Nearly half of Texas voters say it is “extremely important” for the state to prioritize water projects, according to new polling released Sept. 8 by Texas 2036, a nonpartisan policy organization.
The group said 49 percent of voters gave the issue that highest rating and another 30 percent called it “very important,” putting the combined share at 79 percent. Texas 2036 said the findings land at a pivotal moment, as the state begins the largest expansion of water infrastructure funding in its history.
“Voters are paying close attention to the headlines about Texas’ growth and, at the same time, communities at risk of running out of water,” said Jeremy Mazur, Texas 2036’s director of infrastructure and natural resources policy. “They know that Texas must be strategic when it comes to water, and have provided clear preferences on what those priorities should be.”
The survey was the organization’s 10th Texas Voter Poll, conducted Aug. 22-26 by Baselice & Associates with 1,369 completed interviews among registered Texas voters, according to Texas 2036. Results were weighted statewide, producing an effective sample size of 1,001 and a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
The polling was released alongside a Texas 2036 report on how state and regional water plans handled the Coastal Bend. In the report, titled “The State Water Plan & The Coastal Bend Water Crisis,” the group said it reviewed 25 years and five planning cycles and found that no plan projected Corpus Christi would face a municipal water shortage during the 2020s. By April 2026, combined storage in the reservoir system serving the region had fallen below 8 percent, triggering significant restrictions and drought emergency actions, the group said.
Texas 2036 recommended six changes: verifying drought and hydrologic data before each cycle begins, organizing projects by urgency with implementation milestones, tracking whether recommended projects are built and how much water they deliver, stress-testing plans against droughts worse than the official drought of record, identifying communities vulnerable to drought even when no shortage is projected, and formally notifying communities flagged as at risk.
In 2025, lawmakers proposed and voters approved a dedicated revenue stream of up to $1 billion a year for the Texas Water Fund over 20 years, the group said, and the 2027 State Water Plan carries an estimated $174 billion price tag.
“Texas has already made a big commitment for our water future,” Mazur said. “Lawmakers acted. Voters said yes. And this poll shows Texans understand what is at stake. The opportunity now is to pair that historic investment with stronger state and regional planning so Texas can see water problems earlier, build the right projects sooner and protect the growth and quality of life Texans expect.”