Water and Workforce: Securing the Future of Texas Together
Texas is growing faster than ever. New businesses, new homes, and new industries are arriving every day. But behind that growth is a challenge that connects us all. Our future depends on water.
Across the state, long stretches of drought, rapid population increases, and aging infrastructure are putting more strain on local systems than ever before. Communities and employers alike are starting to ask the same question: how can we keep growing if we don’t protect the resources that make it possible?
Water Forum 2025 is an opportunity to tackle that question head-on.
Hosted by Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area in partnership with Workforce Solutions Capital Area, the Texas Rural Water Association, and the Infrastructure Academy, this year’s event will bring together leaders from across Texas to focus on three essential themes: policy, resources, and workforce. Together, these shape how our state manages, funds, and sustains its most vital resource.
Attendees can expect a morning of conversation, learning, and collaboration. State Senator Charles Perry, Chair of the Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs and representative for Texas District 28, will join Sarah Rountree Schlessinger, CEO of the Texas Water Foundation, for a fireside chat on legislation, funding, and the future of water in Texas.
A panel on resources for water supply will feature Shay Ralls Roalson of Austin Water, Sarah N. Lee from the Texas Water Development Board, Dr. Robert Mace from Texas State University, and Chelsea Hawkins of the Canyon Regional Water Authority. These experts will explore new approaches to conservation, infrastructure, and regional planning.
The workforce panel will spotlight the Texas Rural Water Association’s Water and Wastewater Operator Apprenticeship Program and the growing career opportunities in this essential field. Representatives from Austin Water, TRWA, and the Texas Section of the American Water Works Association, will share insights on how local partnerships and technical training are helping build the next generation of water professionals.
Beyond the panels, attendees will have the chance to connect directly with employers, educators, and policymakers who are shaping how Texas meets this challenge. This forum is about action, collaboration, and understanding that water is at the center of our economic and community well-being.
Every job, every home, and every community depends on access to safe, reliable water. That makes this everyone’s challenge and everyone’s responsibility.
Join us on Thursday, October 16, 2025, at Workforce Solutions Capital Area in Austin for Water Forum 2025: Policy, Resources and Workforce.
Register to Join the Discussion
Together, we can strengthen the systems, skills, and partnerships that will secure Texas’ water future for generations to come.
TOPICS: WSRCA Events
