The cost of preventing a water crisis in Texas over the next half century has soared to $174 billion, according to newly released official estimates.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The three-member Texas Water Development Board voted on Thursday to publish an initial draft of the\u00a02027 State Water plan<\/a>, providing a glimpse into how the state would need to prepare for conditions during a drought of record \u2014 when demands are high and supplies are lowest. The new total is more than double the previous $80 billion price tag from a few years ago.<\/p>\n The statewide 50-year water plan, updated every five years, is a combination of board\u2019s 16 regional planning group\u2019s findings and proposed projects. All North Texas counties, including Collin, Dallas, Denton,\u00a0Tarrant and others, are in Region C<\/a>.<\/p>\n Texas is a drought-prone state where population growth and strategically-important industries \u2014 including high-tech data centers<\/a> and manufacturing<\/a> \u2014 keep growing. The resulting strain on natural resources makes long-term planning very important, according to experts. Meanwhile, residents have taken notice and voted to approve a historic $20 billion in funding<\/a> for water supplies and infrastructure, but leaders fear that money won\u2019t be enough.<\/p>\n Water infrastructure projects are becoming more costly and complex as regions pursue more distant supplies.<\/p>\n Planners said the significant increase in costs to implement the most-urgent projects was expected for a variety of reasons, including inflation in construction costs, extending the planning horizon another decade to 2080, lingering supply chain impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.\u00a0<\/p>\n