NEWS: Casar Delivers $1M Federal Investment for Eastern Travis County Water Infrastructure
ELROY, Texas – Today, Congressman Greg Casar (D-Texas) presented Travis County with a $1,000,000 check for the Eastern Travis County Water Main Improvements Project, which will help bring water service to residents in the Elroy area.
Currently, residents in the FM 812 area do not have water service extended to their homes. For decades, these Travis County residents have had to rely on using a standpipe of non-potable water as their primary source of water. The community also has a lack of fire hydrants, which puts them at a particularly significant risk in emergencies. The $1,000,000 in federal funds earmarked by Casar will be used to bring clean drinking water to these communities and extend water service to fire hydrants.
“It’s hard to believe — but many working class people in Southeast Travis County have to leave their house and walk to a pipe to get their water,” said Congressman Greg Casar (D-Texas). “I’m committed to making Congress work for working people, not just the rich and powerful. Bringing basic water service to these families is part of this commitment.”
“All Travis County families deserve to have safe, reliable drinking water in their homes,” said Travis County Judge Andy Brown. “Thanks to Congressman Greg Casar, we’re one step closer with this $1 million award to ensure no one has to drive to a water standpipe to fill up their water tanks and haul it home to their families for access. This grant will help fund the design and construction process for the FM 812 neighborhood.”
“Many southeastern Travis County residents have been living for far too long without easy and convenient access to affordable clean drinking water,” Travis County Commissioner for Precinct 4 Margaret Gomez said. “Being able to design and build a new water main will be life changing for these residents. My thanks go out to Travis County staff that have worked tirelessly on this effort, as well as to our federal representatives and the Biden administration.”
“This $1 million federal grant will bring much-needed and much-anticipated improvements to families living in rural areas of Travis County that have grown exponentially over the last several decades,” said Jeff Travillion, Travis County Commissioner for Precinct 1. “I appreciate Congress Greg Casar for bringing this grant to our neighbors in the FM812 area.”
“This is an amazing example of local and federal elected officials working together to improve the lives of our Travis County residents,” said Travis County Commissioner for Precinct 2 Brigid Shea. “Nobody should live without access to safe and clean drinking water. This federal funding will not only make it easier for the FM812 area residents to get water, but also make the neighborhood safer by extending services to fire hydrants.”
This federal funding was made possible through the Community Project Funding process for the Fiscal Year 2024 spending bills. Travis County applied for the grant through Casar’s office last year. It was approved in the first round of the appropriations government funding packages that passed the U.S. House on March 6 and signed by President Joe Biden on March 9, 2024.
###
Congressman Greg Casar represents Texas’s 35th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, which runs down I-35 from East Austin to Hays County to the West Side of San Antonio. A labor organizer and son of Mexican immigrants, Casar serves as the Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus for the 118th Congress. He also serves on the Committee on Oversight and Accountability and the Committee on Agriculture.
