The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) recently announced their Intended Use Plans (IUPs) for the State Revolving Funds (SRFs) State fiscal year 2026. The IUPs show that public water and wastewater systems submitted approximately $10.5B in funding requests, signifying an 11x oversubscription of the Drinking Water SRF and a 9x oversubscription of the Clean Water SRF. This means that only 9% of Drinking Water projects are funded and 12% of Clean Water projects are funded. The SRFs have long been thought to be the most accessible and affordable source of funding for public water systems, but many other funding programs are similarly oversubscribed.
So, what are public water systems meant to do?
Adjusting rates to fund needed infrastructure is one answer, but it isn’t the only answer. Below, Water Finance Exchange’s (WFX’s) expert staff and advisors describe 5 strategies for optimizing water systems to reduce waste, increase efficiency, and minimize rate increases.