An Interview with Sarah Schlessinger and Jeremy Mazur
On November 7, 2023, Texans will vote on 14 Constitutional Amendments which have been advanced by the Texas Legislature. Proposition 6, which is one of the Amendments, will set up the Texas Water Fund with an initial contribution of $ 1 billion from the State of Texas. Texas faces numerous water challenges, including aging infrastructure, growing population, and drought. Leaking pipes cost Texans over 572,000-acre feet of water per year (an acre-foot is roughly a football field of water with a depth of your knees). Texas has averaged 2,200 boil water notices per year since 2018, in numerous locations, including Houston, Austin, Odessa, and small towns in East Texas. The projected shortfall between water availability and water demand in 2070 is 6.9 million-acre feet.
In this podcast, Larry interviews two leading analysts and advocates for a data-driven, comprehensive approach to water policy in Texas. Sarah Rountree Schlessinger, CEO of the Texas Water Foundation (https://www.texaswater.org/), has international water experience as well as hands-on experience in water management in Texas. Jeremy Mazur is a Senior Policy Analyst with Texas 2036 (https://texas2036.org/) with responsibility for overseeing their Natural Resources research and communications. Both are highly regarded for the important research and data they develop with their teams. They are both called on frequently to testify before Texas Legislative Committees, the Texas Water Development Board, other state agencies, the 16 Regional Water Districts of Texas, and other entities that are considering water policy.
Proposition 6 is an opportunity for Texans to provide additional funding to address the growing water issues of Texas. The estimated cost to repair aging infrastructure and provide additional water and wastewater treatment capacity is over $ 150 billion in the next 50 years. The fund established under Proposition 6 will by no means provide for the total need projected, but it will provide a funding mechanism which allows for additional funding by future sessions of the Texas Legislature.