REGION C WATER PLANNING GROUP PRESENTS DRAFT 2026 WATER PLAN AT MAY 19 HEARING, SEEKS PUBLIC INPUT NOW
Initially Prepared Plan Includes More Than 170 Recommended Water Management Strategies to Address North Central Texas’ Essential Water Needs Through 2080
With Regional Population Projecting to Exceed 15.1 Million by 2080, Plan Calls for 45% of New Water Supplies to Come From Conservation and Reuse Strategies
The draft Regional Water Plan, known formally as the Initially Prepared Plan (IPP), is available for review now on the Region C website, www.regioncwater.org. It recommends more than 170 water management strategies to meet North Central Texas’ essential water needs through 2080, as the dynamic, 16-county region’s population nearly doubles over the next 50 years. Nearly 45% of the new water supplies called for in the plan will come from water conservation and reuse efforts, underscoring the regional commitment to being a statewide and national leader for innovative, responsible water use.
The RCWPG approved the IPP in February 2025 and submitted it to the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) in March 2025. The public has until 5 p.m. on July 18, 2025, to review the IPP and offer comments, which will be considered during the plan revision process later this summer.
“Input from regional stakeholders is vital to the success of regional water planning,” said Dan Buhman, Chair of the RCWPG and General Manager of the Tarrant Regional Water District. “Texas residents, communities and businesses face a future that will include dramatic growth, an ever-present risk of severe drought and the inescapable need for water. Water is essential to preserving our quality of life and fueling the state’s continued prosperity.”
“We must also be thoughtful water users and seek out forward-thinking solutions,” continued Buhman. “That’s why our plan calls for a wide variety of strategies over the next 50 years, including a major emphasis on water conservation and reuse, which would meet nearly one-third of future water needs. We need to hear now from Region C’s many people, communities and companies about how we’re planning to meet their future water needs. We know that a failure to plan properly or develop new supplies before they’re needed could cost us all tremendously.”
Copies of the IPP are also available in each county clerk’s office and in at least one public library in each of Region C’s 16 counties. These locations are listed on the Documents page of the website.
The May 19 hearing provides an opportunity to provide comments verbally or in writing. Written comments may also be submitted in three other ways from now until 5 p.m. on July 18, 2025:
(1) Via the Region C website’s Public Comment form
(2) Via email to info@regioncwater.org
(3) Via mail to:
J. Kevin Ward, RCWPG Administrator
c/o Trinity River Authority
P.O. Box 60
Arlington, Texas 76004
The Planning Group will consider and begin to address all public and state agency comments at its next public meeting in September 2025. The Planning Group must submit its final 2026 Region C Water Plan to the TWDB no later than Oct. 20, 2025.
Relative to other parts of Texas where agricultural watering and other water uses are more intense, Region C uses far less than its proportionate share of the state’s water. Despite having 26% of the state’s population and 30% of the state’s economic activity, Region C accounts for less than 10% of Texas’ annual water use, according to the latest available (2021) figures from the TWDB.
Over the coming years, Region C’s existing water supplies will not be able to meet the growing demands of the region. By 2080, dry-year water demands in Region C will reach 3 million acre-feet of water annually. With currently available regional water supplies at 1.7 million acre-feet of water annually, the region faces a potential annual shortfall of over 1.3 million acre-feet by 2080, absent development of new water supplies.
Under the plan, Region C’s 2080 water demand would be met – and a reasonable surplus would be available for unforeseen contingencies – through the following water management strategy types:
- 38% - Current Supplies (not including reuse)
- 33% - Water Conservation and Reuse
- 17% - New Surface Water (reservoirs and run-of-river projects)
- 10% - New Connections to Existing Supply Sources
- 2% - New Groundwater
The total cost of implementing the draft plan’s recommended strategies is over $49 billion. The new draft plan includes only two new on-channel reservoirs and two off-channel reservoirs, compared to more than 25 reservoirs that were built to supply Region C’s water over the previous 60 years.
About the Region C Water Planning Group
The RCWPG is one of 16 regional water planning groups selected by the TWDB to help develop a comprehensive state water plan for Texas over the next 50 years. Each water planning group is responsible for preparing and adopting a regional water plan for its area. The RCWPG is made up of 22 members representing a variety of interest groups. Region C includes all or part of 16 counties in North Central Texas: Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Fannin, Freestone, Grayson, Henderson (Trinity River Basin portion), Jack, Kaufman, Navarro, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant and Wise. For more information, visit www.regioncwater.org.
