Texas’ Broken Water Infrastructure: A Deep Dive into History, Crisis, and Hope

Water is now so precious in Texas that cities regularly warn residents not to drink the tap: reports Texas averaged about eight boil-water advisories per day in 2023 amid persistent infrastructure failures. This is no accident. In a recent investigation, found that many of Texas’s 7,000+ public water systems are decades old and leaking. In 2021 alone, Texas utilities reported losing roughly 132 billion gallons of treated water to breaks and leaks – enough to supply over a million homes for a year. With untreated sewage and poisoned lines sometimes spouting in neighborhoods, Texans are finding that the system delivering safe water is simply breaking down. This report traces how we got here, who is hurt most, and how communities and policymakers are scrambling for answers.

Texas Plumbing Infrastructure: A Historical Perspective

Texas’s plumbing story began long before statehood with Spanish acequias (irrigation canals) dug in the 1700s to bring river water to missions and farms. These open canals also doubled as informal sewers until the mid-1800s. When early Texians banned sewer dumping in the mid-1800s, cities began seeking true potable water systems. For example, San Antonio entered its first modern water contract in 1877, building a steam-powered pump house on the San Antonio River that lifted water to a new reservoir. Dallas’s first public waterworks sprang up in 1876 (privately built, then bought by the city in 1881) and its first city sewers followed in the 1880s. By 1900 San Antonio’s entire town was served by artesian wells through new pipelines. In short, by the turn of the century Texas had begun piping water to urban homes, using the technologies of the day: wooden or brick mains and early cast-iron pipes.

The real boom came post-World War II. Texas’s population exploded, and hundreds of new towns and subdivisions sprang up in the 1950s–1970s. Water districts, river authorities and the state’s Water Development Board (founded in 1957) funded pipelines into once-rural areas. Engineers commonly used cast-iron mains in that era (later followed by ductile iron and PVC pipe). As Odessa’s utilities director noted, “40% of [Odessa’s] pipes are made of cast iron… which was widely available and used after WWII when a lot of cities were growing their infrastructure”. Many small towns financed water systems by selling bonds or obtaining federal loans during this mid-century building boom. In fact, a 2022 survey by the Texas Rural Water Association found that the average installation year for smaller and mid-sized water systems was 1966, implying most pipes are now around 60 years old. Altogether, Texas now has roughly 165,000 miles of buried water mains – an immense network built to serve a vastly smaller state. Its more than 7,000 public water systems (city utilities, rural water districts, water companies, etc.) range from tiny colonias and suburbs to giant metropolitan providers.

Over time, pipe materials changed: older systems often contain cast iron or even wood, whereas post-1980 construction typically uses plastic or copper. (Indeed, one investigation found “the oldest pipes date back to as early as the 1890s,” and even a wooden pipe was unearthed in Pampa dating to before the town existed.) By the 1970s and ’80s, galvanized steel was phased out and brass or copper fittings became standard. In sum, Texas’s plumbing history mirrors much of the U.S. – starting with aqueducts and wood, moving to cast iron in the late 19th–mid 20th century, and finally to plastic pipes. But crucially, Texas’s rapid growth meant a lot of plumbing got done at once in the postwar decades, and for many communities, little has been replaced since. That means an extraordinary amount of infrastructure is reaching the end of its design life.

The Aging Crisis: How Old Pipes Are Failing Texas

Texas’s pipes aren’t just old — they’re crumbling. A survey of rural systems showed 70% of water mains are at or past their expected lifespan (35–50 years). Cast-iron pipes, common in the 1940s–60s, typically last only about 50 years. So an Odessa water main that broke in 2022 was roughly 60 years old. (See photo below of that shattered main.) Even more daunting, roughly 40% of Odessa’s network was cast iron, much of it breaking down from rust and shifts in the earth. Nationwide, many cities face the same problem: ASCE reports that much of America’s 2.2 million miles of pipe was installed in the early 20th century and is “reaching the end of its design life”. Texas is no exception.

Cracked cast-iron water main recovered by crews (Odessa, Texas). Much of Texas’s underground plumbing was installed in the 1950s–60s, and such pipes often fail by age and corrosion.

