The sticker shock hit hard when the Texas Water Development Board this month approved a draft of its 2027 water plan with a price tag of $174 billion to meet the state’s water demand over the next half century. That’s more than twice the $80 billion bill in the previous water plan.
With historic population growth, rising temperatures and lower lake levels on the horizon — not to mention Corpus Christi facing the possibility of shutdowns and evacuations if it can’t solve its water supply issues in the coming months — the challenge can seem insurmountable.
Texas can meet its water future — but only if it properly accounts for the surging demand from data centers and aggressively reduces waste…