INSIDER
Terlingua’s tourist season has started. Here’s why and how you can help conserve water on your visit.
Read full article: Terlingua’s tourist season has started. Here’s why and how you can help conserve water on your visit.It’s unclear how much water resides underneath this booming West Texas tourist haven. That makes conservation critical.
A West Texas pecan farm fights to save its water supply as neighbors sell it to growing cities
Read full article: A West Texas pecan farm fights to save its water supply as neighbors sell it to growing citiesA yearslong dispute over exporting water to growing Texas cities offers a hint at the battles to come as the state’s population booms and water supply dwindles.
Laredo ends boil-water notice after 11 days, turns attention to illegal connections and old pipes
Read full article: Laredo ends boil-water notice after 11 days, turns attention to illegal connections and old pipesThe South Texas city has hired a consulting firm for $200,000 to provide an interim director for the utility amid a restructuring of the department.
A West Texas ranch and resort will limit water to residents amid fears its wells will run dry
Read full article: A West Texas ranch and resort will limit water to residents amid fears its wells will run dryResidents at the sprawling Terlingua Ranch near Big Bend National Park will limit residents to 1,000 gallons of nondrinking water per month.
After six years, a Texas town’s boil-water notice has been lifted, but residents are still concerned
Read full article: After six years, a Texas town’s boil-water notice has been lifted, but residents are still concernedThe town’s troubles started in 2018, when its water tested positive for the dangerous E.coli bacteria.
Texas Water Board details how it will spend $1 billion for water infrastructure projects
Read full article: Texas Water Board details how it will spend $1 billion for water infrastructure projectsAbout $45 million will go to Texas towns with fewer than 1,000 residents — a boon for municipalities without a viable tax base.
As the Rio Grande runs dry, South Texas cities look to alternatives for water
Read full article: As the Rio Grande runs dry, South Texas cities look to alternatives for waterMany of the solutions are costly, putting them out of reach for small towns. But the region's most populous cities are getting innovative.
South Texas needs rain. Tropical Storm Alberto didn’t deliver enough.
Read full article: South Texas needs rain. Tropical Storm Alberto didn’t deliver enough.The region's two major reservoirs are at record-low levels and agriculture leaders are worried the citrus industry could be devastated this summer.
Unchecked growth around Big Bend sparks debate over water — a prelude for Texas
Read full article: Unchecked growth around Big Bend sparks debate over water — a prelude for TexasNo one knows how much water sits beneath the desert of Terlingua. Residents worry their wells will run dry, as developers and local officials cheer the tourism boom.
South Texas farmers are in peril as the Rio Grande Valley runs dry — again
Read full article: South Texas farmers are in peril as the Rio Grande Valley runs dry — againWith the hottest days still ahead, local leaders have declared emergencies. And farmers are lobbying for the U.S. government to pressure Mexico to release water.
Texans approved billions for water and broadband infrastructure. Now what?
Read full article: Texans approved billions for water and broadband infrastructure. Now what?The legislation behind the historic investment directs state agencies to send money to the state’s smaller, cash-strapped towns that have difficulty paying for upgrades. Federal money is also expected to flow to regions that need broadband.
Rural Texas landowners who lost water access due to San Antonio pipeline could soon get relief
Read full article: Rural Texas landowners who lost water access due to San Antonio pipeline could soon get reliefGroundwater levels rapidly declined in rural Lee County after San Antonio began pumping the water and moving it 100 miles southwest. A Senate bill would help affected well owners.
House advances bill that could provide billions of dollars for new water projects and fixing aging infrastructure
Read full article: House advances bill that could provide billions of dollars for new water projects and fixing aging infrastructureThe bill aims to create a water supply four times the size of Lake Livingston, one of the state’s largest reservoirs. But it may still be a “drop in the bucket” compared to the state’s needs.
Texas’ water infrastructure is broken, jeopardizing quality and supply for a growing state
Read full article: Texas’ water infrastructure is broken, jeopardizing quality and supply for a growing stateOn a daily basis, water managers in cities across the state move from crisis to crisis hoping to keep the water flowing to residents.
Texas Senate takes first step toward establishing billions for state’s water supply, infrastructure
Read full article: Texas Senate takes first step toward establishing billions for state’s water supply, infrastructureVoters would have the final say on whether the state sets aside billions of dollars to acquire new water sources and invest in aging infrastructure.
Black and Hispanic Texans say they don’t trust the quality of their water
Read full article: Black and Hispanic Texans say they don’t trust the quality of their waterA survey was commissioned by the nonprofit organization Texas Water Trade and included responses from households in both rural border communities and in urban areas across Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth.
A new bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers wants to highlight the state’s fragile water infrastructure
Read full article: A new bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers wants to highlight the state’s fragile water infrastructureSo far there has been an average of six boil-water notices a day across Texas in 2023.
A boil-water notice in Houston made national news. In rural Texas, it’s a way of life.
Read full article: A boil-water notice in Houston made national news. In rural Texas, it’s a way of life.Rural communities face compounding reasons they can’t improve their water infrastructure, including inflation and a lack of human resources.
An East Texas town must boil its water on Thanksgiving as officials seek a solution to aging infrastructure
Read full article: An East Texas town must boil its water on Thanksgiving as officials seek a solution to aging infrastructureZavalla lost all water for several days. The Texas Department of Emergency Management has sent pallets of bottled water and a team to help.
Rural Texas was meant to get 10% of state bonds for water projects. A report shows it’s getting less than 1%.
Read full article: Rural Texas was meant to get 10% of state bonds for water projects. A report shows it’s getting less than 1%.Rural Texas communities often don’t have the resources, technical experience, or ability to take on large amounts of debt to pursue state funds for water supply and quality projects. So, many simply don’t apply.
San Antonio built a pipeline to rural Central Texas to increase its water supply. Now local landowners say their wells are running dry.
Read full article: San Antonio built a pipeline to rural Central Texas to increase its water supply. Now local landowners say their wells are running dry.A pipeline helped secure water for San Antonio for decades to come — at a potentially high cost to some rural residents who are losing groundwater to the big city. Is it a preview for the rest of the state as climate change brings more water scarcity and cities keep sprawling?