Rainwater harvesting incentive bill dies in Texas Legislature

Despite projections that municipal use will drive the greatest increase in water demand in Texas, promising legislation to encourage residential water conservation failed to advance this session. Several key bills passed the Texas House, but then died in the Senate (the Lieutenant Governor never even referred them to a committee).

Rainwater harvesting incentives

House Bill 3637 by Rep. Troxclair and its accompanying constitutional amendment, House Joint Resolution 88 by Rep. Zwiener, would have allowed counties to exempt rainwater harvesting and graywater (recycled water from bathtubs and washing machines) systems from property taxes. The bill expanded on a 2001 Tax Code by proposing that all taxing units—not just counties—be authorized to exempt water conservation systems from taxation, potentially providing bigger savings for homeowners who invest in sustainable solutions.

This simple change could have made a big difference. Encouraging more Texans to install rainwater harvesting systems would significantly ease pressure on our water supplies. According to the Texas Rainwater Harvesting Evaluation Committee, if just 10% of Texas rooftops were used for rainwater harvesting, we would collect 38 billion gallons of water per year – more than enough to supply the entire population of Fort Worth.

Lawn water limits in unincorporated areas

Another important bill, HB 2347 by Rep. Zwiener, would have empowered Hays County to adopt water conservation programs for landscape irrigation in unincorporated areas—places outside the jurisdiction of cities, where water conservation rules often don’t apply.

Sprinkler systems—common but inefficient—can waste large amounts of water through runoff and evaporation. Austin, for instance, limits automatic watering to once per week. But in unincorporated areas, counties currently have no authority to impose similar limits. HB 2347 would have helped reduce waste by allowing counties to set commonsense irrigation standards to protect water resources and landscapes.