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Interested in signing on to the Water Infrastructure Funding Coalition? Email Sarah Kirkle.


Texas Should Invest in Water Infrastructure

Texas has an estimated $32.7 billion surplus heading into its 2024-2025 biennium, presenting a generational opportunity to help Texas invest in water, wastewater, and flood/stormwater projects. A coalition of Texas water associations and key water stakeholders strongly encourages the State to invest in water infrastructure as outlined below. We also strongly support the Legislative Appropriations Requests and exceptional items for the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and the Public Utility Commission of Texas, which point to the critical need for investment in the Texas water workforce.


Why is investment in water infrastructure needed?

  • Water infrastructure projects are critical for the health, safety, and economy of Texas.
  • Texas’ aging water infrastructure is in need of repair
  • Booming population growth is increasing demand for water infrastructure and creating new needs that may exceed long-range planning estimates
  • Increased frequency of extreme weather (drought, floods, freezes, etc) stresses water infrastructure and these events often expose a community’s vulnerability
  • Water infrastructure needs far exceed available funding capacity, and federal funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are insufficient to meet needs
  • Greater financial and technical assistance outreach is needed, especially to small and rural communities
  • Extreme water agency staffing shortages exacerbate process delays, adding significant costs to local projects. TWDB has the same number of staff to process financial applications as in 2013, before creation of SWIFT and the Flood Infrastructure Fund (FIF).

Water Infrastructure Funding Needs

Texas has large, unmet water and wastewater infrastructure needs. State and federal financial assistance continues to pale in comparison to the billions needed for water infrastructure. Additional grants and longer loan repayment terms could help communities more cost-effectively finance water infrastructure projects to the beneft of ratepayers. In a recent survey, aging infrastructure was identified as the largest driver of new capital projects, followed by population growth and regulatory compliance. Needs exist across small, mid-size, and large regional projects to support both basic system maintenance and asset management, as well as new growth. Investment of state funds in water infrastructure - for both structural and nonstructural projects - is needed to ensure Texas communities can provide safe, clean water and keep up with growing demands into the future.

Flood and stormwater infrastructure funding is largely exhausted. TWDB received 

over $2.4 billion in applications for the FIF, but the $793 million appropriated for projects will be exhausted soon. The state’s new regional flood planning process will cease after development of the state’s first state flood plan in 2024 if the state does not provide additional funding. Adding funds for both the planning process and project implementation would address infrastructure deficiencies, reduce inequality, and reduce risks to the public, first responders, and private property.

Investment in science and data is also needed to support water availability decisions and identify additional infrastructure needs. Up-to-date and accurate data in the form of Water Availability Models (WAMs), Groundwater Availability Models (GAMs), water loss reports, hydrologic and hydraulic models, and planning figures is important to inform how much water is available and what infrastructure projects are needed.

Additional Coalition Partners

American Council of Engineering Companies

American Flood Coalition

American Society of Civil Engineers - Texas Section

Associated General Contractors of Texas

Association of Water Board Directors

Environmental Defense Fund

Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance

Greater Houston Partnership

Houston Stronger

International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials

Lower Rio Grande Valley Water District Managers Association

Texas 2036

Texas Alliance of Energy Producers

Texas Association of Clean Water Agencies

Texas Business Leadership Council

Texas Desalination Association

Texas Farm Bureau

Texas Flood Management Association

Texas Ground Water Association

Texas Nursery and Landscape Association

Texas Municipal League

Texas Living Waters Project

Texas Society of Professional Engineers

Water Finance Exchange

Alliance Regional Water Authority
Angelina Neches River Authority
Anser Advisory
Aqua Water Supply Corp.

Brazos River Authority

Brookshire-Katy Drainage District
Clearwater Underground Water Conservation District

CDM Smith

Dallas Wetlands Foundation/Dallas Water Commons

Delta Lake Irrigation District

Dow

East Rio Hondo Water Supply Corporation

Franklin County Water District
Freese and Nichols, Inc.

Garver USA

Greater Texoma Utilities Authority

Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority

Gulf Coast Authority 

Gulf Coast Water Authority

Halff Associates, Inc.

Harlingen Irrigation District

Invenergy Clean Water
KIT Professionals, Inc.

LAN, Inc. 

Lavaca Navidad River Authority
Lower Colorado River Authority


LRE Water

North Harris County Regional Water Authority

North Texas Municipal Water District

Northeast Texas Municipal Water District

Nueces River Authority

Parsons

Prairielands Groundwater Conservation District

Red River Authority

RSAH2O

Sabine River Authority

San Antonio River Authority

San Antonio Water System

San Jacinto River Authority

Talley Water Supply Corporation

Tarrant Regional Water District

Texas Water Supply Partners

Upper Neches River Municipal Water Authority

Upper Trinity Regional Water District

Wells Branch Municipal Utility District

West Harris County Regional Water Authority

5engineering

TWCA | 4401 Westgate Blvd., Ste 320, Austin, Texas 78745

info@twca.org  I  (512) 472-7216

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