The city of Beeville, 90 miles southeast of San Antonio, has declared a local state of disaster and entered Stage 4 water emergency as its primary water source, Lake Corpus Christi, approaches critically low levels.
With only 4.5 to 5 feet of usable water remaining before the intake pumps risk severe damage, officials say the community of about 14,000 could soon face a serious water rationing crisis.
Mandatory restrictions now cap daily usage at 2.5 million gallons and prohibit non-essential outdoor water use like washing vehicles. Emergency measures, including drilling new wells and deploying rental pump stations, are already underway, though full solutions aren’t expected until mid-2026.
Residents and businesses are urged to conserve aggressively and comply with all Stage 4 restrictions to help avert a public-health crisis.
As Texas faces longer droughts, stronger floods, and an ever-growing population, the state’s aging water systems are showing their limits. Proposition 4, appearing on the November 4 ballot, seeks to confront that challenge head-on by creating the largest state investment in water infrastructure in Texas history — a proposed $20 billion over the next two decades.
Across the state, water insecurity looks different but feels the same. In East Texas, cracked and corroded pipes lead to constant boil-water notices. In the High Plains, aquifers that sustain farms are drying up. And in North Texas, booming cities are racing to find new supplies before growth outpaces their water sources. A report from the nonprofit Texas 2036 warns that millions of Texans could face serious shortages within five years if nothing changes.
Proposition 4 would dedicate up to $1 billion annually from existing state sales tax revenues — no new taxes — to the Texas Water Fund beginning in 2027.
The fund would be managed by the Texas Water Development Board and divided between new water-supply projects and improvements to existing systems. The goal: expand capacity through desalination, water reuse, and conservation while repairing the state’s leaking and outdated infrastructure.
Texas 2036 estimates that statewide water systems lose the equivalent of enough water to supply Fort Worth, El Paso, Austin, Lubbock, and Laredo combined every year.
Supporters — including the Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter and the Texas Water Foundation — say the measure is essential to modernize systems, reduce waste, and protect communities from floods and droughts without raising taxes. “Our water infrastructure needs far exceed available funds,” said Sarah Schlessinger of the Texas Water Foundation. “This is about planning for Texas’ next 50 years.”
Still, environmental advocates caution that not all projects are equal. Reservoir construction, for example, can displace rural landowners and damage ecosystems. Others warn that embedding such spending in the state constitution limits future legislative flexibility.
Yet few dispute the need for action. Texans experience nearly 3,000 boil-water notices each year, and 17% of public water systems are at risk of failure. Recent polling by Texas 2036 shows 76 percent of voters support Proposition 4 once they learn it relies on existing revenue.
Texas Policy Research opposes Proposition 4, saying, "While addressing water infrastructure is vital, this resolution undermines limited government and fiscal transparency by embedding automatic spending into the Constitution. It crowds out private-sector solutions, reduces future tax relief opportunities, and limits legislative accountability for long-term fiscal commitments."
Early voting runs from Oct. 20 to Oct. 31. Election Day is Nov 4.
Guest:
Jeremy Mazur is the Texas 2036 Director of Infrastructure and Natural Resources Policy.
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This interview will be recorded live Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, at 12:30 p.m.
