This week, Texas voters delivered a resounding endorsement of the state’s water future, approving Proposition 4 and dedicating $1 billion annually from existing sales tax revenue to the Texas Water Fund—no new taxes required.
This historic $20 billion investment over the next two decades couldn’t come at a more critical time. With Texas adding hundreds of thousands of new residents each year, aging infrastructure leaking billions of gallons annually, and drought projections threatening future supply reliability, the message from voters was clear: water infrastructure matters.
At least half of these funds will flow toward developing new water supplies – everything from aquifer storage and recovery to desalination and water reuse projects. The remaining funds will tackle our aging pipes, support rural water systems, and strengthen flood resilience across the state.
This builds on the momentum from 2023’s Proposition 6, which established the Texas Water Fund with an initial $1 billion investment. Together, these measures represent Texas finally making the kind of “Texas-sized” investment our water challenges demand.
For those of us working in Texas water, this is more than just a funding victory – it’s a mandate. Now comes the real work: ensuring these dollars flow efficiently to the highest-priority projects that will secure reliable water supplies for every Texan.
The future just got a little more water secure.
Sharlene Leurig
Texas Regional Director
Sharlene Leurig is the Texas Regional Director at WestWater Research. Sharlene founded the Texas office for WestWater in 2025, bringing 15 years’ experience in water infrastructure finance, utility business model adaptation and water markets.
Prior to joining WestWater Research, Sharlene supported development of the water reuse market in Texas through her advisory firm, Fluid Advisors. Her clients included Water as a Service (WaaS) companies serving the residential, commercial and industrial sectors. From 2018 to 2024, she served as founding CEO of Texas Water Trade (TWT), which has purchased billions of gallons of water for environmental flows across the Texas Gulf Coast and catalyzed market transactions for groundwater storage and decentralized water solutions statewide. During her tenure at TWT, she served as founding Board Chair and Interim CEO of Vida Water, a service provider giving Texas families access to water filtration that fits their budget and their need for convenience.