INSIDER
A hurricane and winter freeze devastated the South Texas industry. A lack of water is preventing a full recovery.
An annual report documents 2,870 active cases of groundwater contamination around the state. Groundwater provides more than half of the state’s water supply.
It’s unclear how much water resides underneath this booming West Texas tourist haven. That makes conservation critical.
A 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.
The 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.
Residents at the sprawling Terlingua Ranch near Big Bend National Park will limit residents to 1,000 gallons of nondrinking water per month.
The town’s troubles started in 2018, when its water tested positive for the dangerous E.coli bacteria.
About $45 million will go to Texas towns with fewer than 1,000 residents — a boon for municipalities without a viable tax base.
Many of the solutions are costly, putting them out of reach for small towns. But the region's most populous cities are getting innovative.
The region's two major reservoirs are at record-low levels and agriculture leaders are worried the citrus industry could be devastated this summer.
No 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.
With 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.
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.
Groundwater 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.
The 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.
On a daily basis, water managers in cities across the state move from crisis to crisis hoping to keep the water flowing to residents.
Voters would have the final say on whether the state sets aside billions of dollars to acquire new water sources and invest in aging infrastructure.
A 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.
So far there has been an average of six boil-water notices a day across Texas in 2023.
Rural communities face compounding reasons they can’t improve their water infrastructure, including inflation and a lack of human resources.
Zavalla 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 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.
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?
