Panelists at The Texas Tribune Festival shared their opinions on what the state should do after voters approved a historic investment in water infrastructure.
Running Out: Texas’ Water Crisis
Texas towns and cities will face a water shortage by 2030 if a historic drought hits the state. Already, the water supply faces outdated infrastructure, climate change and increased demand from a growing population. State leaders say they are ready to make big investments. Will that be enough?
Will Texas actually run out of water? Your questions about the state’s water supply answered.
You asked our AI chatbot about Texas’ water supply. We answered some of the questions that it couldn’t.
Texas set to make $20 billion investment in water after voters approve Proposition 4
Texas will use $1 billion in sales tax a year for the next two decades to help secure the state’s water supply.
Texas sent $223 million to rural communities to fix water infrastructure after 2023 election
Texas voters will decide Tuesday whether the state should continue spending $1 billion a year to secure the state’s water supply. Part of that investment will be spent to find new water supply.
Texas’ congressional delegation wants Trump to punish Mexico for missing key water deadline
The state’s citrus industry is at risk, farmers say, after Mexico failed to deliver water it owes Texas as part of a 1944 treaty.
Plan to pump billions of gallons of water from East Texas appears on hold
An East Texas farm sued the local groundwater conservation district that has authority over the aquifer that would be pumped. As part of a settlement, the district has voided its original permits.
Texas voters have final say on $20 billion package to secure state’s water supply
No new taxes would be collected for the package that would give the state’s water department $1 billion to spend on projects like cleaning salty water, flood control and reservoirs.
Economic boom or environmental disaster? Rural Texas grapples with pros, cons of data centers
Local leaders see data centers, which help power the world’s shift to artificial intelligence, as a way to keep their towns open. Residents worry their way of life — and water — is at stake.
Data centers are thirsty for Texas’ water, but state planners don’t know how much they will need
A wave of massive data centers is expanding across Texas, prompting warnings from experts who say the new water demands could push the state’s already strained supply to the brink.
Running Out: Texas’ water crisis — and the path forward
A growing population, leaking pipes and changing climate threaten the state’s water supply. Texas lawmakers hope a $20 billion investment will help.

