Texas Comptroller Susan Combs released a report, Texas Water Report: Going Deeper for the Solution, which examines the effects of the water challenges facing our state. The report also offers up several recommendations to the Legislature.
Combs recommends that the Texas Legislature establish a prize framework to reward those who develop proven new, cheap sources of drinking water. In order to continue to support its rapidly growing population, the report concludes, Texas must find cost-effective supplements to its reservoirs and aquifers.
Combs also recommends the Texas Legislature do the following:
- Establish a program providing grants to water authorities and major water users that achieves meaningful and verifiable increases in water efficiency due to conservation activities. This program would award grants to local water authorities, including, but not limited to, cities, counties, river authorities, water conservation districts and municipal utility districts.
- Increase state funding for innovative projects modeling new technology to help planners make more informed decisions about water usage.
In addition to the recommendations, the report revisits the effects of recent drought conditions and also explains the $2 billion in new funding for water projects approved Nov. 5 by voters in a constitutional amendment.