Age and materials. Engineers and water managers stress that many factors contribute to failure: “how old they are, what material they’re made from, and the conditions around them – including climate and traffic,” as Texas Tech’s Ken Rainwater observes. In flat parts of Texas, ground shifts during floods or droughts can buckle unreinforced clay or iron pipes, while in cities heavy street traffic can strain shallow mains. Cast-iron and older concrete pipes rust and crack, while ancient wood pipes simply collapse. Some legacy systems even contain lead service lines, especially in cities or homes built before the 1980s. (Texas now has about 647,000 lead service lines, or roughly 7% of its total – the fifth-highest in the nation. Those can leach toxic lead if water is corrosive.)

Water loss and breakage. The effects are dramatic. Texas loses billions of gallons of water each year to leaks. Utilities reported 136 billion gallons lost in 2020 and 132 billion in 2021. (A Texas Water Development Board audit noted 130 billion lost in 2021, with 30 billion from repairable breaks and leaks.) To put that in perspective: 130 billion gallons is enough to fill AT&T Stadium over 170 times. Callout: Approximately 130 billion gallons of treated water leaked away in Texas in 2021, enough to supply 1.2 million homes for a year. This lost water isn’t just wasteful; it’s unsafe when contamination follows. Even small cracks in old mains can draw in soil, sewage or chemical runoff. Warns that aged cast-iron lines “can rust or corrode into the water, causing taste and odor issues” and even allow lead to leach into drinking water.

Boil-water alerts. When a break occurs, authorities often issue boil-water notices until the mains are fixed. Texans are seeing these more often. Last year Houston issued a boil notice after a corrosion-induced leak, and it lasted two days. By contrast, tiny Toyah in West Texas has been under a boil-water order for nearly five years due to chronic failures. (Ironically, a Houston rec center had to post signs like the one above, warning of an advisory – a rare sight in past decades.) The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality requires these notices when any significant system disruption could compromise water quality. For homeowners, it means uncertainty – one tap may taste rusty, or one city may suddenly urge you to boil all water for drinking.

Sewer backups. Drinking water lines aren’t the only problem. Aging sewage systems also overflow. State data show that sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) in Texas more than doubled from about 2,500 per year in 2016 to nearly 6,000 by 2019. When sewers overflow, raw sewage can spill into yards, streets or creeks. (San Antonio’s utility reports 132 SSOs in 2024 – down 75% from a decade earlier, but still 132 too many.) Leaking sewage threatens public health and pollutes waterways. Homeowners near aging lift stations or cracked mains sometimes wake up to raw sewage backing into their drains. Upkeep is expensive and often deferred. “Everything would need to be dug up” to replace much of the 100+ year-old network, notes one expert – a herculean undertaking.

Taken together, these failures mean higher bills and headaches for Texans. Broken pipes flood basements and crack foundations, costing thousands to repair. Wastewater backups lead to snotty odors and expensive cleanup. Families facing boil notices must buy or boil drinking water, burdening budgets. Outside the big cities, the consequences are even starker. In rural subdivisions and poor communities, aging lines go unfixed and whole neighborhoods may lack service at all.

Regional Inequities: Who’s Left Holding the Pipe?

Not all Texans are affected equally. Larger cities have engineering teams and taxes to tackle some problems, while small towns and marginalized areas struggle. Low-income colonias (border shantytowns) exemplify the divide. Thousands of colonia families still live with no piped water or sewer at all. As of 2015, nearly one-third of colonia residents had no access to safe drinking water. In El Paso’s Colonia Hueco Tanks, resident María Martínez says, “aquí nunca habido agua” – “here there’s never been water”. She lives on trucked-in water, spending about $180 every two weeks for a 2,000-gallon delivery (then filtering or boiling it). When children flush latrines in many colonias, sewage often just seeps away in rudimentary fields.

Why the disparity? Many colonias lie outside city limits, in unincorporated county land, so they pay no city taxes – and cities have little incentive to extend pipes there. As colonia advocate Oscar Muñoz bluntly notes, “Utilities are controlled by cities, not rural counties… Why should cities worry about giving any of these colonias water when they can’t tax them?”. State programs have tried to help with wells and grant funding, but progress is slow. Even a recent $1 billion package (Senate Bill 28) explicitly prioritized incorporated towns under 150,000 and rural subdivisions – effectively excluding most colonias. Activists warn these communities will get little direct help unless laws change.

