities purchase more water and upgrade their infrastructure. The senator said he hopes lawmakers will budget $5 billion this legislative session and send $1 billion to the state water fund each year moving forward. If approved by state lawmakers, the plan would appear on voters’ ballots in November. Initial drafts of the 2026-27 state budget include $2.5 billion for water infrastructure. Perry had not filed his proposal, which is expected to be Senate
Population growth
31.3M Texans
Today 2070
Intensity:
51.5M projected
None
D0 (Abnormally dry) D1 (Moderate drought) D2 (Severe drought) D3 (Extreme drought) D4 (Exceptional drought)
In that period
Demand for water is expected to increase by
Existing water supplies are projected to decline by
Cost to the state Texas will need to spend about $154 billion over the next 50 years to meet water infrastructure needs, according to experts.
18%
9%
Repair aging drinking water systems
SOURCE: TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Did you know? Since 2021,
$59B
Bill 7, as of Feb. 25. Perry said he wants to build on a one-time, $1 billion appropriation to the Texas Water Fund, which Texas voters approved in 2023. Funding could mirror the state highway fund, which is bankrolled by several sources, including vehicle registration fees, oil and natural gas taxes.
New water supply projects
several Texas cities, including Dripping Springs, Conroe and Magnolia , have paused new development for a temporary period to prevent water shortages.
$74B
Repair wastewater systems
$21B
SOURCE: TEXAS 2036/ COMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCE: NATIONAL DROUGHT MITIGATION CENTER/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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