For as long as Texas has been Texas, there have been two seasons—prolonged drought and catastrophic flood. Water has always been both our promise and our biggest challenge. Yet, through it all, Texan communities and industries have prospered, making the Lone Star State the eighth largest economy in the world.

Today, the scale of the challenge is changing. Our water supply is falling short and critical water infrastructure is aging, even as our population surges. The question is no longer whether Texas will face water shortages or floods. It is how we plan and pay for those needs.

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This November 4, Texans will weigh in on one of the most significant water funding measures in the state’s history. Proposition 4 (Prop 4) asks voters to dedicate up to $1 billion per year from existing sales tax revenue to the Texas Water Fund for 20 years—creating a reliable, long-term funding source for water, wastewater, and flood infrastructure.

Nearly three decades in the making, Prop 4 represents a bipartisan effort to give Texas water the same kind of financial backbone voters approved for roads and bridges in 2015.

BROUGHT tO YOU BY TEXAS WATER FOUNDATIONA State Built on Water

Water infrastructure impacts nearly every part of Texas life—from the taps that serve our homes to the industries that drive our economy.

Texas’ population has grown to more than 31 million people and is projected to exceed 50 million by 2070. That growth, combined with aging infrastructure and a changing climate, has created an urgent need to expand and modernize Texas’ water infrastructure. That need comes with a steep price tag.

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The State Water Plan, State Flood Plan, and recent EPA studies identify more than $200 billion in water, wastewater, and flood-infrastructure projects needed within the next 50 years. These include:

Repairing and replacing aging water infrastructure
Developing new supplies
Building flood and stormwater infrastructure

Without reliable funding, these projects compete for limited and oversubscribed funding programs, making it harder for local and regional entities to plan long-term.

Photo courtesy of Texas Water FoundationBROUGHT tO YOU BY TEXAS WATER FOUNDATIONWhat Reliable Funding Makes Possible

Predictable funding could help ensure that the systems keep pace with the state’s growth and water supply challenges. Specifically, dedicated funding could:

Enable utilities and local governments to plan multi-year projects
Help Texas communities address affordability by leveraging state and federal financing
Support innovation in reuse, desalination, and conservation technologies.
Reduce the long-term costs of deferred maintenance and emergency response.

In short: the impact of consistent and predictable funding extends beyond water infrastructure. It’s about sustaining Texas’ health, resilience, and economic vitality.

BROUGHT tO YOU BY TEXAS WATER FOUNDATIONA Long Road to the Ballot

The effort to create long-term, dedicated water funding is not new. It reflects an almost 30-year, bipartisan commitment to strengthening Texas’ ability to plan for the future. Lawmakers, agency leaders, and advocates have each carried the torch.

The foundation was laid in 1997, when lawmakers remodeled the State Water Plan as a regionally led framework for identifying supply needs. That plan, however, lacked a funding source. Over the years, legislators attempted to create dedicated funding through new taxes or fees. While none passed, voters approved milestone one-off funding infusions—most notably the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas in 2013 and the Texas Water Fund in 2023.

Photo courtesy of Texas Water FoundationBROUGHT tO YOU BY TEXAS WATER FOUNDATIONThe Big Picture

For nearly three decades, Texas has debated how to fund water. Proposition 4 represents the next step in that arc—a chance to carry forward decades of work and ensure Texas’ water infrastructure can meet the demands of this century.

It is important to note what Proposition 4 does and does not do. It does not raise taxes. It relies on existing sales tax revenue once collections pass a set threshold. It does not create a new agency or direct funds to specific projects. Instead, it strengthens the Texas Water Fund that voters established in 2023, providing a reliable mechanism for the Texas Water Development Board to finance eligible water projects.

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Dedicated funding for water also builds trust—among communities planning decades ahead, among utilities managing aging systems, and among Texans who expect reliability from the infrastructure beneath them.

After years of drought, flood, and rapid growth, Texas now faces the opportunity to secure reliable and dedicated funding for water infrastructure. Voters will hold Texas’ water story in their hands. We just hope they remember that Texas has always run on water.

Learn more at Texaswater.org/prop4.

Follow our nonpartisan coverage of Proposition 4, and related water policy news at @TexasWaterFoundation.

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