Texas voters to decide on $20B infrastructure plan amid water supply concerns

AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Tuesday, voters will decide if Texas will invest more than $20 billion in water infrastructure to address expected growing demands for water in the state.

Proposition 4 would allocate $1 billion per year for water infrastructure projects from 2027 to 2047, paid for by state sales and insurance premium taxes. 

Half of the money will fund new water supply sources, and the other half will be spent repairing old and building new infrastructure, according to a law signed by Gov. Abbott in June. The Texas Water Development Board will decide which projects to fund across the state. 

Several groups, like Texas Policy Research and the Dallas County Republican Party, have come out against Prop 4, citing transparency concerns.

“While addressing water infrastructure is vital and is a legitimate government function, constitutional earmarks reduce transparency and tie lawmakers’ hands. Water projects should be funded openly through the budget, not via automatic diversions,” Texas Policy Research wrote on its website.

TWDB’s most recent water plan predicts that Texas’ population will grow by more than 22 million people by 2070. In the same amount of time, water supply is projected to decrease by 18%.

A 2022 National Wildlife Foundation study found Texas loses 572,000 acre-feet of water per year — enough to fill almost 240 AT&T Stadiums and supply Austin, Fort Worth, El Paso, Laredo, and Lubbock combined for an entire year. 

“People want to come here because of our economy, because of our culture, and they are coming here with U-hauls,” House Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, said in June. “If they show up and they turn on that spigot, and water doesn’t come out, those U-hauls are going to go the absolute opposite direction.”

The amendment passed with 138 out of 150 votes in the House and unanimously passed the Senate. It requires voter approval to become law.

“We’re moving from a siloed kind of city-by-city conversation to where we’re going to have more of an oversight and more of a coordinated effort,” Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, previously told KXAN. Perry co-authored the bill with Rep. Cody Harris, R-Palestine.

What does this mean for Central Texas?

The TWDB predicts the Lower Colorado River region’s population to almost double in size by 2070. It expects water needs to grow by almost 13% over the next 45 years. 

The region stretches from San Saba through Austin and into Matagorda Bay. The TWDB calls for more than $4.5 billion in capital for its recommended projects along the river. 

Examples of water infrastructure projects include desalination, harvesting stormwater, replacing damaged pipes and building new reservoirs. 

The TWDB could also use new funding for flood mitigation and management projects. In its 2024 state flood plan, central Texas (including areas along the Lower Colorado and Guadalupe rivers) reports needing more than $770 million for flood mitigation initiatives alone, like widening waterways or building levees.