Texas will need to invest $174 billion over the next 50 years to keep up with water demand, according to a draft 2027 state water plan approved last week, the Austin American-Statesman reported. That is more than twice the projected cost in the previous state water plan published in 2022.
The draft report, released by the Texas Water Development Board, says the increased costs are due to a number of factors: inflation in construction costs, more frequent droughts, and a decline in existing water supplies as the state’s aquifers become depleted.
The state last year earmarked spending $20 billion over the next two decades for water infrastructure and supply projects — an amount that falls far short of what will be needed, according to some experts.
