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Article summary

- - Infrastructure and growth: As Collin County’s population grows, water supply and drainage systems face immense pressure. This makes water policy a critical component of economic development and public safety.
  - Balancing extremes: Texas is planning for both drought and flood risks. While major projects like Bois d’Arc Lake are already helping, long-term planning must account for both water scarcity and the high risk of flooding.
  - The cost of progress: With nearly $174 billion recommended for statewide water-supply investments through 2080, local taxpayers have a right to know how these projects are prioritized, funded, and managed.
  - Your role as a voter: Residents do not need to be experts to hold officials accountable. You can play a part by asking city, county, and state candidates specific questions about drainage projects, infrastructure funding, and long-term coordination.

Most of us do not think about water policy when everything is working.

The faucet turns on. The yard gets watered. The bill comes, we grumble a little, and life goes on.

Then something happens. A drought lingers; a road floods. A neighborhood grows faster than the infrastructure around it. A city starts talking about restrictions, drainage, new projects or rising costs.

That is when water stops being background noise and becomes a local issue.

For Collin County, this isn’t just a state Capitol conversation. It connects to growth, public safety, taxes, development, roads, schools and the basic systems people count on every day.

Texas is planning for both extremes

Texas 2036, a nonpartisan nonprofit focused on the state’s long-term future, recently summarized the challenge facing Texas: communities must prepare for flooding when storms hit while also ensuring there is enough water when rain does not come.

Too much water at the wrong moment can damage homes, roads, schools, businesses and emergency services. Too little water over time can strain communities, limit growth and force expensive decisions.

For Collin County, this planning is already taking place close to home. The North Texas Municipal Water District supplies water to communities across the region, including many Collin County cities. Its system includes Lavon Lake in Collin County and Bois d’Arc Lake in neighboring Fannin County, which was completed as a new regional water source after decades of planning and construction.

Bois d’Arc Lake is now supplying approximately 20% of the water used within NTMWD’s service area. Additional expansions are underway as the district prepares to serve a population expected to grow from more than 2.3 million people today to approximately 4.5 million by 2080.

These projects show that large water investments are not merely proposals in a statewide planning document. They are already being built, expanded and paid for in North Texas.

The price tag is big, and the decisions are long-term

One number from Texas 2036’s analysis of the draft 2027 State Water Plan jumps off the page: nearly $174 billion.

That is the amount recommended statewide for water-supply investments through 2080. It does not mean one enormous bill will arrive tomorrow, and it is not divided into a simple amount earmarked specifically for Collin County.

Instead, the state plan is built from 16 regional water plans containing individual strategies, projects, costs and sponsoring entities. Collin County is included in Region C, along with all or parts of 15 other counties. Local impacts are therefore better understood by looking at the specific projects proposed by NTMWD, individual cities and other regional water providers.

The statewide number still matters. It illustrates the scale of the work Texas faces as communities respond to population growth, aging systems, drought risk and the long timelines required to plan and construct major water projects.

When the numbers are that large, the details matter:

- - Which projects move first?
  - Who pays?
  - How are priorities established?
  - What portion will be paid through utility rates, taxes, bonds or state financing?
  - How will residents know whether projects are staying on schedule and within budget?

Those are ordinary taxpayer questions, and they belong in the public conversation before final decisions have already been made.

Rain helps, but it does not reset the clock

A good rain makes a drought feel like yesterday’s problem. But one rainy stretch does not fix long-term water planning.

Texas 2036 noted that even after the June rains, large parts of the state were still experiencing severe drought conditions. The same update pointed to South Texas communities facing hard choices because of strained water supplies.

While every region has its own water situation, Collin County can learn from decisions being made across the state.

Planning, funding, and coordination for major projects like these takes time. That’s why voters should pay attention before the problem becomes obvious.

Flood risk can be easy to misunderstand

When people hear “water planning,” they often think about drought, but flooding deserves just as much attention.

Texas 2036 highlighted several flood-related statistics from the Texas Water Development Board, including the fact that Texas leads the nation in flood-related deaths. The update also noted that nearly one in six Texans lives or works in a known flood area, and more than 1.6 million Texas buildings are located in a 100-year or 500-year flood zone.

That phrase can be confusing. A “100-year flood” does not mean a flood happens only once every 100 years. FEMA defines it as a flood level with a 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. A 500-year floodplain refers to a lower-probability but still mapped risk area.

Put more plainly: These are places where flooding is possible enough that communities need to plan around it. That can include homes, schools, hospitals, roads and public safety facilities.

This is where the issue gets very local.

- - Are drainage systems keeping up with growth?
  - Are flood maps current?
  - Are roads and neighborhoods being built with long-term risk in mind?
  - Do communities have reliable warning systems?
  - Are city, county, and state leaders coordinating?

Growth makes this harder to ignore

Collin County residents do not need a spreadsheet to know this area is growing. You can see it in new construction, increased traffic and the pressure placed on local services.

Growth can bring jobs, housing, investment and opportunity. But it also requires infrastructure, and water is a fundamental part of that equation.

More residents mean greater demand on water-treatment and delivery systems. More pavement can create additional runoff. More development requires decisions about drainage, utilities, roads and public safety.

Reliable water service is also an economic-development issue. Businesses and major employers need confidence that a community can provide sufficient, dependable and reasonably priced water. Without adequate infrastructure, new housing and commercial development can become more difficult and more expensive to support.

So when officials or candidates discuss growth, budgets, taxes, infrastructure, development or public safety, water is part of that conversation—even when no one says the word out loud.

Questions Collin County voters can ask

Residents do not need to become water-policy experts. They can begin by asking candidates and public officials clear, practical questions.

Questions for city council candidates and city officials

- - How is the city preparing its water and drainage systems for continued population growth?
  - Which major water, wastewater or drainage projects are planned during the next five to ten years?
  - How will those projects affect utility rates, taxes or city debt?
  - Are current development fees covering an appropriate share of infrastructure costs?
  - How does the city coordinate with NTMWD, neighboring cities and Collin County?

Questions for county officials

- - Are county roads, bridges and drainage systems being designed for future development and flood risk?
  - How are flood maps and drainage studies being updated?
  - How does the county coordinate flood planning with cities, developers and regional agencies?
  - Which flood-control or drainage projects are the county’s highest priorities?

Questions for state legislative candidates

- - How should Texas fund the water infrastructure identified in the state water plan?
  - What safeguards should accompany state loans, grants or dedicated water funding?
  - How should the state balance new water supplies, conservation and reuse?
  - What information should residents receive about project costs, timelines and results?
  - How can the state help fast-growing counties prepare before infrastructure falls behind demand?

July 2026 Update

The Texas Water Development Board voted to adopt its first version of the 2027 State Water Plan. This plan is expected to be updated again later this year. Here are the current highlights:

- - Texas now estimates $174 billion in water infrastructure needs over the next 50 years.
  - The state has identified 3,000 projects and 6,700 strategies to increase water supplies.
  - Data centers and industrial growth have emerged as one of the biggest new water planning concerns.
  - Texas voters approved a dedicated funding source for the Texas Water Fund, providing more stable long-term financing for water infrastructure.

Water, growth and the questions Collin County should be asking