Beyond the border, rural Texas often misses out. A tiny town like Zapata or Zavalla may have an ancient water system but only dozens of customers to share costs. Those towns often can’t afford to repair sinking wells or replace old pumps. Meanwhile, big-city suburbs wrestle with a different growth strain. West of Houston or Dallas, booming suburbs face pressures on water supply, but at least have more tax base. In general, however, small systems (often run by volunteer boards) keep minimal records and rarely have trained engineers on staff. If they don’t apply for state loans, they must patch by raising rates or repurposing maintenance budgets. It’s a recipe for deferred maintenance.

The urban-rural gap also shows up in plumbing quality. Inner-city neighborhoods in Houston or San Antonio may still have century-old cast-iron mains under their streets, but they can lobby their city government for fixes. Out in the hinterlands, wells and pipes might be so old that residents simply tolerate iron-stained water or wait years for service. Notably, high-growth regions are not immune: Lubbock and El Paso’s plans are straining, and even booming Cleburne (near Ft. Worth) had major overflows this spring. The hardest hit are low-wealth areas that have both older plumbing and fewer resources.

The Search for Solutions: Promises and Pipedreams

As pipes rot, lawmakers and engineers have offered multiple fixes – some bold, some incremental, some still stuck in debate. At the state level, the Texas Legislature has finally made water a top priority. In 2023 voters approved a $1 billion bond for water infrastructure. That money is being doled out by the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) to cities and districts via loans and grants. For example, funds set aside—about $45 million—will go to towns under 1,000 people. Municipalities with 1,001–10,000 people get another ~$130 million. But even officials admit $1 billion is a drop in the bucket: the 2022 State Water Plan estimates Texas needs $80 billion by 2070 just to keep its systems updated. TWDB’s long-range strategy allocates money for pipe replacement, leaks, and new water sources – but demand far outstrips supply. In 2022 the TWDB received almost $2.8 billion in project requests but could only approve $378 million, leaving many repairs unfunded.

More recently, the 2025 Legislature passed sweeping bills. Senate Bill 7 (authored by Sen. Charles Perry) focuses on new water sources (desalination, reuse) but also explicitly dedicates funds to infrastructure. Its companion amendment (HJR 7) would commit $1 billion per year in state revenue for 10 years to a new “Texas Water Fund”. These funds are intended to help cities and districts buy water and repair aging pipes. Both houses approved this plan, and voters will decide in the fall whether to amend the Texas Constitution accordingly.

In the meantime, legislators debated how to spend any new money. A 2025 analysis showed proposals to split funding 80/20 between new supply and pipe repairs, while others argued leaving prioritization to experts at the TWDB. Advocates like Jennifer Walker (National Wildlife Federation) argue that fixing leaks is effectively creating new supply, since “stopping that loss…delivering more drops to customers” is equivalent to finding water. Texas 2036 (an infrastructure think tank) pegged the total need at $154 billion by 2050 – about $59 billion for new supply and $74 billion just to maintain and replace leaky pipes. Those figures make clear that even multi-billion-dollar bills and bonds will only partially chip away at the problem.

Meanwhile, on the ground, some communities are improvising. Regional cooperation is gaining attention: Texas officials have studied Florida’s Governmental Utility Association (GUA), a special government entity that serves 250,000 water customers across 14 counties in one region. Texas is considering something similar (House Bill 2701) to let small water districts band together for treatment and distribution. The idea is to pool resources, buying power and expertise. For example, Lubbock and suburban Wolfforth have forged agreements to share water from Lake Alan Henry. In East Texas, the Angelina-Neches River Authority has quietly acquired several failing town systems (with legislative approval) and is running them centrally. These moves face political resistance – most cities and MUDs jealously guard “home rule” over their water systems – but experts like Rubinstein say regionalism can be another tool in the toolbox.

In terms of funding models, some look to Texas’s own road history. The comptroller’s office notes that dedicating part of the sales tax to roads led to vast highway upgrades. Similarly, analysts urge setting aside a stable revenue stream (like the proposed water fund) so local projects aren’t left waiting. The TWDB’s revolving loan fund has helped, but with interest now extremely low and a flood of federal Infrastructure dollars (over $400 million so far from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund), officials hope the leverage will stretch further. Still, as one water agency director said, “we have a whole lot more applications submitted than we have capacity… provide financial assistance”. Many experts caution that unless ongoing maintenance and replacement are funded, Texas will simply keep “patching the system over and over,” at growing cost.

