Prop 6, surface water conversion to address increasing demands

With Proposition 6's passage Nov. 5—which sets aside $2 billion from the state's rainy day fund for water projects—a renewed focus has been brought to coming up with the most effective ways to make sure statewide water supply keeps up with water demand.

Studies from the Texas Water Development Board suggest the water crisis facing the state is poised to intensify over the next few decades, with overall demand eventually outpacing supply in the Greater Houston area if nothing is done. The majority of demand increase comes from growth in cities.

The studies break the state into 16 regions. Population in Region H—which includes parts of 15 counties around Greater Houston, including all of Harris County—is expected to nearly double from 6 million in 2010 to 11.3 million in 2060.

Strategies being adopted to prevent water shortages involve transporting surface water from Lake Houston to areas that are overly dependent on groundwater from wells, and developing and expanding water treatment plants to make contaminated water usable.

State Rep. Bill Callegari, R–Katy and long-time advocate for water projects, said failing to prevent a projected water shortage would be devastating in the long run.

"We've learned a costly lesson in recent years about the devastation that occurs when the rain stops," he said. "Even after the rain we've been getting, we're still recovering from a water deficit that shocked us in 2011. We need to implement water supply strategies to ensure that all communities have water during the dry years that are so common to Texas."

Prop 6

Prop 6, which was approved by Texas voters Nov. 5, amends the Texas Constitution to create a special fund for projects to bolster water supply. Known as the State Water Implementation Fund of Texas, it will be managed by the Texas Water Development Board.

SWIFT will initially be funded through $2 billion transferred from the state's rainy day fund, and any revenue generated from SWIFT projects will be used to fund future projects. Since Prop 6 makes use of rainy day funds, it will not entail a tax increase.

Strategies for dealing with water shortages outlined in Prop 6 include building reservoirs, water reuse plants, desalination plants and reducing dependence on ground water. Projects specifically in the Houston area include locating new groundwater supplies, building a desalination plant in Freeport and building the Luce Bayou, a $300 million pipeline and canal that would transport water from the Trinity River to Lake Houston.

Alex Garcia, a lawyer with Allen Boone Humphries Robinson in Houston said, while the immediate beneficiaries of Prop 6 are the water providers that will be granted more access to funding, the ultimate beneficiaries will be ratepayers. ABHR works with municipal water districts on regulation and water rights issues.

"The reality is, the cost of water is going up and it will continue to go up," Garcia said. "The days when you can have an unlimited amount of cheap water are just gone because our population has grown so much and available water sources are more scarce. Rates are going up, but Prop 6 allows the water development board to extend repayment terms for lower interest loans. If that funding is not available, the water provider has to issue more debt quicker, with perhaps a shorter period to pay it back, which means water provided has to have higher rates."

Garcia said Prop 6 will benefit ratepayers both in the city of Houston and in the surrounding suburbs where efforts to convert to surface water are taking place.

"If you're in the north or west part of the county, you're getting your surface water from the east," he said. "It needs to be treated and transported. Those helpful financing terms allow a water provider to spread out the cost over a longer period of time."

Tapping surface water

Subsidence districts play a particularly crucial role in the future regulation of water, say TWDB officials. Subsidence—a phenomenon in which the overuse of groundwater supplies causes the ground to sink—has compelled Harris County's subsidence districts to take on a long-term project that involves converting 80 percent of the county's water use from ground water to surface water. Two regional water authorities were formed in 2000 to lead the conversion to surface water.

Although the original plan involved converting 70 percent of the county to surface water by 2020, that goal has since been drawn back to 60 percent by 2025.

Conservation

About 20 percent of money available through Prop 6 will be dedicated to programs encouraging conservation.

Conservation strategies are being developed at industrial, agricultural and municipal levels. Municipal conservation should be applied where possible, Callegari said.

"We're not looking to force people to ration their water use, but through education, we hope to get Texans to be more mindful of it," he said.