Environmentalists have raised concerns about a bill moving through the Texas Legislature that would create a new fund for desalination, beneficial reuse of produced water and inter-state water purchases.
Texas legislators are poised to recommend designating billions of dollars in public funds for controversial water purification technologies, including marine desalination and oilfield wastewater treatment, to meet the growing demand for water across the drought-stricken state.
The Texas Senate has passed Senate Bill 28, introduced by State Sen. Charles Perry, an influential Republican from dry, dusty West Texas. The bill would create a state fund mandated to develop seven million acre-feet—almost 2.3 trillion gallons—per year of new water supplies in the next decade.