Investing in Water Resources is Essential for the Future of Texas

Persistent, extreme drought is straining Texas' surface water, including rivers and lakes. To meet the demands of a fast-growing population and a thriving economy, the state must pursue new and creative approaches to water management. As the 89th Legislature takes up this critical issue, El Paso offers a proven model for how Texas can address its water needs responsibly and sustainably.

Most people other than farmers and ranchers don’t give much thought to water. You turn on the tap, and you expect the water to flow. Yet behind that simple act of turning on a faucet are years of planning and tremendous capital investments in the infrastructure to move water from where it is to where it is needed.

State Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, and state Rep. Cody Harris, R-Palestine, have taken an important step in bringing a legislative focus to our state’s water infrastructure. Their legislation (SB7 and HB16) would make a multi-billion down payment on mostly new water supply infrastructure. State Sen. César Blanco, D-El Paso, is a co-sponsor of the legislation.

Related joint resolutions (SJR66 and HJR7) propose a constitutional amendment to dedicate $1 billion annually to the Texas Water Fund, which Texans overwhelmingly voted to create through Proposition 6 on the Nov. 7, 2023 ballot. If passed and signed by the governor, the new constitutional amendment would also go to voters in November.

There are many Texas communities, especially smaller ones, that could never afford to raise the capital necessary for needed water projects. An adequately funded Texas Water Fund would be extremely beneficial to communities such as these.

These bills address two needs: creating new infrastructure that taps new sources of water and repairing and upgrading aging water and wastewater infrastructure. A Texas 2036 report assesses the long-term price tag to fix deteriorating water systems at $73.7 billion. It estimates the cost to bring new water supplies online to support the state’s population and economic growth at $59 billion.

With limited resources to address a tremendous need, Texans must start to think innovatively about water, something that geography and climate have compelled El Pasoans to do for decades. Conservation is central to effective water resource management. Saving water is the least expensive approach to stretching our existing water resources.

Since the mid 1970s, El Paso has reduced its per capita water consumption by more than 40 percent, from about 225 gallons per person per day to 130 gallons per person per day. The utility has a target to reduce water consumption to 118 gallons per person per day by 2040.

Conservation alone, however, is insufficient to address the combined factors of population growth and long-term drought. Diversification of sustainable water resources also has to be part of the solution.

That’s why El Paso Water opened the Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant in 2007 – the largest inland desalination facility in the U.S. – producing up to 27.5 million gallons of drinking water daily. It’s why El Paso Water has for decades treated wastewater to drinking water standards and used it to recharge the Hueco Bolson aquifer.

It’s also why, in February, El Paso Water broke ground on its Pure Water Center – set to be the nation's first direct-to-distribution reuse facility. When completed in 2028, it will deliver 10 million gallons of purified drinking water daily. Unlike treated wastewater that filters through the Hueco Bolson, this facility will use advanced treatment – including membrane filtration, reverse osmosis, UV light with advanced oxidation, granular activated carbon, and chlorine disinfection – before delivering water directly into the city's system.

The Pure Water Center sets a new standard for water resiliency and sustainability. If saved water is the least expensive source of existing water, recycled water is the least expensive source of “new” water. El Paso’s example demonstrates that every city has the opportunity to treat and reuse wastewater, without the need or expense of building out a secondary infrastructure system, as with the purple pipe system for traditional recycled water.

El Paso’s experience demonstrates that innovate water resource management can sustain a growing population and economy – even in a desert – while supporting critical missions like those at Fort Bliss. These solutions take time to plan and implement.

As Texas addresses its water future, we commend Sen. Perry and Rep. Harris for their leadership and urge the Legislature to support landmark funding that will position Texas as a national water leader. This investment will give communities an additional funding source to pursue the water solutions that best meet their needs, including recycled water as part of a diversified water strategy.