TX Faces $150 Billion+ Bill For Water Infrastructure Through 2075, So Sales Tax Will Fund $1 Billion/Year For 20 Years [View all]

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A recent report by the group found that Texas will need to spend “at least $154 billion over the next 50 years in order to sufficiently address its water supply and deteriorating infrastructure challenges.” At the same time, it found, state and federal water funding programs are projected to provide less than a third of that amount, leaving a massive long-term funding gap that the recent legislation tries to begin to bridge.

“There is a sense of urgency to get this done,” said Perry Fowler, executive director of the Texas Water Infrastructure Network, an Austin-based trade association. He said the bills passed this session amount to one of the largest, if not the largest, appropriations that any state has ever put toward water infrastructure. “We can’t afford not to do it now,” Fowler said, “because in 20 years, we’re going to have communities that are out of water, and we’re going to lose those driving engines of the Texas economy.”

The state’s water threats are varied, vast and growing. Aging pipes and wastewater systems afflict numerous communities, while others have faced crippling and prolonged drought. All the while, Texas has seen more and more demand as its population booms and energy-heavy facilities such as data centers have proliferated.

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The hefty financial investment that lawmakers locked in this spring was part of a session that saw far-reaching changes involving the state’s complex water issues. The legislature advanced numerous other measures, including a boost for research on groundwater modeling and data collection, and a provision that bans homeowners’ associations from imposing fines on residents who have brown lawns when such conditions result from complying with local water restrictions. But ultimately, it will be up to Texas residents this fall to decide whether to set aside the most significant funding to date to help the state tackle what is a clear and growing strain on its resources.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/06/18/texas-water-shortages-drought/