AUSTIN, Texas —
Water took center stage at the Texas State Capitol on Monday.
Texas Water Day is an educational event that highlights critical issues like how to make sure there’s enough water for everyone as the state’s population continues to grow.
The Texas Water Foundation sponsors Texas Water Day, describing it as “a biennial educational event that invites Texas water professionals to share educational resources with legislators and their staff.”
The KVUE Defenders have been keeping tabs on how Central Texas communities navigate water challenges.
We sat down with State Rep. Vikki Goodwin – a member of the Texas Water Caucus, which the Texas Water Foundation is also behind – to see what’s changed since the group formed in 2023.
RELATED: From water to energy, Texas’ infrastructure grades show a system under strain
The House Democrat said a lot has changed in that time.
“I’ve learned a lot, in the last two years, about water,” Goodwin said.
Water is now a priority for Goodwin, especially with Lake Travis in her district.
“A lot of the residents from around there are making me more and more aware of how low the water level is and their concern with the influx of all the people into the state of Texas,” Goodwin said.
That concern can be seen in the most recent U.S. Census Bureau numbers. The data shows 31,290,831 people now live in Texas. The state added 562,941,000 people from 2023 to 2024.
A lot of that growth happened in big cities like Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.
“How are we going to meet the water needs?” Goodwin asked.
It’s a question she and her colleagues on the Texas Water Caucus are trying to answer, given the escalating demand from industries like artificial intelligence (AI) and data centers.
RELATED: AI-driven data centers surge in Central Texas, raising environmental concerns
The group formed in 2023 so lawmakers could learn more about water issues and how to address them.
Goodwin said finding new water supplies is one strategy. Another is replacing and repairing old leaky pipes.
“There’s always this idea that we can create new water through desalinization and pipes bringing it in from places that have more water. But, at the same time, we have a lot of leaky pipes,” Goodwin said. “And when you know the idea of spending all this money for new water and then transporting it through leaky pipes into our homes, we’re going to lose a lot of that, and that’s very expensive. So I’ve learned that we need to address both at the same time.”
Outdated water systems cause cities to lose billions of gallons of water every year.
We see that in Austin, where water loss has gone up the past few years – from 6.5 billion gallons of water in 2021, to 6.9 billion gallons in 2022, to 7.1 billion gallons in 2023. That final number is enough water to fill up Lake Austin.
RELATED: New report offers recommendations to Austin Water on how to reduce water loss
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced Senate Bill 7 in January, to increase investments in water infrastructure. Gov. Greg Abbott also named water infrastructure funding as an emergency item this session.
“This was the first time in 40 years that a sitting governor declared water infrastructure funding as an emergency agenda item,” Jeremy Mazur said.
Mazur is the director of Infrastructure and Natural Resources Policy for Texas 2036, a nonpartisan think tank. He’s tracking some 60 water-related bills filed this session.
“This is a fantastic sign, to see so much legislative interest in the House and the Senate,” Mazur said.
He also said water is front and center for lawmakers because of its influence on the economy.
“Drought conditions have persisted in some regions of the state, such as in Central Texas, South Texas and West Texas. We’re continuing to hear stories about communities and businesses that are harmed by prolonged boil water notices or system failures. And the water supply issue is growing more acute as we have continued population and economic growth that’s driving up our collective thirst for water,” Mazur said. “And so, I think what we’re seeing right now is the convergence of all these issues combined with the recognition of that if we want this Texas economic miracle to continue for decades to come, we need to have reliable water infrastructure in place. And I think that’s really what’s driving state leaders’ and legislators’ interest.”
Goodwin has also filed several water conservation bills.
House Bill 359 “restricts assessing fines for discolored vegetation during residential watering restrictions.” The bill would prevent homeowners’ associations (HOAs) from penalizing homeowners for having brown grass.
“If we’re in a drought situation and people aren’t watering their grass, they can’t get penalized for that,” Goodwin said.
House Bill 1432 “prohibits property owners associations from enforcing or enacting provisions that prohibit the use of composting practices, rain harvesting techniques.” The bill prevents HOAs from banning homeowners from installing native plants and xeriscaping.
“We learned about some lawsuits actually because in current state law, it says that HOAs can’t ban xeriscaping or native grass,” Goodwin said. “And so, some homeowners had put in xeriscaping and their HOA said, ‘No, you have to take it out.’ They went to court, and it turns out that the state law says HOAs can’t ban one or the other, so they banned one.”
House Bill 1245 “requires that drought contingency plans prohibit the watering of nonfunctional turf on nonresidential properties during droughts.” Goodwin said an example of non-essential turf is the decorative landscaping at a gas station convenience store.
House Bill 1424 “allows municipalities to charge higher service rates for users who consume more water. They would also be allowed to charge an excessive use fee.”
Senate Bill 7 has yet to be filed, but many policy and water experts hope it includes dedicated funding for water projects. Once filed, it will follow the creation of the $1 billion Texas Water Fund, created in the last legislative session.