(Texas Scorecard) – The Texas House Committee on Natural Resources met this week to discuss water conservation in Texas amid the water emergency that it is currently facing.
Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has been stressing Texas’ current water emergency.
“Texas is out of water. We can’t grow, we can’t expand, we can’t have economic opportunity without water. And we have reached our limit. There is no more,” Miller recently warned KXAN.
Specialists from across the state testified before lawmakers on how the state should move forward in water conservation, particularly in reused water, clean water access, and groundwater.
At the hearing earlier this week, Perry Fowler, executive director of the Texas Water Infrastructure Network, explained, “If this committee and this legislature continue to prioritize water, then we’re going to get there eventually, but we certainly have a lot of room for improvement.”
Regarding future water projects, requests were made for what the upcoming 89th legislature should fund.
In 2023, the legislature passed House Bill 28, which appropriated 1 billion dollars to develop new water supplies and build up current ones. Voters approved this measure by passing Proposition 6 on the November 2023 ballot. Prop 6 passed with 77 percent approval.
The appropriated $1 billion has been used to develop water infrastructure, although some requested more funding to keep up with Texas’ growing population.
“A billion dollars, I will humbly tell you that $1 billion for water in the state of Texas is not a lot of money,” said Texas Water Development Board Chairwoman Brooke Paup.
Heather Harward from Texas Water Supply Partners told the committee that their number one priority for the 89th Legislative Session “will be working with those of you that are coming back for the 89th legislature to secure a much needed—and I hope what you all will take away from today— a very justified generational investment in the Texas Water fund.”