On the Nov. 4 ballot in Texas is Proposition 4, a measure that would allocate $1 billion a year of state tax money for shoring up Texas’ water supplies, something that officials at the Tarrant Regional Water District would like voters to consider.
Last month, the Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M University released findings that showed Texas is rapidly consuming its “cheap” water — that water that is easily accessible and requires relatively little treatment before reaching our faucets. In the coming years, as the state’s population continues growing, we’re going to depend more and more on water that’s more expensive to make ready for consumption. That includes the brackish water in aquifers that requires desalination, as well as reuse water that goes through additional treatment before being injected back into cities’ water supplies.
Already, TRWD is providing its municipal customers with reuse water that is treated and filtered, in part, as it flows through a dedicated wetlands area near Richland-Chambers Reservoir, one of six water sources for Tarrant County. TRWD plans to have another wetlands area near Cedar Creek Reservoir on line by 2032.
This mechanism relies on natural processes and aquatic life to remove sediment and nutrients from treated wastewater that is discharged into the Trinity River. After the water leaves the wetlands, it’s directed into the reservoir, then sent to TRWD’s municipal customers for final treatment.
To some, recycled water may sound unappetizing, but Zach Huff, TRWD’s water resources engineering director, said it meets all safety standards and is perfectly fine to drink.
“We’ve been using reuse water since the beginning of time,” said Huff. “It’s a perception thing.”
Like TRWD, providers across Texas are turning to nontraditional water sources to meet growing demand. By 2060, Texas’ population is expected to grow by between 10 million and 15 million people. In Tarrant County alone, the population could surpass 3 million people by 2060, up from just over 2.1 million in 2020.
We’re going to need new, and expensive, infrastructure to provide enough water to all those new people. That’s where Proposition 4 comes in. That $1 billion a year over 20 years, beginning in 2027, would go some distance toward ensuring Texas is water resilient, experts say, though it falls far short of the $154 billion the Texas Real Estate Research Center said the state would need to invest to avoid a potential water shortfall during future drought conditions.
TRWD’s seven-year plan has about $2 billion worth of projects. Huff said a portion of the Proposition 4 money could go to subsidizing those. The rest of the funding would come from TRWD’s water customers, which includes municipal customers in Fort Worth, Arlington and Mansfield.
A dependable funding source is important, Huff said, because TRWD is constantly looking at least 20 years ahead with its projects. Because of that, TRWD can’t rely solely on income from customers to finance its activities.
“You can’t wait until just in time,” Huff said of developing water infrastructure. “And being several decades ahead is a big financial burden.”
State funding alleviates some of that burden, Huff said, and helps providers like TRWD keep costs to their customers lower.
Should Proposition 4 pass, that $1 billion a year would come from state sales and use tax income once it exceeds $46.5 billion. That money would go directly to the Texas Water Fund, which is administered by the Texas Water Development Board. A portion of the money would be earmarked for the New Water Supply Fund for Texas, with an eye toward developing new water source infrastructure.