TEXAS — Texas leaders will have to make it rain if they want to fix the state’s costly water crisis.
The Texas Water Development Board found it will cost $174 billion over the next 50 years to pay for water supply projects, more than double the cost listed in the 2022 State Water Plan.
The board attributes the price in part to a backlog of water supply projects that are not yet implemented, but some estimate it could cost more to completely address the shortage.
“When you total all these numbers up, the $174 billion in water supplies, the $90 billion needed to fix our aging, deteriorating systems and the $54 billion needed for flood protection, it equals over a quarter of a trillion dollars over the next half century on water infrastructure,” said Jeremy Mazur, director of infrastructure and natural resources policy at Texas 2036.
Still, local communities will need to pay for projects themselves to keep their water levels afloat.
Lake Corpus Christi is a large water source for communities near the Coastal Bend. The ongoing drought shrunk the lake to 92% below capacity. Stalled projects to turn salt water into drinking water have left cities like Beeville and Alice to fend for themselves.
“We’re trying to get all these projects done. But Beeville is just — we’re at a breaking point right now,” said Benny Puente, the Beeville mayor pro-tem.
The City of Beeville is in the most severe stage of its Emergency Water Shortage plan and spent $35 million on additional water sources that the state didn’t cover. Instead, residents’ rates will increase 5 to 6% over the next three years.
“The Texas Water Development Board has money available to small rural communities like Beeville, but it’s very hard to access. It’s not an overnight type of deal where you’ll get your money tomorrow. This is a two-year-long process,” said Puente.
Beeville leadership is focused on diversifying the area’s water sources in phases that include restoring old water wells, drilling new ones and recycling water, but it will take time they may not have.
“We’re not being negligent here. This was just; it’s a natural disaster. There’s no water. There’s no rain,” said Puente.
The nearby city of Alice is in a slightly better situation. With their second water well coming online next month, City Manager Michael Esparza attributes their success to plans drafted over a decade ago.
“We’re deep in an aquifer that no one in our county has tapped into right now. And yeah, it does cost a little bit more to take the salts out of the water. But we’re not affecting anybody of our neighbors, and we just wanted to have an uninterrupted water source,” Esparza said.
Lawmakers are expected to provide the needed funding over time, but with 5,800 project proposals, the next challenge will be for the water board to determine which are top priority.
“How do we know which ones are more important? They can’t all be equal. I mean, certainly there’s going to be some of those projects that will serve, provide a needed regional solution, provide the biggest bang for the buck, if you will,” said Mazur.
Local ratepayers could see higher water bills as municipalities work to ensure there is usable water available.