MARLIN, Texas (KXXV) — The State of Texas is addressing Marlin's water crisis with a $450K grant for infrastructure upgrades — Sid Miller and other officials are committed to solving water issues in rural communities.
- Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said a $450K grant was given to help Marlin improve its water infrastructure
- The state has sent out 90 grants across Texas in the past year to address water issues in rural communities
- State leaders are focused on improving water conservation and infrastructure to tackle the state’s widespread water challenges
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"The whole state's out of water, the whole state's infrastructure is terrible,” said Texas Agriculture Commissioner, Sid Miller.
As rural communities like Marlin continue to struggle with ongoing water issues, state leaders, like Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, tells 25 News that they're doing what they can to address the problem.
"We're working very closely with their city manager and mayor — they do have a lot of problems and we have them lined out to supply for some of our community development block grants," Miller said.
"We're helping them get back on their feet and addressing the problem."
According to Miller, the agriculture commission has sent out 90 grants across the state of Texas in the last year — one of those grants, worth $450,000, went straight to the City of Marlin.
"That's a lot of money for a small town the size of Marlin to upgrade their infrastructure — we'll continue to do that and we will have another round of those. We also have other grants available,” Miller said.
He says that it's not just communities like Marlin that are facing water issues, and our entire state should focus on water conservation.
"We can generate more water by not wasting it and to achieve that we have to improve our infrastructure," Miller said.
"Some of our cities, especially the larger ones, from the time they receive their water to when they get it to the customer, they lose 30 percent of it — that's the infrastructure."
According to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas water systems leak 572,000 acre-feet of water per year, and since 2018, there have been more than 2,200 boil water notices throughout the state.
Leaders like Miller say they're focused on coming up with solutions.
"We're helping them get back on they're feet and addressing the problem — we're working hand and hand with them," he said.
There are currently several water projects being done by the Texas Water Development in the City of Marlin.
For more unformation on those projects and how funds are being allocated, click here.
