Home\Texas\Spring 2025 Texas Regulatory Updates

Spring 2025 Texas Regulatory Updates

Date: May 21, 2025

WateReuse Texas has been actively engaged in and monitoring the 89th legislative session, including providing testimony to the House Natural Resources Committee and meeting with the offices of various Senators and Representatives throughout the session. We also attended Texas Water Day at the Capitol on March 3, organized by the Texas Water Foundation. We are coordinating and communicating with other water organizations, and our policy committee has been meeting monthly to share relevant updates and ask questions to our government affairs consultant. The following are updates for key items which may be of interest to our members:

Water Funding: Senate bills SJR 66, SB7 and House bills HJR 7, HB 16

The 2025 legislative session ends on June 2, and the recurring, dedicated funding for water is still in flux, as we expected it would be. The existing House and Senate bills and joint resolutions have had several updates or amendments, and Senator Perry recently provided a statement that agreement had been reached with Representative Harris that HJR 7 will be the legislation to authorize the dedicated funding. There have been a few key developments:

  • $1B annual funding anticipated to start in FY 2027 will be delayed by one year: HJR 7 was approved by the House last week, with an amendment moving the start of $1B of dedicated water funding to FY2028. If passed, this ballot measure will go to voters in the November election. This amount does not fully cover the estimated need to repair aging water infrastructure as well as address new water supply needs, according to a recent report from Texas 2036.
  • Reuse projects included in House version of Texas Water Fund: The House Committee on Natural Resources heard a committee substitute which includes funding for a much greater range of water supply projects, including potable and non-potable reuse projects. Chairman Harris indicated several amendments will be proposed when the bill goes to the House Floor. SB 7 (Perry) was passed by the Senate. We anticipate that these bills will be reconciled in conference and a compromise which includes reuse will be passed before the end of session.

On April 2, WRTX managing director Noelle George testified to the House Natural Resources Committee in support of SB 7, with several key points:

  • As a trade association representing utilities, WateReuse Texas does not believe there is a single ‘right’ solution to our water crisis and we support as much flexibility as possible in the funding.
  • If Texas can’t provide a place for businesses to land with reliable water supply, we will lose business revenue and economic growth opportunities.
  • Project delays of all types (funding, regulatory, etc.) can cause project costs to increase over time, therefore even if funding is allocated, if it doesn’t address the majority of need, we will be at risk for additional losses.
  • No matter how much funding is available, there are gaps at TCEQ and TWDB that need to be addressed to fully leverage reuse as a solution to address water challenges in Texas, including adequate staffing and IT software, and accurate digital data collection.


In the interim, our policy committee will be looking at how we can advocate with the state agencies to ensure reuse data, staffing, and other reuse-related needs are met with the limited funding for water.

Additional Updates

Senate Bill 1253 (Perry): WateReuse Texas has been monitoring this bill, which requires a political subdivision to provide credit against impact fees to builders and developers for certain conservation and water reuse projects. There is no provision as to the amount of the credit, and we expect that this bill will be passed with minimal opposition. View the current bill text here.

TCEQ Rule Revisions: Last session, WateReuse Texas collaborated with several other organizations to support SB 1289 (Perry), which directed TCEQ to provide an alternate permitting pathway for onsite reuse that didn’t require a TLAP or TPDES permit. The changes to comply with this legislation have been adopted as of 3/6/2025. View the executive summary here.

Planned revisions to Chapter 217 are on hold pending the legislative session.

PFAS-Related Updates: The EPA has announced its general intention to regulate PFAS chemicals, and there has been a continued state legislative push to regulate/prohibit land application of wastewater treatment byproduct/biosolids due to the presence of PFAS chemicals in biosolids. Questions or comments about PFAS-related items can be sent to Nathan Vassar, chair of the WateReuse Texas Policy Committee.

For questions about WRTX’s legislative or regulatory advocacy or to join our policy committee, please contact Noelle George.

Back to News

Join WateReuse

WateReuse is the only trade association that focuses solely on advancing laws, policy and funding to increase water reuse. Our niche strategy sets us apart from other organizations in the water industry.

Join Today