Texas lawmakers plan to invest billions in water infrastructure to prevent future shortages.
FORT WORTH, Texas — Lawmakers are preparing a package of bills meant to address looming water shortages that threaten Texas’ economy and its residents’ comfort.
If nothing is done, state engineers predict the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex will not have enough water supply to meet demand in just five years. Such a deficit would prompt tighter restrictions on landscaping and, potentially, slow new construction.
This session, the legislature will consider investing billions of dollars in water infrastructure projects. One proposal would create a new entity responsible for building and maintain a statewide grid of water pipelines, pumping stations and treatment plants.
“We are on the verge of the most transformational water session the state’s had in a long, long, long time,” Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, told the Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs on Monday.
Perry, who chairs the panel, will sponsor the package of bills related to water infrastructure and its funding. He offered an overview of his plans to Water for Texas conference attendees last month.
He says he’ll push lawmakers to create a new distribution authority that builds, maintains and owns water pipelines.
“The idea of having statewide water projects is new and different,” Texas 2036 infrastructure and natural resources policy director Jeremy Mazur told WFAA. “A lot of that has been done at the local and regional level. State policy has always prioritized and placed emphasis on local development of water supplies and local management of water resources.”
The new grid would allow areas experiencing drought conditions to draw water from other regions where water is plentiful. In most cases, the water would travel from the south to the northern and western portions of the state.
State engineers have discussed the concept since at least the 1960s, but the work has been cost-prohibitive.
“If I remember correctly, it cost roughly $13-$14 billion in 1972 dollars to develop these projects,” Mazur said. “For comparison, it was a lot cheaper to send a couple astronauts to the moon.”
But emerging technology could drive down the costs, and lawmakers are now prepared to pony up.
Perry said he’ll push lawmakers to direct some money from the state’s budget surplus to “jumpstart” water infrastructure projects. He’s asking for a one-time, $5 billion investment, though House and Senate leadership have pushed for a $2.5 billion allocation.
Lawmakers will also draft a constitutional amendment that would set aside $1 billion in state tax revenue each year for water infrastructure projects. The money would essentially be ‘direct deposited’ in a special account voters created in 2024.
“It’ll be exactly like road funding,” Perry told the conference in January.
The Texas Department of Transportation draws money generated by the state gas tax, vehicle registration fees, and taxes on oil and gas production for its highway construction fund. The money effectively bypasses the budgeting process and state lawmakers, preventing them from spending the cash elsewhere.
It’s not yet clear which tax revenues would be dedicated to water infrastructure projects, though Perry said he will not propose to levy a new tax on Texans.
“This will give state and regional planners a consistent revenue stream to plan and work around,” Mazur said.
Perry and others say lawmakers are eager to address potential water shortages. Gov. Greg Abbott listed water supply as a priority during his state of the state address.
A December Texas 2036 survey found that 85% of Texans are at least somewhat concerned about their water supply, while 68% of respondents favored dedicating $1 billion each year to water infrastructure projects.
Perry has not yet filed the legislation establishing the new authority or the mechanism to amend the constitution and dedicate revenue. He told lawmakers Monday he anticipates submitting the measures in the next two weeks.
More details about the plan will become available when the legislation is filed.
