Signs of Texas' growth are everywhere, and the state and municipal governments are working to keep up with population growth by building new roads, sewer lines and water lines.
But what isn't making headlines is how growth affects area dams.
For example, Williamson County's population has exploded from 37,000 in 1970 to 300,000 in 2005, according to the Lower Colorado River Authority.
"We have seen a lot of encroachment with hundreds or thousands of homes below some of our dams," Mike Erdmann, general manager of the Upper Brushy Creek Water Control Improvement District, said.
There are 23 dams under Erdmann’s watch in Williamson County, and most weren't built to handle the area's growth.
Brushy Creek dams were built for agricultural and farming purposes in the 1970s. Now they are surrounded by subdivisions. The dams are also being used for flood control, which means they need to be updated and raised to hold more water.
It's up to the owners of dams in growing neighborhoods to foot the bill, even if they didn't ask for the growth.
"We're relying on the cities and the county to help us to keep the area downstream from the dam as free and clear of homes as possible," Erdmann said.
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Dam safety
More roads and utilities are being built but many areas haven't kept up with dam safety and flood control.
 
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While most cities and counties discourage growth downstream from dams, few regulate it. In the case of Brushy Creek, homeowners are shelling out millions to ensure their safety. Homeowners there approved a two-cent per $100 property tax increase in 2002.
"I know there are a lot of other districts that haven't been as lucky as we are to have our residents realize the value of these things," Erdmann said.
Unlike the Lower Colorado River Authority, which has spent millions to upgrade the Highland Lake dams and the federally funded Army Corps of Engineers, which owns and operates 28 of Texas' largest dams, private owners may not have millions of dollars in revenue to upgrade their dams.
"Our customers have been willing to pay through their [electric and water] rates the cost of keeping these dams safe," Karen Bondy of LCRA said.
It's those communities that worry Jack Furlong of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He thinks local and state government should step in with funding.
"Some seed money, if you will, to motivate owners of dams and levees to go out and make those types of improvements," he said.
Without the help, Furlong said owners may forgo improvements all together, which could put homeowners at risk.
"Many people talk toll roads and mobility a lot when talking about growth related infrastructure concerns that we have," Rep. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, said.
Creighton wants to add dams to that list. During the last legislative session he sponsored a bill that would have provided more funding for dams.
"Anyway we can provide a better structure for state government to support that, we need to look into," he said.
His efforts fell short, but he wants to make dams just as much of a priority as the rest of Texas' infrastructure prepares for growth.
