Among the largest challenges to securing water supplies are costs and the amount of authority given to local officials, Buhman said at the event.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The local water district\u2019s resources provide water to 2.5 million residents in the North Texas area, but that\u2019s not enough to keep up with needs, according to state projections. Tarrant County will need over 673,000 acre-feet of water \u2014 which is about four times as large as the capacity of Eagle Mountain Lake \u2014 by 2080.<\/p>\n
The state\u2019s new funds to address that need will help overcome some of the cost as that money goes to the Texas Water Fund, which was created by lawmakers in 2023 to address the state\u2019s rapidly growing population, water demands and aging transmission lines.<\/p>\n
However, building expensive new reservoirs \u2014 the natural or human-made lakes used to store water \u2014 may still be difficult to accomplish. Such projects, which can top billions of dollars, often face opposition due to land acquisitions and environmental impacts.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we saw this last legislative session is the desire to invest money, but also a desire to kill water ideas,\u201d Buhman said at the event.<\/p>\n
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From left, Brian Coltharp, CEO and president of Freese and Nichols; Dan Buhman, Tarrant Regional Water District manager; and state Rep. Ramon Romero, D-Fort Worth, spoke on an Oct. 23 water panel at Fort Worth Report\u2019s 1 Million & Counting Growth Summit. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n
For example, a failed bill <\/a>would have required the Texas Water Development Board \u2014 the agency responsible for statewide water planning \u2014 to scrap reservoirs from planning if construction had not begun within 50 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n That would have included the Marvin Nichols Reservoir<\/a>, a project that\u2019s been in planning for the Dallas-Fort Worth area since the 1960s but has faced ongoing pushback from communities in the East Texas area of the state where it is planned to be built.<\/p>\n Tarrant County officials consider projects in other parts of the state, but costs for new water resources skyrocket the further they are, Buhman urged.<\/p>\n \u201cOur duty is to provide water at a reasonable cost,\u201d he said at the summit. \u201cIf the state can invest money \u2026 and participate in that increased cost \u2026 that makes a lot of sense to me.\u201d<\/p>\n How does Proposition 4 work?<\/p>\n By 2027, officials must allocate the first $1 billion of state revenue that exceeds $46.5 billion in sales taxes annually to the Texas Water Fund<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n About half of that money set aside each year will be dedicated for major projects, such as fixing leaky transmission lines, wastewater and desalination plants, flood control and new reservoirs.<\/p>\n The Texas Water Development Board administers the Texas Water Fund, directing dollars toward projects for local communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n Texas\u2019 population is projected to grow by 53% between 2030 and 2080, from 34 million to 52 million, according to state estimates.<\/p>\n Securing resources and fixing broken or deteriorating water systems are among the state\u2019s greatest needs, according to a report<\/a> from nonprofit think tank Texas 2036. Addressing those needs requires $154 billion in funds within the next 20 years.<\/p>\n Now, state water board officials must determine which communities have the greatest need for the new fund, creating competition.<\/p>\n Earning a chunk of the annual $1 billion could largely help some of the new projects being planned at the water district<\/a>, such as new reservoirs and out-of-state resources.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAll of those (projects) are eligible,\u201d Buhman said. \u201cIt will just be a question of which ones the (state) wants to fund.\u201d<\/p>\n Nicole Lopez is the environment reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at nicole.lopez@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n
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