December 2025 Newsletter

This year’s WateReuse Texas Conference was a true celebration of 20 years of WRTX and our thriving reuse community. Bringing together a record-breaking number of more than 250 attendees for 3 days of technical sessions, discussion panels, and exhibits on the latest innovations, the event included more than 30 sessions and 3 workshops and featured over 50 speakers. With more than 100 companies represented and 24 different utilities in attendance, the conference provided an opportunity for leaders in the Texas reuse community to celebrate our successes, connect, and continue to move reuse forward.  

WRTX also honored the top 20 champions in Texas reuse who helped us get where we are today. These innovators, advocators, and educators have not only helped grow WRTX but have advanced reuse practices throughout our state. During the event, WRTX also hit the milestone of 2,020 LinkedIn followers.

Since then, that number has grown to more than 2,120—a testament to the number of people who are joining us in our mission to move reuse forward in Texas and beyond. To stay up to date on all the ways WRTX is working to advance reuse, follow us at https://www.linkedin.com/company/watereuse-texas/ 

We’re already looking forward to coming together again in 2026. Save the date for #WRTX2026 in San Antonio the week of Sept. 14. To help shape next year’s program and be a part of the planning committee, email ngeorge@watereuse.org. 

In addition to celebrating 20 years of WRTX and our collective successes, this year’s WateReuse Conference provided an opportunity to honor several standouts in the world of reuse.

WEAT Webinar: Every Drop Counts: How Texas Communities are Reusing Water

Dec 2 | 11:00 AM

Learn from organizations at the forefront of the water reuse movement that are implementing innovative solutions, including potable and non-potable reuse as well as nature-based solutions. Whether your organization is just getting started or
you’re looking to expand your current reuse program, a focused panel discussion will highlight lessons learned and practical steps to help your journey.

Get engaged with our work and share ideas with colleagues by joining a committee! Each committee works on projects related to the committee topic, gives feedback on WRTX goals and objectives, and receives relevant updates during committee meetings.  

WateReuse Texas has four standing committees: 

• Outreach Committee (meets quarterly)
• Policy Committee (meets quarterly when not in session)
• Research Committee (meets bi-monthly)
• Events Committee (meets monthly and more often in August)

All meetings are virtual unless noted otherwise, and times are in the Central time zone. Committee chairs are currently working to schedule committee meetings in 2026.  

These committees are designed to allow member organizations a direct way to engage in their most related reuse field. Any individual employed by a WRTX member is eligible to join. If you are interested in joining any of these committees, please contact Noelle George.

On November 4, Texas voters approved Proposition 4, a constitutional amendment which authorizes a $20 billion investment in the Texas Water Fund over the next 20 years. The fund is intended to fix infrastructure and develop new water sources, supporting efforts to meet the state’s increasing water demands. WateReuse Texas advocated for its passage as well as the inclusion of water reuse projects as eligible for the funds, which will be managed by the Texas Water Development Board. The funding is allocated from the state's sales tax, with $1 billion annually added to the fund if the state exceeds $46.5 billion in sales tax revenue: a benchmark which it has reached for the past two years.

In November, Governing highlighted research findings from the Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M University that indicate Texas must invest as much as $154 billion in water reuse, desalination, and aquifer recharge projects to accommodate a projected 50 million residents by 2027. The article notes that 4% of Texas’ water supply comes from reuse, referencing Big Spring – the nation’s first direct potable reuse project – Wichita Falls, and de facto indirect potable reuse via constructed wetlands in the Fort Worth region. However, Texas expects a decrease of 18% in total available water supply by 2060, and by 2070 may face a shortfall of 7-million-acre feet of water in severe drought conditions. Harold Hunt, a research economist with the Texas Real Estate Research Center, noted that public trust is a potential barrier to scaling up: “I think it takes education,” he said, “If you explain to people what’s going on and that it’s safe, it’s not a problem.”

Engineering News Record announced in September that Cleburne, Texas’ Wastewater Treatment Plant and Indirect Reuse Program, designed by WateReuse member Freese & Nichols, was named a Best Project of 2025. The indirect potable reuse project features a 4 million gallon per day advanced treatment facility and a pipeline which routes recycled water to the city’s reservoir. The new plant features biological nutrient removal, UV disinfection and tertiary filtration. The project was initiated to help Cleburne prepare for an anticipated 25% population increase in the area over the next 10 years.

In November, WateReuse member Austin Water announced that it has won two major water sector awards: the 2025 Platinum Peak Performance Award, issued by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies for its Walnut Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, and the Sustainable Water Utility Management Award, issued by the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies. The Walnut Creek facility, which recycles a portion of its effluent for non-potable reuse, won recognition for 100% compliance for five consecutive years with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits. The Sustainable Water Utility Management Award recognizes Austin Water’s overall commitment to sustainable practices and efficient management of its drinking water systems. The utility uses high quality reclaimed water for irrigation and cooling, while distributing the unused effluent back into the Colorado River, consistently exceeding Texas Commission on Environmental Quality regulatory standards. “This recognition reflects our unwavering commitment to providing Austinites with sustainable and reliable services today, tomorrow, and for the next 100 years,” said director of Austin Water and WateReuse board member Shay Ralls Roalson.

In September, the City of San Angelo submitted a Bed and Banks Permit request to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for its Concho River Water Project, an indirect potable reuse initiative. The plan would entail discharging treated wastewater to the Concho River, which would be recovered downstream and further treated to drinking water standards. The plan was approved by the City Council and has received discharge permitting from TCEQ. The project now requires approval for its Bed and Banks Permit request and funding authorization for the approximately $230 million undertaking. The project is expected to yield 7.5 million gallons per day once completed.

In November, the Town Council of Flower Mound — a suburb in the Dallas-Fort Worth area — approved an agreement with an engineering consultancy to begin design for phase one of a non-potable reuse project. The three-phase project will recycle water for irrigation in western Flower Mound, and the $1.45 million phase one includes design of a pump station and 3.5-million-gallon ground storage tank. The ensuing parts of the plan include construction of water lines to distribute the water to the community. The town expects to bid the construction project in late 2026 and complete construction by winter of 2028.

In November, the City Council of Corpus Christi voted to award a master services agreement to WateReuse member Ardurra to expand its non-potable reuse system. The expansion would route reclaimed water from Oso Water Reclamation Plant to a 10-million-gallon storage tank, allowing the city to service more industrial water users. The initial design phase contract authorizes up to $11 million and is expected to be completed in August 2026. Corpus Christi has been reusing its water for non-potable applications since the 1960s and currently reuses about 3% of its total effluent.

Please view the WateReuse Texas Meetings & Events page for upcoming events, webinars, and more.