LONGVIEW — In this part of Texas, residents stock up on bottled water in between boil notices. It’s part of life in a place where water pipes are old, corroded and falling apart.
In the High Plains, near Lubbock, farmers worry that their groundwater wells will run dry.
In North Texas, local elected leaders and business tycoons frantically search for new sources of water to meet the demand of a surging population.
No matter the region, there are water challenges. By one estimate, millions of Texans could face serious water shortages in five years if nothing is done.
And this fall, state lawmakers hope voters will approve $20 billion for water projects over the next two decades. If voters agree, Proposition 4, on the November ballot, will be the biggest state investment in water in Texas history.
“Texas has been remarkably forward-thinking in creating financing mechanisms to address water infrastructure,” said Sarah Schlessinger, CEO of Texas Water Foundation, a nonprofit that educates Texans on water issues. “The challenge is that our water infrastructure needs far exceed the available funds.”
If adopted, the state would create a new dedicated funding source for water, wastewater and flood infrastructure across the state.
A portion of existing state sales tax revenue — up to $1 billion annually — would be deposited into the Texas Water Fund each year, starting in 2027. No new taxes would be created. However, the money would only be transferred to the fund when sales tax collections exceed $46.5 billion in a given year. The past two fiscal years have surpassed that amount. Assuming the state’s growth continues, there will be enough money available to dedicate the $1 billion to the fund.
The Texas Water Development Board would manage the fund and allocate the money. Funding would be divided into two categories: water supply projects and other existing water programs.
The first bucket of money would expand the overall volume of water available in Texas. That could include the desalination of seawater and brackish water, which is the process of removing salt from seawater or salty groundwater, allowing it to be used for drinking water, irrigation, and industrial purposes. This fund would also include fixing leaking pipes, water reuse, including produced water from the oil and gas industry, conservation strategies and constructing permitted reservoirs. Some of these may be included in the State Water Plan, a guide the state uses to manage the long-term demand for water resources. It also proposes water supply solutions to meet demand and must be updated every five years.