In August, during the second special session of the 87th Texas Legislature, the Texas Capitol was flooded. After the water stopped flowing down the pink granite walls within the Capitol Extension, the legislature resumed its deliberations.
The heavy winter storm in February preceded the floods in August. Hundreds of Texans died in the cold and darkness after days without electricity and in some places without water.
According to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the power grid was four minutes and 37 seconds away from a catastrophic breakdown that may require months to correct and possibly a partial state evacuation. More than 15 million Texans have been instructed to boil water to be safe to drink. Others had no water supply at all, as the combined power outages and freezing temperatures usually incapacitated safe and reliable water utilities.
Six months later, a survey of Texas water utilities found that 79% of them are still concerned that the reliability of the Texas power grid could affect their operations. Whether a week without running water in the dead of winter or a flash flood in August in the Capitol, Texas’s water infrastructure is in trouble. But the aging water infrastructure is also struggling to attract the attention of the Texan heads of state and government.
Water – what we rely on most for the foundations of life – has been generally overlooked for decades under the leadership of both parties. The 87th Texas legislature was no different, with little attention paid to water infrastructure. The legislature’s response to the winter storm has centered on the stream side of the equation rather than electricity and water. But with climate change driving droughts and floods across the state and drawing an average of 800 people to Texas every day, the relentless strain on the state’s water-related infrastructure can no longer be ignored.
Much as it did for the February storm aftermath, the American Society of Civil Engineers released their state and national Infrastructure Reports 2021, which are sober, impartial assessments of the state of the infrastructure. Overall, America got a C and Texas a C.
ASCE stated that America would need $ 2.5 trillion in investments for each infrastructure category to win the honor. Texas scores were even lower when we focus on water infrastructure:
Dams: D + (3,200 of the 7,200 non-federal dams in Texas are exempt from state dam safety requirements)
Levees: D (no government program monitors levees that protect $ 127 billion in property)
Sewage: D (only $ 200 million is needed to fill the smallest gap that needs to be closed)
Drinking water: C- (the new state water plan is expected to cost $ 80 billion)
Flood Risk Mitigation: C- (1 in 10 Texans are exposed to medium to high annual flood risks from rivers)
Easily put, that’s not a good thing. While those who provide water to Texans generally do the best they can, our water infrastructure is the backbone of the Texan economy, the ninth largest in the world.
Nonetheless, partial solutions to Texas’s bad grades could be in sight. After decades of neglect and lip service, Texas’s water infrastructure could finally get a much-needed cash injection from the federal government.
The first opportunity is the $ 1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, which, among other things, aims to meet the needs of water infrastructure. The Infrastructure Act also promotes the use of non-structural or green infrastructure solutions, such as B. the restoration of floodplains and wetlands. While only $ 550 billion of the Infrastructure Act is new spending, it is a good start compared to the total requirement of $ 2.5 trillion, according to Mark Boyd, chairman of the ASCE’s Infrastructure Report Card Committee.
The second opportunity lies in the ongoing third special session of the Texas Legislature, where the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (or COVID-19 Relief Fund) will be split. Congress allocated over $ 15 billion to Texas and encouraged the legislature to spend some of that money on water infrastructure. However, after hearings earlier this week, it appears that lawmakers could keep our water infrastructure high and dry again.
There are four questions we should be asking ourselves about water infrastructure.
Is Texas ready to take advantage of the opportunities that might arise should Congress approve the Infrastructure Bill or should lawmakers target some COVID-19 water relief funds?
Can Texas meet the additional water needs that will arise if our population grows from 29.5 million to 51.5 million by 2070?
Can Texas handle another major winter storm next year or the year after?
And finally, as our climate continues to warm, the state is prepared for more droughts – the Texans’ bane – like the seven-year record drought in the 1950s, and we are prepared for more floods like those caused by Hurricane Harvey became? ?
The February winter storm exposed the fragility of the Texas power grid, and Texas’s aging water infrastructure is just as fragile. Preparing for the water needs of more people and businesses, as well as prolonged droughts and major floods, requires action. Texas should face these challenges head on.
Todd H. Votteler is the Editor-in-Chief of the Texas Water Journal and Texas + Water. He wrote this column for the Dallas Morning News.
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