AUSTIN, TX — 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. In anticipation of a significant push by the Texas Legislature to direct significant additional funding to address the state’s aging water infrastructure, a coalition of Texas water associations and key water stakeholders has coalesced to encourage the state to invest in water infrastructure.

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. 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 is needed to ensure Texas communities can provide safe, clean water, and keep up with growing demands into the future.

Plans being touted by Senate Water Committee Chairman Charles Perry anticipate directing billions of dollars to addressing aging water infrastructure and bolstering water supplies. Depleted flood infrastructure funding and ensuring state agencies like the Texas Water Development Board are equipped with adequate administrative resources and personnel will also heavily factor into key legislative proposals this legislative session.

According to Perry Fowler, Executive Director of the Texas Water Infrastructure Network (TXWIN), “If the past year has taught us anything, it is that many communities in Texas have been left behind without adequate resources to make water infrastructure investment affordable. Texas has several successful programs that we can build on now to ensure our future water security. We cannot afford to shut down schools, businesses, and place our economy at risk waiting on the federal government to save us. It is time for the legislature to reaffirm its commitment to water infrastructure as it has done in the past with programs like SWIFT with this historic budget surplus. State leaders from Senator Charles Perry, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar, House Speaker Dade Phelan, and even Governor Abbott have recently made public statements in support of water funding, and it’s time for Texas to put our money where our mouth is and utilize this generational opportunity to invest in our water future.”