The Pearland Chamber of Commerce will host a Water Symposium on Thursday, Aug. 27, bringing together lawmakers, utility leaders, researchers, and industry experts for a daylong discussion about the future of water in Texas and what it means for communities like Pearland and the broader Brazoria County region.
The symposium is built around the theme, “Future of Water: Innovation, Collaboration and What’s at Stake.” The program will run from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Alvin ISD Liberty Alumni Hall in Rosharon.
Pearland Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jim Johnson described the event as part of a broader effort to create a public-facing conversation around one of Texas’ most important infrastructure and policy issues.
“What’s we’re doing is unique. I can’t find another chamber or an economic development organization that is offering this. They’ll have an infrastructure summit with a water component,” he said. “But there’s nobody just talking about water other than water organizations.”
Johnson added that the event is designed to be useful both for specialists and for people who may not know much about the topic beyond the fact that water is essential to everyday life.
The program will begin with a keynote from Robert Mace, Ph.D., of the Meadow Center for Water and the Environment, titled “Water in Texas: Who Fought for It, Who Moved It, and Why It Matters Today,” Johnson explained. This opening segment will help frame the long-running battles over water access, control, and infrastructure in Texas.
“We’re going to cover the future of water, we’re going to cover the fight over water,” Johnson said. “So we’ll start with the history lesson on the fight for water. Why have we been fighting? Why are we set up with all these river authorities and things like that? Why have we been fighting over it?”
From there, the symposium will move into practical, region-specific discussions about local water sources and supply planning. Pearland City Manager Trent Epperson will help lead a conversation focused on where the area’s water comes from and how those systems connect to broader regional planning.
Another major topic will be desalination, which remains a subject of growing interest and debate in Texas water planning. “We have Drew Molly, who oversaw Corpus Christi’s desalination plant and is now over all of Houston’s water,” Johnson continued. “We will get a true life lesson of what went right, what didn’t work in Corpus Christi, as well as what his thoughts are on desalination.”
The event will also address how water affects major sectors of the economy, including agriculture, chemical manufacturing, and emerging technology infrastructure such as data centers. He noted the symposium is intended to move past assumptions and give attendees a grounded look, including perspective from an expert on data centers based around how water is actually used. “We have Cliff Mock, who is on the Gulf Coast Water Authority and a well-known farmer in Brazoria County talking about how farmers really use water, as well as Tim Finley, who works for Dow Chemical,” he continued.
The symposium will close with a legislative panel that includes State Representative Jeff Barry and other lawmakers, focusing on what the state is doing on water policy and what regional leaders should be watching ahead of the next legislative session.
One of the goals is for participants and partner organizations to come away with clearer understanding and alignment on water priorities as local and regional legislative agendas are developed.
“I’m hoping at the end there will be some recommendations on what organizations in Pearland and Brazoria County can support together as demand for water funding and long-term planning solutions are intensifying statewide” he concluded.
This symposium is expected to be a dynamic event bringing together experts, policymakers, and community leaders to explore the economic, environmental, and policy challenges of water management while identifying innovative solutions to secure Texas’ water future.
Scheduled Speakers
Keynote: Water in Texas: Who fought for it, who moved it, and why it matters today
Robert Mace, Ph.D., Meadow Center for Water and Environmental Purpose
Session speakers:
State Representative Jeff Barry, District 29
State Representative Trent Ashby, District 9
State Representative Stan Kitzman, District 85
Drew Molly, chief water office, Houston Public Works
Trent Epperson, city manager, City of Pearland
Michael Turco, general manger, Houston-Galveston Subsidence District
Tim Finley, global water/waste water technology leader, Dow Chemical
Dr. Erin Kinney, Houston Advance Research Center, manager, coastal resilience and communities
Cliff Mock, vice president Gulf Coast Water Authority Board and rice farmer and consultant
Jeremy B. Mazar, director of infrastructure & natural resource policy, Texas 2036
Jake Hollingsworth, deputy general manager/COO, Gulf Coast Authority
Don Strouhal, owner, Strouhal Turf Farms
Session topics:
From source to sustainability: Capturing, managing, and renewing our water
Desalination: Separating fact from fiction
Water and business: From agriculture to advanced industry and data centers
Legislative outlook: The upcoming session and what it means for water
Additional information, sponsorship opportunities, and registration are online at:
https://business.pearlandchamber.org/events/details/2026-water-symposium-31821