Beyond state and federal aid, cities and utilities are trying internal fixes. San Antonio’s mayor pointed out last year that its utility had lost 19.5 billion gallons to leaks in 2023, prompting SAWS to double its leak-detection crews and modernize its meters. SAWS and others are also exploring advanced monitoring (smart sensors) and aggressive pipe renewal. But such strategies require funding too. Even Texas’s water champions admit: “there’s a lot of immediate need…we have to do both” – invest in new sources and fix the old infrastructure simultaneously.

On the Ground: Voices of Plumbers, Engineers, and Homeowners

Plumbers’ perspective. Local plumbers have seen the heartbreak firsthand. They report that freezing or shifts often reveal hidden failures. Lubbock plumber Kye Moore warns that a burst pipe can flood walls and “cost thousands” in repairs. He advises homeowners to “insulate your pipes, cover outdoor faucets and remove hoses, and even leave an indoor faucet dripping” when temperatures dip. These simple steps prevent many winter breaks. Moore notes that frozen pipes often burst inside walls unnoticed until everything thaws – a chilling discovery for any family. Other plumbers note that they still see galvanized steel lines and corroded valves in older homes. One Houston plumber quips that after 50 years “your water heater starts to look like it’s ready for the scrap yard,” and clients find brown sediment from old cast iron. The shortage of skilled tradesworkers also looms: a 2024 report warned that the aging workforce will soon mean fewer plumbers to fix a backlog of problems.

Engineers and water experts. Water managers emphasize the systemic scale of the challenge. Ken Rainwater (Texas Tech) has studied small Texas systems and highlights how climate factors exacerbate wear: “The older systems are, the more susceptible they are to extreme weather… like drought and heat,” he explains. Texas A&M professor Ivonne Santiago (El Paso) has worked with colonias and notes that families add chlorine to stagnant tank water at home just to kill algae – often over-chlorinating and causing skin irritation. Texas Tech’s Amy Hardberger (Center for Water Law) bluntly says repairing pipes is cheaper than buying new water: “Infrastructure replacement…is not inexpensive, but it is less expensive than some of the new supply options,” she notes.

Several veteran water officials stress regionalism. Former TWDB Chair Carlos Rubinstein recalls Texas’s “proliferation of small water systems,” pointing to Florida’s example as a model. He helped draft a bill (HB 2701) allowing utilities to voluntarily join large public entities across jurisdictions. UT-El Paso’s Santiago also insists on equity: “You can conserve all you want, but at the end of the day, if people can’t afford their water bills or don’t have it, then it doesn’t matter,” she said of valley colonias.

Homeowner voices. In neighborhoods with working infrastructure, water crises still touch lives. Harris County homeowner Rebecca Lawson recalls wading in her yard after a main break engulfed her street. “I paid city taxes for 20 years and never had any plumbing issues – then suddenly my whole block floods and we’re told our water isn’t safe. It’s scary,” she says, showing photos of mud in her garage. In tiny Quinlan (near Dallas), longtime resident Joe Ramirez is still annoyed that his town’s water plant fees skyrocketed after regulators discovered aging treatment filters. “They tell us we need to pay to fix a plant none of us built,” he grumbles. Such residents appreciate that state and federal money is coming, but worry about taxes and bills rising.

Meanwhile, colonias families do without. María Martínez of Hueco Tanks says simply, “we keep asking but nobody comes.” She and neighbors ration jugs of filtered water for cooking, praying the next tanker truck arrives on time. Even bottled water is a budget item. She has learned to boil what she can, but says, “Si la hiervo, pero ni así confío” – “Even if I boil it, I still don’t trust it.”

What Texans Can Do: Practical Advice for Homeowners

Even as systemic fixes are worked on, homeowners can take steps to protect themselves. Know your own pipes. Find out when your home (and neighborhood) was built. If your house was constructed before the 1970s, it may have cast-iron, galvanized steel or lead service lines inside or outside the home. Check visible piping under sinks and at the meter: copper or PVC usually indicate newer upgrades, whereas dark gray iron or rusty metal suggests old mains. (According to the EPA, any home built before 1986 should assume its service line could be lead.) If uncertain, hire a licensed plumber to inspect or run a sewer camera. Look for telltale signs of age: frequent brownish water, reduced pressure, or hairline wet spots on floors often signal a failing line. Bold callout: If your home was built mid-20th century and still has original water lines, get your water tested and consider certified filters – lead and rust are still lurking in some Texas taps.

