exTRA by the Trinity River Authority of Texas

Marlin has been under a boil water notice since early Tuesday. Hundreds of residents are still without any water. The mayor said there's no estimate of when water will be restored.

We have seen low temperatures early this week and could see a second round of them this weekend. According to City of Amarillo Assistant City Manager Floyd Hartman, the cold weather leads to the water breaks seen in the city.

Due to low water pressures in the water distribution system, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has required the Prairie Grove Utilities public water system (PWS ID Number TX0030027) to notify all customers to boil their water prior to consumption. 

A series of town hall meetings will be held to unveil the city’s plan to boost water rates to help fund a $130 million sewer system overhaul. 

The most recent map from the US Drought Monitor showed “significant improvement” to Texas drought conditions as of Jan. 9, according to the TWDB. The map showed that drought conditions were impacting 30% of Texas land compared to 39% the week before, 75% three months ago, and 52% one year ago.

River Authority biologists saved and relocated 2,000 apple snails, along with aquatic and other non-native species.

"The maintenance work and biological efforts ensure a healthy ecological environment," said Chris Vaughn, Supervisor, Watershed Monitoring Environmental Sciences, River Authority. “Removing invasive species allows native fish to thrive, fostering a sustainable ecosystem for the benefit of both wildlife and local communities."

Inclement weather across Texas is impacting various parts of our cities. Some Hays County residents are now dealing with a boil water notice after a mechanical failure at a water treatment plant, which was caused by freezing temperatures.

Freese and Nichols Inc., an engineering, planning and consulting firm, will be paid $548,800 to update the city’s wastewater master plan for five-year, 10-year and 15-year planning periods, according to the Jan. 10 workshop meeting packet. During the city’s Jan. 10 workshop meeting, City Engineer Chris Bogert said the current wastewater master plan is several years old.

A boil water notice has been issued for some customers of the Lake Livingston Water Supply Corporation. According to Polk County Emergency Management, several subdivisons in Livingston using the Lake Livingston Water Supply should boil their water before use due to electrical repairs in the system.

The city is leasing more than 150 acres for the plant as part of an effort to prepare for projected population growth. While many residents are concerned about the smell, others are worried are the repercussions of building the plant upstream along the Brazos River.

Kemp ISD schools will be closed again on Thursday as they deal with water issues across the city. The Kaufman County city lost water pressure during the arctic blast this week, and it still has not been fully restored.

Stage 2 drought has officially come to Corpus Christi – but Stage 2 drought restrictions aren’t kicking in just yet. As of Thursday afternoon, the combined capacity of Choke Canyon Reservoir and Lake Corpus Christi – two major sources of the city’s water supply – dipped to 29.9%, according to city officials.

Ice storms, cold waves, hail, winter storms: Texas has them all. And the combination of these weather events lead to at least $754 million losses in Texas and $106.4 million losses in Dallas annually, according to the National Risk Index, a database maintained by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

A water supplier that mainly serves Bastrop County told customers in the east side of Elgin and surrounding areas Wednesday to boil their water prior to consumption. Aqua Water Supply Corporation blamed low distribution pressure for the boil water notice, which it said was required by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Water in the state of Texas will decrease by 18% as demand increases by 9% by 2070, according to the Texas Water Development Board. At the same time, the state's population could eclipse 50 million people.

Some Nacogdoches County residents will need to boil their water until further notice. Due to an equipment malfunction caused by subfreezing temperatures that resulted in low water pressures in the water distribution system. 

As Pflugerville pushes forward Phase 2 of construction for the Wilbarger Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility expansion—a $200 million project—city staff identified potential cost savings by selling the city-issued bonds directly to the TWDB rather than on the open market. Council’s approval of the transaction marks the third and final issuance of a $164 million financial agreement previously authorized with TWDB, with bond funding to be used towards the Wilbarger project.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages most of the state’s energy production and grid, said in the release that with freezing temperatures, high demand and low wind, its operating reserves will be low before solar energy ramps up. It is asking Texans to conserve energy from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. Tuesday. The same request was made Monday morning.

The increase will cost an average family about $22 per month, according to city officials. City Manager Jerry Ducay said the cost increases are related to debt service and raw water cost increases from the Trinity River Authority.