On May 11, 2026, Bayou City Waterkeeper’s policy staff traveled to Austin to deliver oral and written testimony before the Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture & Rural Affairs. This marked a major milestone for our organization: the very first time Bayou City Waterkeeper has given in-person oral testimony directly to the Texas Legislature.
Bringing the urgent message of regional water justice, ecosystem protection, and long-term climate resilience to state lawmakers, our testimony focused on two critical interim charges shaping the future of Texas water: Desalination and Utility Transfers.
Protecting Our Bays & Estuaries From The Impacts of Desalination
As Texas explores seawater desalination to meet growing water demands, the state must carefully consider where and how these facilities are built. While our partners highlighted the ecological dangers of dumping hyper-saline brine into fragile marine environments, BCWK pushed the conversation further by connecting ecosystem health directly to long-term economic and operational efficiency.
We argued that keeping desalination facilities and brine discharge entirely out of our delicate bays and estuaries is simply the more efficient, cost-effective strategy in the long run. Bays and estuaries have limited circulation; forcing them to absorb high-concentration brine ruins water quality, disrupts local fisheries, and creates a cycle of environmental degradation that is incredibly expensive to remediate. Committee members nodded along as we made the case that building infrastructure right the first time by prioritizing open-ocean or less impactful locations, saves both Texas ecosystems and taxpayer dollars.
Read our full written comments on Desalination.
Ensuring Equity and Transparency in Utility Transfers
Our second set of comments addressed utility transfers—the practice of moving money out of municipal water and wastewater utility funds to pay for non-utility government expenses.
Our message to state lawmakers was clear: allowing cities to treat water infrastructure funds like a general fund piggy bank without oversight and guardrails threatens public health, violates community trust, and actively compounds environmental injustice. We recognize that regional coordination and utility consolidation can sometimes lead to more robust systems. However, we testified that these moves cannot happen in the dark.
Historically, Houston has stood as one of the few major cities in Texas protecting its utility funds from these transfers. Yet, our city leaders are currently considering opening the door to fund transfers. Houston is currently staring down the barrel of a $9 billion federal wastewater consent decree, a massive, legally mandated overhaul forced by a legacy of systemic disinvestment, where Black, Brown, and low-income neighborhoods have historically borne the brunt of failing infrastructure.
Read our full written comments on Utility Transfers.
Looking Ahead: Ongoing Engagement and Next Steps
The committee will use these hearings and public comments to draft interim reports and shape the legislative framework for the upcoming session. By securing a seat at the table in Austin, BCWK is ensuring that Gulf Coast communities and the ecosystems we rely on are not left out of statewide water policy conversations. We will continue to actively engage in the interim charges at the State Legislature to ensure Texas water policy protects our communities and natural resources.
On the upcoming House Natural Resources Committee hearing on June 23, we will submit formal comments on several key interim charges:
- Oversight & Implementation: Tracking the Texas Water Development Board’s rollout of HJR 7 (Texas Water Fund) and SB 7 (infrastructure financing).
- Program Capacity: Ensuring funding from Proposition 4 effectively meets our state’s water infrastructure needs.
- Data Center Water Use: Examining the massive water footprint of these facilities, particularly in water-stressed regions. This builds directly on comments we submitted this Spring to the House State Affairs committee raising these exact concerns. Read our recently released joint report through our partners Texas Living Waters and Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC): Balancing the Water Needs of Data Centers and Large Water Users in Texas with the State’s Vision for Long-Term Water Security: Policy Recommendations for the 90th Texas Legislature
Stay tuned for further updates on how you can help advocate for just, resilient water systems across Texas.
For questions about our policy work, please contact Guadalupe Fernandez at guadalupe@bayoucitywaterkeeper.org or Usman Mahmood usman@bayoucitywaterkeeper.org.