Prevent freeze damage. In winter, follow the plumbers’ advice. Cover outdoor spigots with insulating foam and remove hoses (frozen hoses put extra strain on faucet pipes). Inside, leave faucets on a slow drip when freezing weather strikes. Even a trickle prevents pipes from bursting and flooding walls. Insulate any exposed pipes in unheated areas (garages, attics). If you have a private well, ensure the well house’s heat tape and thermometer are working; cover or heat your irrigation backflow device. These simple, cheap precautions can avoid a disastrous repair bill.

Prepare for emergencies. Locate your home’s main water shut-off valve now, before an emergency. In a pipe burst or leak, shutting off the main can save floors and walls from water damage. Keep basic tools on hand (channel-lock pliers, pipe tape) to quickly halt small leaks. Store a supply of drinking water (at least 1 gallon per person per day for several days) and battery-operated radio. In a boil-water advisory, officials often say “just boil for one minute and cool.” But for an extra measure, have water filters or bottled water for drinking and cooking. Many Texas utilities offer free or low-cost home water testing kits for lead or bacteria; use them if your water ever looks or smells off.

Reduce, reuse and report. Be aware of your consumption. With so much Texas water getting lost, conservations like shortening showers and fixing dripping faucets help stretch our supply. Don’t run the hose unnecessarily, and plant drought-tolerant lawns. If you see a leak or sinkhole, report it to city or district officials promptly. Even if you’re on a private system, talk to your homeowners’ association or county emergency management. Public pressure has pushed officials in places like Amarillo and San Antonio to invest in pipe repairs. Attend local water board meetings or write your state rep; voters recently showed they support funding water projects at the ballot box.

Finally, understand that pipe replacement is a long-term investment. It may mean higher water bills or a tax increase at first. But every dollar spent on maintaining infrastructure can save many times that in health, property and water costs later. Cities around the U.S. routinely raise tap fees for pipeline renewal; Texans may see a similar shift as the crisis deepens. Check with neighbors: sometimes collective action (like neighborhood MUD annexation or citing to council) can accelerate underground improvements. And above all, stay informed. Read your city’s water annual report, watch for your utility’s water loss audits, and empower yourself with knowledge.

Hope and the Long View

Texas’s water problems are daunting, but history shows infrastructure can be rebuilt over time. The revolution in water safety after the 19th century cholera outbreaks didn’t happen overnight – it took decades of dam-building and treatment plants. Today’s challenges differ (climate change, vast scale, decentralization), but so do the resources. State and federal investments, new technologies (like trenchless pipe replacement and real-time monitoring), and increasing public awareness all offer glimmers of hope. Texas’s legislature is finally dedicating serious money; engineers are mapping the worst pipes; and water professionals across the state have joined a chorus: we must fix this.

For now, Texans must adapt at home while demanding better leadership at all levels. The phrase “public water systems” embodies the core: water is a public necessity. These systems are only as good as the pipes under our feet and the policies above. The coming years will test whether Texas can repair its plumbing history or watch communities drift into deeper crises. The outcomes will ripple far beyond any kitchen tap – to public health, economic growth, and our very way of life in the Lone Star State.

Key Statistics at a Glance:

• 70% of Texas’s water mains are at or past design life.

• 130+ billion gallons: water lost in Texas in 2021 to leaks and breaks.

• 7%: share of Texas service lines that are lead – the 5th-highest rate in the U.S..

• 572,000 acre-ft per year: state’s annual water loss (about 51 gal/day per connection).

• $33.6 billion: TX Water Development Board spending on local projects since 1957 (but only $378M funded in 2022 from $2.8B in requests).

• $154 billion needed by 2050, including $74B to fix leaks.

These figures underline a simple fact: Texas’s water infrastructure is a legacy it cannot afford to lose. Each Texan — homeowner, plumber, engineer and policymaker — has a role to play in safeguarding this vital resource.