Texas voters last month approved Proposition 4, creating the Texas Water Fund — a multibillion dollar investment in the state’s future. Most of that money will help expand water supplies, a critical need in a fast-growing state.
But the enabling legislation, Senate Bill 7, also directs the Texas Water Development Board to evaluate wastewater needs, fund wastewater projects and incorporate water quality improvements into statewide planning. That gives Texas a long overdue opportunity to address a problem we too often overlook: preventable pollution from failing wastewater systems.
Across Texas, wastewater systems fail, releasing raw or partially treated sewage into streams, beaches and groundwater. Heavy rains overwhelm treatment plants, causing emergency discharges. Cracked pipes or septic fields leak until contamination reaches surface water. Stormwater washes waste from pets and wildlife into streams. When bacteria levels spike, people get sick with stomach illnesses, ear infections, rashes and other health problems…