THE SHORT VERSION

• A $1 billion no-repayment grant is available right now to fund an emergency backup water connection. The feasibility study — paid for by the grant — would determine whether a connection could run south to Buda's existing Carrizo-Wilcox supply, north to City of Austin infrastructure, or elsewhere. Interconnects of this kind can cost $4–5 million or more — far beyond the reach of a small municipality under any normal circumstance. The City commits to nothing until the study points the way. If feasible, the grant is structured to fund full construction 
• The grant funds a feasibility study first. The City doesn't have to commit to building anything yet.
• The City can include the interconnect feasibility study within the application.
• This does not prevent the City from applying for other needs — all of which can be included in the same application.
• The applications open soon, and the deadline is July 2026. 

We are letting City of Hays know we support prioritizing the interconnect — for the sake of our residents' health and safety as well as our property values.

• As of late January 2026, the aquifer our wells draw from was less than one foot above the Stage 4 Emergency threshold — the most severe drought designation, which would cut household water use to 10,000 gallons per month. That gap has continued to narrow.

The City has indicated it may apply for the grant for storage tanks, smart meters, drainage concerns, and reimbursing their own expenses. Those improvements are welcome and reasonable. Residents have experienced billing discrepancies and the storage infrastructure is aging. We support those applications.

But none of them solve the fundamental problem.

THE SOLUTION: AN EMERGENCY INTERCONNECT

We are asking for the city to prioritize seeking the feasibility study and ultimate construction of an emergency interconnect — a backup connection that sits dormant until it's needed, exactly like a backup generator. 

Elliott Ranch and The City of Hays sits between two existing regional water sources:

• To our south: the City of Buda — approximately 1.5 miles away — already receiving water from the Alliance Regional Water Authority's Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer, a major aquifer entirely independent of the Edwards Aquifer our wells draw from and not subject to the same drought curtailment rules.
• To our north: water infrastructure associated with the City of Austin may be within reach, with Austin currently exploring expanding its regional water delivery network.
• THE GRANT: $1.038 BILLION — NO REPAYMENT REQUIRED

The Texas Legislature passed HB 500 in 2025, appropriating $1.038 billion in 100% grant funding — no repayment required — through the Water Supply Infrastructure Grant (WSIG) program.

Key Dates:

Grant applications open after the Texas Water Development Board's March 31, 2026 board meeting Application deadline: July 2026 Grant funds must be allocated by August 2027
This funding will not come again.

We understand that building an interconnect is not simple. Easements must be negotiated. Routes must be planned. Partnerships must be established. That is precisely why the grant is structured to fund planning as well as construction. Waiting until the funding is gone to begin asking the questions is not caution — it is a missed opportunity that cannot be recovered.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU WAIT

The consequences of inaction are not theoretical. They are happening right now, in our region.

Pflugerville, Texas — This Month:

The City of Pflugerville declared a water disaster after a single pipeline failure threatened to exhaust its entire water supply within weeks. The cause was different — a broken pipeline, not a failing well — but the lesson is identical: without a neighboring system already connected, there is nothing to turn to. Pflugerville survived because it already had relationships with neighboring systems it could call on immediately — the City of Austin and Manville Water Supply Company stepped in. Those relationships and connections existed before the crisis. Elliott Ranch has no such backup. If our remaining well fails tomorrow, there is nothing to call on.

Corpus Christi:

Corpus Christi had a decade of warnings. They canceled projects, fought over solutions, and delayed action. Now they are racing toward a water emergency projected within months, spending hundreds of millions under pressure, and facing bond downgrades from Moody's, Fitch, and S&P. The former director of their water department called it "the very worst scenario I've ever seen." That is what waiting looks like at scale.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality explicitly advises all public water systems to secure an interconnection with a neighboring system before a drought emergency arises — not after.

This Region Is Already in Crisis:

Pflugerville declared a water disaster this month — and survived only because backup connections already existed. Hays County attempted to slow water-intensive development to protect the aquifer and was blocked by state law. As of late January 2026, our aquifer sat less than one foot above the Stage 4 threshold — and that gap has continued to narrow. An independent water source, the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer, is already flowing to Buda — 1.5 miles away. The grant to study whether we could connect to it exists right now, with a July 2026 deadline. 

WHAT IS AT STAKE BEYOND WATER

Property Values and Disclosure Obligations:

• Under Texas law, sellers are required to disclose known material facts affecting a property. A documented water supply vulnerability — one well down, no interconnect, aquifer approaching Stage 4, no emergency backup — is a material fact.
• Every buyer can ask about water supply resilience. 
• Every appraiser can note the single-point-of-failure risk.
• Property values across our area are affected.
  
  This is already happening in Hill Country communities where water scarcity has become a known risk factor. The window to get ahead of this is now.

OUR ASK

The City of Hays has an opportunity — right now, with a deadline of July 2026 — to apply for grant funding that specifically would:

Fund a feasibility study at no cost to determine the best interconnect route for Elliott Ranch and City of Hays residents 

If feasible, fund the full construction of an emergency backup water connection

Eliminate the single point of failure our neighborhood and City of Hays faces today

Protect property values for every homeowner in Elliott Ranch

Strengthen the City of Hays as a long-term viable water utility

Water security is a regional issue 

Sign this petition and tell the City of Hays you support prioritizing the interconnect portion of the grant.

This opportunity is unlikely to come again.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

TWDB WSIG Program: https://www.twdb.texas.gov/financial/programs/WSIG/index.asp

TWDB March 31 Board Meeting: https://www.twdb.texas.gov/board/2026/03/index.asp

Alliance Water Project - https://alliancewater.org
BSEACD: https://bseacd.org/drought/