exTRA by the Trinity River Authority of Texas

This isn’t the first time the cities have struck a water agreement. Kyle bought water from San Marcos last December after using its allocated amount early. This year, Kyle is asking for more than double that amount.

Burnet County Commissioner Joe Don Dockery asked the Lower Colorado River Authority for an emergency order to curtail releases from lakes Buchanan and Travis that are not required for firm water users. He was one of 16 people who spoke during public comment at the LCRA's Water Operations Committee meeting in Austin on Sept. 20. 

SpaceX is asking the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for permission to dump 200,000 gallons of treated wastewater into the South Bay at Port Isabel. The contaminants are removed from the wastewater, but some say the plan could become an issue for the environmental balance of the South Bay.

Wichita Falls City Council members on Tuesday voted on revised deal to sell up to 20,000 acre-feet of water annually from Lake Kemp to the owners of the Oklaunion power plant in Wilbarger County. Public Works Director Russell Schreiber, said the revised contract would produce more revenue for the city and that restrictions on water usage would be imposed on the company during droughts. The city would get $1 million a year whether the company uses any water or not and would get $1.30 per 1,000 gallons purchased as opposed to the current rate of 40 cents per 1,000 gallons, which was negotiated with the former owners of the now-defunct power plant.

Despite recent rainfall, most of the region remains under a burn ban, however, some have ignored the law and burned anyway. Over the weekend firefighters in Leon County dealt with multiple burn ban violations, Leon County Judge Byron Ryder said.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), is seeking public input on the application for an Enhancement of Survival Permit. The proposed agreement would reintroduce ocelots on the East Foundation’s San Antonio Viejo Ranch in Jim Hogg and Starr Counties, and provide additional habitat for reintroduced ocelot dispersal onto private lands close to the San Antonio Viejo Ranch in Brooks, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Starr and Zapata Counties. Other proposed conservation measures in the agreement include ocelot monitoring, habitat management and research.

The city of Magnolia will receive a $10.67 million loan to expand its Nichols Sawmill Wastewater Treatment Plant to a capacity of 2 million gallons per day, according to a Sept. 14 news release. The financial assistance comes from the Texas Water Development Board’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund, according to the news release.

The Hollywood Road wastewater plant drop-off site is no longer operational at full capacity. Due to an overflow during earlier flooding this year, it has not fully recovered since. Previously, companies could easily come and dump contents from septic systems without scheduling in advance. However, the city is now implementing a scheduling system to ensure the wastewater system can handle the load.

Between 2009 to 2010, the city’s aging sewer plant was belching out a series of sewage spills along the banks of the Arroyo Colorado, sparking one of San Benito’s biggest projects in decades. For 10 years, two city administrations borrowed millions of dollars, working to upgrade an antiquated sewer system made up of 40 lift stations, 465,000 feet of sewer lines and 1,300 manholes. Early this year, falling short of the state’s March deadline, the TCEQ granted the city a six-month extension. By late June, the agency was signing off on the project’s completion.

To make sure we don't run out of drinking water, the Lower Colorado River Authority announced on Wednesday it's working to develop new water supplies. LCRA officials said they need new water supplies to keep up with future growth. That future growth is happening in what the LCRA calls the Upper Reach, or an area that encompasses Central Texas down south to Wharton County.

Due to a main water break on a 8″ line on FM 1638 of the water system, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has required the Lilly Grove to notify all customers to boil their water prior to consumption.

Fort Worth and Arlington are among the cities that will pay more for water under the Tarrant Regional Water District’s new budget.

TRWD will charge $1.35 for every 1,000 gallons of water used by customers, or a 4.9% increase from last year. The change will bring in $12.2 million additional revenue, allowing the water district to invest in necessary additional maintenance, equipment and staff, chief financial officer Sandy Newby said during a July budget workshop. 

People living in rural areas in Bastrop County say some of their wells are going dry, pointing to a sod-growing company. The KVUE Defenders dug through conservation records, hydrology reports and the state’s well registry. We found the problem isn’t just the one neighbor or one company – it’s hundreds.

With the Hollywood Road ‘wastewater drop off site’ intermittently shutting down, households using septic systems are having to bear an uncomfortable and unimaginable burden. Septic tank service companies in the area are frequently and periodically unable to pick up and dispose of sewage from septic tanks. This is because the only drop-off site in town is not operating at full capacity.

Swift Water Supply customers are no longer advised to boil their water prior to consumption. The public water system has taken the necessary corrective actions to restore the quality of the water.

WFAA meteorologist Mariel Ruiz explains the timeline for updated drought monitors to be released.

City Council voted last week to approve a resolution directing the city manager to seek a contested case hearing regarding an application by Waterstone Creek LLC to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to construct a dam on the South Llano River and to engage with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in opposing any permits for the project. The city manager is also directed to explore additional options to work with the Lower Colorado River Authority in opposition to the dam and reservoir permit.

Some lake levels are rising, but even though we’ve seen some rain, the Brazos River Authority said that doesn’t mean the drought is over.