The Top 10 Water Stories of 2025
Between stories of tragic disaster and historic policy progress, 2025 was an extraordinary year for Texas’ water sector. For the first time in 40 years, water infrastructure funding was designated as an emergency item by Gov. Greg Abbott. The Legislature, in turn, delivered by approving the largest water infrastructure funding package in Texas history.
Despite the promising progress on the policy front, headlines about devastating floods, failing water systems and other infrastructure challenges emerged throughout the year. In the meantime, Texas’ perpetual struggle with drought and its impacts on water supplies continued.
These are the top 10 Texas water stories that caught my attention throughout this long and eventful year. While some of these were found while reading the usual news sources, others were discovered through Texas+Water, an extraordinary resource and service for Texas water policymakers and professionals alike.
And so, without further ado, here’s the top 10.
1. Edwards Aquifer begins 2025 with historically low water levels. (January)
A pesky, persistent drought in Central Texas prompted the Edwards Aquifer Authority to announce that the aquifer — a major water supply for San Antonio and other Central Texas cities — had reached the second-lowest level recorded at the start of any year since the 1930s. The lowest level recorded at year’s start was in 1957 during Texas’ historic drought of record. While summer floods helped partially replenish the aquifer, the resumption of drought conditions by late summer precipitated continued declines. By September, the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District, which oversees a portion of the Edwards Aquifer, declared a stage 3 exceptional drought for the region.
2. Texas’ water infrastructure downgraded. (February)
The Texas Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released a report card grading Texas’ infrastructure. Texas’ drinking water infrastructure earned a D+, while wastewater systems barely avoided failing with a D-. When compared to the previous ASCE report card released in 2021, the new grades were actually downgrades: drinking water infrastructure declined from a C- to a D+, as wastewater dropped from a near-failing D to a just-about-to-fail D-. The engineers pointed to increased boil water notices, water shortages, quality violations, and the continued deterioration of existing aging systems as the reasons for these new, lower grades.
3. Direct water reuse coming to El Paso. (March)
El Paso Water has a strong history of developing innovative water solutions for the city’s survival in a drought-prone, arid region. Recognizing that wastewater is a valuable resource, El Paso Water broke ground on a 10 million gallon-per-day direct water reuse facility that will deliver clean, purified, treated wastewater from the city’s wastewater system into its drinking water supply. Once completed in 2028, it will be the largest direct-to-distribution water reuse facility in the US. This expansion in El Paso’s water supply portfolio will be in addition to its current operation of the largest inland water desalination plant in the world.
4. Marlin’s drinking water plant fails. (April)
The City of Marlin’s aging drinking water system failed, cutting off reliable water supplies for the city’s 5,500 residents while prompting Gov. Abbott to issue an emergency declaration for the city. Businesses struggled as schools closed due to the failure. Even the local state-run prison had to make adjustments due to the water outage. The story of Marlin’s water system failure underscores how aging, deteriorating and failing water systems are becoming liabilities to the communities that they serve.
5. SCOTX rules on produced water ownership. (June)
Produced water is the saline byproduct of oil and gas production. While this byproduct has been traditionally injected underground, growing limitations on injection sites in Texas combined with the accelerated deployment of treatment technologies has sparked interest in cleaning and reusing produced water for beneficial purposes. Still, the thorny legal question remained regarding who owned this resource: was it groundwater owned by the landowner, or more like a mineral right that could be held by a different owner. The Texas Supreme Court ruled in Cactus Water Services vs. COG Operating that produced water was part of the mineral rights estate. This ruling provides greater clarity for the future development of this potential water resource.
6. The Texas Hill Country Floods. (July)
In the early morning hours of July 4, heavy rains triggered catastrophic flash floods in the Guadalupe River. Heavy rains persisted into the next day, precipitating flooding within the Colorado and San Gabriel river basins. At least 135 people, including many young children, died in the floods. In the days following the flood disaster Gov. Abbott issued a proclamation that set flood warning systems, relief funding and disaster preparedness on the agenda for the Legislature’s special session starting later that month. In response, the Legislature approved several measures responsive to the Governor’s proclamation.
7. Conroe lifts development moratorium as Magnolia plans to follow. (August)
In 2022, the City of Magnolia adopted a development moratorium due to concerns that the rate of building growth outstripped the capacity of the city’s drinking water system. Two years later, the City of Conroe adopted a similar ordinance for the same reason. Both cities’ actions underscored the relationship between water supply infrastructure and growth. In August, Conroe voted to lift its moratorium after agreeing to deliver less water to customers while beginning work toward expanding its water supply infrastructure. Magnolia announced that it anticipates ending its moratorium by the end of the year once new water plants become operational.
8. Texas & New Mexico finally reach a water settlement on the Rio Grande. (August)
Twelve years ago, in 2013, Texas filed suit against New Mexico alleging that groundwater pumping in southern New Mexico deprived Texas of water deliveries through the Rio Grande that were required under the Rio Grande Compact of 1938. Although both states reached a settlement in 2022, that agreement was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2024. A new settlement was reached, wherein New Mexico must reduce groundwater use, making more Rio Grande water available for El Paso and area farmers.
9. Corpus Christi sinks desalination contract. (September)
In a vote that surprised many, the Corpus Christi City Council voted 6-3 to end the city’s contract for a planned seawater desalination facility. The pressures of industrial and population growth, combined with drought-stressed water supplies, had set the city on course to develop a seawater desalination plant to meet its future water needs. After years of planning, overcoming regulatory hurdles, and obtaining state financial assistance, the Council ultimately decided to halt the contract due to cost concerns. In a notable postscript to this story, in November, the Council approved a new memorandum of understanding with a different contractor for developing the city’s desalination plant.
10. Texans vote to secure a water future. (November)
On Nov. 4, just over 2 million Texans voted to approve Proposition 4 dedicating $1 billion per year in state sales tax revenues to the Texas Water Fund for the next 20 years. Voter approval of Proposition 4 marked a historic step toward addressing Texas’ $154 billion in long-term water infrastructure needs, including the need to develop new water supplies and fix aging, deteriorating systems. This reliable, dedicated funding stream offers to unlock a new era of water infrastructure development in Texas.