Elgin to align state water-plan comments with $12m grant push

Elgin to align state water-plan comments with $12m grant pushElgin City Council has approved staff submission of public comments on the Texas Water Development Board's first amendment to the 2027 State Water Plan. The city intends to ensure its comments are consistent with material being used in a grant application supported by Kimley-Horn Engineers.

Council approved a resolution authorising staff to comment on the Texas Water Development Board's 2027 State Water Plan before the September 25, 2026 deadline.

Public Works Director Michael Gonzalez said staff were generally supportive of the plan and proposed submitting comments through the board's online portal.

Elgin has enlisted Kimley-Horn Engineers for a $12 million grant application, and council said the water-plan submission should be consistent with the city's grant messaging.

Agenda material said Region K, which includes Elgin, faces forecast long-term shortages, rising municipal demand, constrained existing supplies and costly future water-management strategies.

Elgin City Council has directed staff to submit public comments on the Texas Water Development Board's 2027 State Water Plan, with the city seeking to keep its intervention aligned with ongoing water-infrastructure grant work. The resolution, approved at the council's September 15 meeting, enables staff to submit comments on the first amendment to the state plan before the September 25 public-comment deadline. Michael Gonzalez, Elgin's Director of Public Works, told council that staff considered an online submission through the board's portal the “easiest and cleanest” route. Gonzalez said the city was broadly supportive of the plan. He also told council that Elgin had enlisted Kimley-Horn Engineers to pursue a $12 million grant. Council members stressed that any state-plan comments should be consistent with the city's statements in its grant application. Gonzalez confirmed that this would be the approach. Staff offered council the option of specifying language for a letter submitted on city letterhead, or allowing staff to proceed with a draft developed by Gonzalez and Bo. No council member sought to add specific comments during the discussion. Gonzalez said staff would prepare the letter and submit it before the deadline. The agenda material for the item identified the issue as material to Elgin's long-term water planning. It said the proposed state plan forecasts significant long-term water shortages across several regions, including Region K, which covers Elgin. The material also cited rising municipal demand, limits on existing supplies and costly future water-management strategies as issues that could affect the city's future water availability, pricing, infrastructure planning and economic development. Council Member Silva, who requested that the matter be placed on the agenda, said the city should confirm that the plan aligns with Elgin's 50-year population projections, water demand and water supply. The agenda material also noted that the plan includes strategies for conservation and new supplies. The adopted resolution states that Elgin has a vested interest in water-development planning in Texas and surrounding communities, and that the state plan's goal is reliable and sustainable future water supplies. It also states that the direction to comment does not significantly affect the current or upcoming city budget.