Texas water officials requested more funding for water supply projects as costs skyrocket.
Although the Texas Legislature increased funding to the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) in 2013, water experts say there is a lack of funding available for local governments to pursue water infrastructure projects. The legislature passed House Bill 4, which created the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT), which had an investment of $2 billion and provided communities with low-interest financing to address state water plan projects.
While it was to use that initial investment as the base of an endowment to build a sustainable fund, Bryan McMath, executive director for TWDB, says their drafted 2027 five-year State Water Plan exceeds current funding, who clarified that increased costs are attributed to a wide range of factors, including inflationary pressure, labor costs and materials.
The Texas legislature passed a constitutional amendment to dedicate $1 billion a year towards water infrastructure from 2027 through 2047, which Texas voters approved, but the funds may not be available until 2028. The legislature attempted to address the short-term funding gaps in House Bill 500.
“We’d hoped that the one-time funding in HB 500 would help bridge this gap, but these grant-only dollars provided no additional funding to the actual financial assistance programs like SWIFT or the new water supply fund or the flood infrastructure fund.” Sarah Kirkle, with the Texas Water Association.