exTRA by the Trinity River Authority of Texas

Ongoing and worsening drought conditions in the Panhandle prompted city officials this week to implement Stage 1 of Amarillo's drought plan. As part of its 2024 Drought Contingency Plan approved by Amarillo City Council, the city is asking residents and businesses to follow Stage 1 of the plan, which consists of a voluntary outdoor watering schedule.

The Nueces River Authority is counting on $7 million from the state as Corpus Christi searches for a way out of its water crisis — but that money isn't in the authority's hands yet. The $7 million is already written into NRA's proposed 2027 budget for its Harbor Island desalination project. During a Friday meeting, public comment and questions from reporters revealed significant uncertainty about when — or whether — that funding will arrive.

City officials say the plant is what lets Granbury keep growing. Under state rules, cities have to expand sewer capacity before they actually run out of it, and planning here started in 2016, after Granbury hit the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's wastewater capacity planning threshold.

The City of Alice has lifted all drought restrictions after Lake Corpus Christi rose above required levels outlined in its Drought Contingency Plan.

Data center developers can use nondisclosure agreements and shell companies to shield the details of their deals from the public. Even state officials also say they need more transparency from the industry.

After a lengthy discussion at their regular meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 4, the Breckenridge City Commission voted unanimously to raise the water rates by 4.14%, beginning in 2027.

Denison Assistant Public Works Director, Fanchon Stearns, said the funding will cover water and wastewater spending at treatment plants, water tower improvements and pipes in the ground. Stearns said the city’s water system is more than 150 years old.

Without key details on the audits but the eagerness to support them, policy watchers question how impactful these audits will be in curbing data center growth.

City Manager Peter Zanoni said his staff traveled to Austin on Tuesday to hand-deliver an application to TCEQ to temporarily stop required water releases.

Data center proposals are sprouting up in neighborhoods all across the state. And Texans have questions. But information about the proposed projects and their potential impacts on a community is often scarce as companies say they need to withhold proprietary information to keep a competitive edge.

The second-largest reservoir in the Coastal Bend is continuing to rise after heavy rains deluged South Central Texas last month. Lake Corpus Christi officially surpassed 90% full on Monday, August 10, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). It’s the first time in nearly five years that the manmade reservoir has been so full, according to Corpus Christi Lake Watch.

Leander City Council approved a $20.8 million contract for a new pump station and 2.5 million-gallon storage tank on Ronald Reagan Boulevard.

Compared to July 2025, Lake Travis has approximately 10% more water storage than one year ago, according to Water Data for Texas. The lake is currently at approximately 100% capacity.

The combined conservation storage level of the Falcon and Amistad reservoirs climbed to 32.9 percent, triggering the change. Stage 2 had been put in place when that level dropped to 25 percent.