The Texas Water Development Board unanimously voted to adopt the 2022 State Water Plan. The plan projects a 73% population increase over the next 50 years, from 29.7 million in 2020 to 51.5 million in 2070. Along with that growth comes a projected 9% increase in total water demand. Texas’ existing water supplies are projected to decline 18% during this time.
To meet potential water shortages during a drought of record, the 2022 State Water Plan contains 5,800 strategies. The estimated capital cost of implementing the 2022 plan is approximately $80 billion, and water providers anticipate needing $47 billion of that in state assistance.
“The TWDB has already committed almost $9 billion in financing for State Water Plan projects through the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas program,” said TWDB Board Member Kathleen Jackson. TWDB notes if Texas does not implement the water supply strategies and projects in the State Water Plan, a severe drought could cause $110 billion of economic damages in the immediate future, increasing to $153 billion per year by 2070.
The TWDB produces a new state water plan every five years based on 16 regional water plans developed by regional water planning groups. Adoption of the 2022 plan marks the fifth state water plan created under Texas’ widely recognized regional water planning process. The 2022 State Water Plan is now available on the TWDB website and will be submitted to the governor, lieutenant governor, and the Texas Legislature by January 2022. The plan can be found here.