PFLUGERVILLE, Texas — Pflugerville ISD is once again tackling an impending crisis in the Texas water industry.

This is the second year the district is offering a state online training program to allow high school students to get a water or wastewater operator license faster.

Industry experts say high rates of retirement and difficulty filling positions will lead to a shortage of water and wastewater operators in just a few years. It's a critical issue the KVUE Defenders have been tracking and first reported on in 2023 .

Brooke Paup, chairwoman of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), visited the group of 17 Pflugerville ISD students Thursday morning. She said the program is important because of the state's population boom.

"When you're growing by over 1,300 cit

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