The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) unanimously voted to adopt the 2027 State Water Plan.
The TWDB produces a new state water plan every five years based on 16 regional water plans developed by the regional water planning groups. Adoption of the 2027 plan marks the sixth state water plan created under Texas’ unique and widely recognized regional water planning process.
“The TWDB understands the importance and responsibility of publishing the state water plan every five years to help ensure sufficient water supplies during droughtof- record conditions. We recognize that water is essential to communities, households, agriculture, businesses, and others,” said TWDB Chairwoman L’Oreal Stepney.
The plan projects a 53% population increase over the next 50 years, from 34.2 million in 2030 to 52.3 million in 2080. Along with that growth comes a projected 6% increase in total water demand. Texas’ existing water supplies that can already be relied on during drought are projected to decline 10% during this period.
To meet potential water shortages during a drought of record, the 2027 State Water Plan contains approximately 6,700 recommended water management strategies and 3,000 projects that would provide 2.7 million acre-feet per year in additional water supplies by 2030, and almost 7.6 million acre-feet per year in 2080. The estimated capital cost of implementing the 2027 plan is approximately $174 billion. According to TWDB, if Texas does not implement the water supply strategies and projects in the state water plan, a severe drought could cause $91 billion in economic damage in 2030 and $177 billion per year by 2080.
“Developing the state water plan is truly a collaborative effort that is only possible through the support of our sister agencies, regional water planning group sponsors and staff, technical consultants, water providers, water districts, and professionals representing diverse interest groups across Texas,” said Stepney.
The new plan provides a streamlined set of core elements required by statute and administrative rule. A subsequent enhanced version is anticipated for completion in the fall of 2026 and will provide more expansive and informative content.
The one key issue the plan leaves out is data centers. The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) faces low response rates to its mandatory surveys, leaving data center water use absent from the 2027 State Water Plan. A low number responded in 2025 due to low compliance incentives and confidentiality concerns. Ignoring the mandatory TWDB survey carries only a Class C misdemeanor charge with a maximum $500 fine.
During a legislative hearing held by the House Natural Resources Committee , TWDB’s water supply director told lawmakers that the agency sent surveys to the state’s 341 data centers to account for their water usage only 17% of the data centers responded. The state Public Utilities Commission also sent a survey to 92 data centers and cryptomining facilities regarding their water usage, but their response rate wasn’t much better, with only 28 participating.
The TWDB said it received about 28 public comments about the lack of data center analysis because they are going to have a huge footprint on the water in Texas. In response, the board said it will work on its ability to take future data centers into account.
A July 23 board meeting agenda item stated: “Heightened interest in potential water use associated with data centers aros later in this five-year planning cycle. In response, the TWDB is enhancing its data collection and analysis efforts to improve our projections of high load digital infrastructure water demands for future state water planning cycles. As this sector and our understanding grows, this water use category will report and fall more comprehensively within our manufacturing waster use projections largely because of direct use reporting by the facilities themselves rather than a utility from which they may purchase water.”
The 2027 State Water Plan is now available on the TWDB website, as well as the Interactive 2027 State Water Plan, which offers users an in-depth look at data, projects, and strategies to see how water needs change over time, with filter options that allow viewing statewide details down to the water user level.
The TWDB is the state agency charged with collecting and disseminating waterrelated data, assisting with regional water and flood planning, and preparing the state water and flood plans, as well as financial assistance programs for the construction of water supply, wastewater treatment, flood control, and agricultural water conservation projects.