Laughman: Texas must update ailing water infrastructure

Photo: Duane A. Laverty, MBO In this July 31, 2012 photo, Valley Mills city administrator Bill Lancaster holds a tattered map from 1929, which he relies on for locating water and sewer lines, in Valley Mills, Texas. Many small towns like Valley Mills don't have the money to make a commitment to quality infrastructure. (AP Photo/Waco Tribune-Herald, Duane A. Laverty)
There's plenty of national attention on the so-called "Texas Miracle," a catchphrase that has become shorthand for describing the economic success of our state during a national downturn. According to the Federal Reserve, more than 2 million new jobs have been created in Texas in the last decade and 29 percent of the net new jobs in the U.S. were added in the Lone Star State.


But the success could be short-lived.

The continued vibrancy of Texas' business climate depends on the strength and integrity of the state's infrastructure - the roads, schools and water resources that businesses need to grow and thrive in Texas. Water, in particular, is a finite resource that could stifle our state's economic growth without proper management.

Last fall, Texans voted for Proposition 6, a constitutional amendment to help address our water challenges. But Prop 6 won't solve all of our water problems. In fact, with all the focus on the drought, the significant issue of maintaining and expanding the network of pipes, plants and pumps that disinfect water and distribute it to households and employers is often overshadowed. The issue should be of grave concern to all Texans, especially Houstonians. The 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers report card for America's infrastructure graded the nation a D for its drinking water infrastructure. Texas alone reports $26 billion in water infrastructure needs over the next two decades.

OPINION

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This is no surprise to the people who have experienced water main breaks, sinkholes and leaky pipes that cost the city millions in repairs. In fact, the August water main break at Hobby Airport that shut down food service, among other facilities, illustrated the economic disruption that can occur when our infrastructure fails. In October, a water main leak south of downtown Houston threatened to leave roughly 40,000 residents with low pressure or without water service altogether for an undetermined period of time. Some of the city's pipes are nearly a century old, and rapid expansion, the ongoing drought, freezing cold weather and the searing summer temperatures continue to put a tremendous strain on an already tenuous system. The city's public works spokesman last year predicted an "astronomical sum" would be required to update Houston's water infrastructure.

Clearly, our water infrastructure is in desperate need of maintenance, and it must be enlarged to accommodate our growing economy and population. But communities like Houston are grappling with the staggering cost of making necessary investments to update existing infrastructure and determine how best to move available water to the areas of greatest need.

The ability to provide reliable, quality water service while managing necessary maintenance and upgrade costs is pushing many communities to the brink. Many government and small private water utilities simply can't fund needed repairs and expansion, and rather than increase rates to fund repairs, some utility owners have abandoned ship and handed the keys over to the state. In fact, some water systems are currently in receivership, placing an economic burden on the state and, ultimately, Texas taxpayers.

The private sector increasingly is filling in the gap where the public sector cannot make ends meet. When requested by state regulators, private companies like ours sometimes step in to acquire abandoned systems and take on the cost and responsibility of operating them and bringing them up to public health and environmental standards. Walking away is not an option - not for private companies, nor should it be for publicly owned infrastructure.

Texans need to have a serious conversation about the ailing infrastructure that has been essential to our state's economic success. We need private industry and public policy leaders to come together to discuss the challenge of rebuilding and expanding our water infrastructure and focus on real solutions that will turn our "miracle" into sustained economic growth.

Laughman is president of Aqua Texas, which serves more than 180,000 Texans in 53 counties statewide.

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