United by Water: Inside Texas Water 2026 in San Antonio
Texas is growing fast, and the infrastructure supporting that growth is under increasing pressure to keep pace. At this year’s 31st Annual Texas Water Conference in San Antonio, conversations centered around the future of water infrastructure. As the largest water industry conference in Texas, the event brought together regulators, municipalities, utilities, engineers, contractors, manufacturers, scientists, consultants, and infrastructure leaders from across the state and beyond for technical sessions, industry discussions, competitions, and networking events focused on the evolving challenges facing Texas water systems.
Elise Budd attended the conference on behalf of MillerGRAY, joining water professionals from across Texas and beyond to discuss the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of the industry.
Responsiveness is Critical for Future Success
Throughout the conference, responsiveness was a common attribute within successful projects specifically when timing constraints, critical delivery schedules, and repair windows are required.
- Austin Water provided an update on project status for the two Construction Managers at Risk (CMARs) of the Walnut Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant expansion project offering major benefits through major coordination.
- North Texas Municipal Utility Water District (NTMUWD) offered insight to the removal techniques for mineral build-up from a critical 84-inch water treatment pipeline with a tight schedule for allowable downtime.
- Systems Planning Department of Austin Water offered insight into wastewater sizing through the City’s model. Wastewater modeling included coordination with other projects and development, such as anticipated growth associated with the Austin Transit Partnership Light Rail.
- San Antonio Water System presented data-driven initiative for smarter water pipe replacements. SAWS Smarter Pipe Replacement Predictive Planning strategizes the most critical pipeline rehabilitation projects to reduce non-revenue water in its system.
- Part of discussions at Texas Water included funding mechanisms and financial planning for major projects such as Water Supply and Infrastructure Grants established by House Bill 500 with applications due July 30, 2026.
Transparency as a Core Value
Transparency was emphasized in many conversations at Texas Water as a core value in communicating with our communities, stakeholders, and project contributors. As infrastructure systems become more data-driven, clear communication is becoming even more important to convey technical accuracy and organize information.
Protecting water supply and source planning is essential for the water-energy nexus and must be coupled with transparent communication of water usage information. The water community is working to support unprecedented levels of growth, industrial demands, and emergent technologies throughout the state. Technical sessions included various topics on thriving partnerships and public information best practices were woven throughout many presentations.
With advanced project schedule techniques, delivery methods and funding mechanisms, transparency in communication is more important than ever to deliver successful project outcomes under high stakes. An excellent discussion was delivered by TXWIN’s contractor panel and featured a transparent look into approaching bidding, construction, handover, and completion.
United by Water
With modern challenges requiring expert insight, this year’s conference included professionals not only from throughout Texas, but from all over the United States as well as international attendees. The introductory key note featured State Representative Josey Garcia to discuss priorities in West San Antonio’s House District 124, WEF Board of Trustee member Kalpna Solanki who drew similarities between Texas and Zambia, and AWWA President Ken Kawahara who presented innovative methodologies for the identification of fresh water reservoirs beneath the seafloor off the coast of the Hawai’i.
During the conference, MillerGRAY had great conversations with colleagues from El Paso, North Texas, Houston, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and MillerGRAY’s hometown of Austin. The exhibit hall was excellent in bringing together industry players, and Texas Water always offers camaraderie and the opportunity to share the latest insights in water and wastewater.
Texas Water 2026 was distinctly San Antonian, from its Fiesta-inspired Conference Night Out at The Espee to a Spurs Game 5 win celebrated with a downtown honking parade. Beyond the technical sessions and networking events, the conference reinforced the collaboration, innovation, and shared commitment driving the future of water infrastructure across Texas through design, construction, policy, and emerging technologies.
MillerGRAY looks forward to Texas Water 2027 in Houston and we hope to see you there!
