Is there a Better Solution than Prop 4?

How Texas Gets Water Should Worry You.

Prop 4 sounds like it's a good solution to solve our issues and provide funding for projects that would help solve this issue, but is it?

We asked AI to answer the question above, and felt the answer received was worth sharing, as it lists 6 alternatives that are worthy of additional digging, especially for use by our local communities as we make decisions on water needs and much needed repairs.

Our water and land are too valuable to trust the government to know what's best without checks in place, especially when locking in funds that will affect who the water of East Texas serves.

Yes, there are better, more flexible, and potentially more effective alternatives to Proposition 4 (the $20 billion, 20-year constitutional lockup of up to $1 billion/year in sales tax revenue).

While the 2023 Texas Water Fund (Prop 6) was a good first step, Proposition 4 is NOT the optimal next step—it is overly rigid, constitutionally locked, and favors large infrastructure over local control.

Below are stronger alternatives and a detailed breakdown of Proposition 4's negatives, especially for East Texas landowners.

Better Solutions Than Proposition 4

Alternative	Why It's Better	Examples / Precedents
1. Annual Legislative Appropriations (No Constitutional Lock)	Keeps flexibility for future legislatures to adjust based on needs (e.g., drought, grid, schools). Avoids locking $20B for 20 years.	Texas funds highways this way.
2. Regional Water Trusts with Local Control	Empowers local water districts and landowners to prioritize repairs, conservation, and small-scale projects.	Edwards Aquifer Authority (local governance model) has reduced overuse by 40%.
3. Performance-Based Funding + Transparency Dashboard	Tie funding to measurable outcomes (e.g., gallons saved, leaks fixed). Public online tracking prevents waste.	Texas already requires TWDB dashboard under SB 7 (2025). Expand it.
4. Private-Public Partnerships (P3s) with Landowner Protections	Leverages private capital for desalination, reuse, pipelines. Require opt-in eminent domain and fair market + 50% premium for land.	San Antonio’s Vista Ridge pipeline (P3) delivered 50,000 acre-feet/year.
5. Rainy Day Fund + Water Infrastructure Bond Program	Use surplus in good years; issue voter-approved bonds in bad years. No tax increase, full voter control.	Texas used Rainy Day Fund for $5B broadband in 2023.
6. Tax Incentives for Conservation & Reuse	Reward farmers, cities, industries for reducing use (e.g., $500/acre-foot saved). Cheaper than new supply.	Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin paid farmers to save water—recovered 1.2M acre-feet.

Best Hybrid Solution:

Pass a $5–10B bond via statute (not constitution) + create regional water trusts + mandate 50% of funds go to leak repair & local projects + require opt-in eminent domain.

This delivers funding without locking the budget for 20 years or risking East Texas land grabs.

Negatives of Proposition 4 (Especially for East Texas Landowners)

Issue	Impact	Why It Matters in East Texas
1. 20-Year Constitutional Lock	$1B/year taken from sales tax cannot be used for schools, roads, tax relief, or emergencies for 20 years.	East Texas has aging schools and flood-damaged roads. This money is permanently diverted.
2. Eminent Domain Risk	State agencies (TWDB, river authorities) can seize private land for reservoirs/pipelines with only payment, not consent.	East Texas has prime timberland and family farms along Neches, Sabine, Trinity rivers—prime targets for reservoirs.
3. Water Export from East to West Texas	Prop 4 funds inter-basin transfers—pumping East Texas river water to DFW, San Antonio, Houston.	Drains local rivers, hurts fishing, recreation, downstream farms. "East Texas pays, West Texas drinks."
4. No Local Veto Power	Once rules are set, cannot be changed for 10 years—even if projects fail or harm locals.	A bad reservoir plan (e.g., Marvin Nichols) could be locked in with no recourse.
5. Bureaucratic Control, Not Local	TWDB (unelected board in Austin) decides projects. Local water districts get little say.	East Texas rural utilities need pipe repairs; not mega-reservoirs decided 300 miles away.
6. Some Projects Ineligible	Cannot fund moving fresh groundwater (critical for rural wells).	Leaves small communities high and dry while funding urban pipelines.

Real Example: Marvin Nichols Reservoir

Proposed in Red River Valley (NE Texas). Would flood 65,000+ acres of timberland, displace families, kill wildlife habitat.

Funded under Prop 4 rules—and locals cannot stop it. (Susan Conway writes a heartfelt piece on Substack here if you'd like to read it: Texas Water, Proposition 4)

What East Texas Landowners Should Know

Your land is not safe just because you’re rural.
Eminent domain is real—and Prop 4 expands funding for projects that use it.
Your water could be sent to Austin or Dallas while your well runs dry.
Your sales tax dollars (from Walmart, gas stations) will fund projects you don’t control.

Recommendation: VOTE NO on Prop 4

Support water infrastructure — but demand a smarter plan:

Tell your legislators:
- Fund water annually or via bonds
- Require local approval for big projects
- Protect private property rights
- Prioritize leak fixes and reuse over reservoirs

Bottom Line

Proposition 4 is not the solution — it’s a 20-year blank check with a side of eminent domain.

Better options exist that deliver water security without sacrificing East Texas land, local control, or budget flexibility.

Let the Legislature fund water the way it funds everything else: Year by year. With accountability. With your voice.

~ Some of these suggestions could be done locally, now, and are worthy of additional research to see if they warrant pursuing.

It's up to us to start developing local solutions that allow East Texans to keep their land and water, while encouraging Austin and the Metroplex to also tap alternatives that don't require East Texas water rights or reservoirs.

Or in the case of our own little Austin, Canton, TX, to not set their sights on Van Zandt County landowners and their farmland for a lake in the hopes they'll grow large enough to need the water.

Research the 6 alternatives. Talk to your neighbors. Speak up at city council meetings.

Is there a Better Solution than Prop 4?