exTRA by the Trinity River Authority of Texas

Amid public outcry, a developer has abandoned its plans for a data center that could have consumed nearly 2 billion gallons of water a year from Cedar Creek Lake.

Large swaths of Texas are in recovery mode after last week's flash flooding. Residents and businesses are assessing the damage and picking up the pieces for the second July in a row. The heavy downpour in the region has also filled area lakes. Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan, which serve as the region's primary reservoirs, reached capacity and authorities opened the flood gates to release the water.

The city council approved water and wastewater rate hikes. Residential bills rise $4.35/month starting Jan. 1, 2027.

A $70 million project to increase water pumping capacity between Lake Georgetown and Lake Stillhouse Hollow will receive funding from the city of Round Rock, after officials approved a contract for the city's share of costs in July.

The city issued the ban Friday, closing Lake Austin from Mansfield Dam to Tom Miller Dam, Lady Bird Lake, and the Colorado River downstream of Longhorn Dam to all personal and commercial watercraft. The closures include motorized boats, wet bikes, motorized surfboards, canoes, kayaks, paddleboards and similar devices. The ban remains in effect until 5 p.m. Tuesday.

The entire City Hall staff in Trinidad have resigned following months of controversy involving arrests, firings, and water quality in the small Texas town. 

Several aging wastewater lift stations in Pearland will receive major upgrades after City Council approved a $4.7 million construction contract at its July 13 meeting.

Corpus Christi's city council held a second water workshop Thursday, marking the first time a workshop has specifically focused on water and wastewater as part of the city's budget process. The workshops give council members an opportunity to ask city staff questions about what they plan to present during the budget process.

More than a dozen East Texas counties are working to create a groundwater conservation district that would prevent over-pumping water from the aquifer below their communities. On Tuesday, Gregg County Commissioners voted to approve a resolution adding the county to a growing number of East Texas communities interested in developing the Northeast Texas Groundwater Conservation District. This is among the first steps to establish the district, which will have to undergo legislative approval in 2027.

A Fort Worth biologist, yoga instructor and recreation steward testify to the Trinity River’s influence on the area’s quality of life.

The Guadalupe River reached one of its highest levels on record near Comfort for the second July in a row, swamping roads and communities as flooding across Central and South Texas killed at least two people and prompted more than 230 rescues.

READ: Is flooding happening more often in Texas? What scientists say after two record floods

Canyon Lake reached a water-surface elevation of 909 feet (mean sea level) today, making the lake “full” for the first time since November 2021, or four years, seven months and 23 days, as Comal County noted on social media. 

El Paso Water says the Futureland sewer project, flagged in 2021, is now pushed to 2030 due to funding limits, post-pandemic cost spikes and new rules. Residents still rely on septic systems.

Neighbors in the Mystic Shores subdivision are concerned about a new housing development, which could dump treated wastewater into their backyards and flow down to Canyon Lake. A coalition of property owners, community advocates and scientists recently came together to oppose a wastewater treatment plant permit renewal for Juniper Ranch, a subdivision under construction by Lennar Homes, located across the street from Mystic Shores.

As historic floodwaters recede, the region will rapidly transition to a dry, humid mid-90s summer pattern, while forecasters simultaneously track a developing tropical system in the Gulf.

Lake Travis is rising rapidly Friday morning as heavy releases from Hill Country dams and continued inflow from the Llano and Pedernales rivers push water levels higher, according to the Lower Colorado River Authority.

Fair Oaks Ranch officials say recent heavy rainfall triggered a 75,000-gallon domestic wastewater spill, raising concerns about contact with floodwater, soil, standing water and marine life in the affected area along Cibolo Creek. 

Within the last 72 hours, south Texas communities near the border and in Central Texas have seen multiple roads closed and vehicles submerged. In desert-prone Uvalde, 16 inches of rain fell. Neighboring towns recorded between 12.4 and 16.7 inches. New Braunfels, north of San Antonio, reported nearly 7 inches. Rainfall is continuing.

Even as Corpus Christi residents have been told they can’t water their lawns, an $800 million housing development is under construction in the coastal city. Similar scenarios have played out in other Texas cities such as Magnolia where concerns about water supply and potential contamination halted new construction only to have permitting resume eight months later.