exTRA by the Trinity River Authority of Texas

Beckville City Council members on Monday night struggled with the impacts of inflation, the COVID pandemic and supply chain issues related to a major community improvement project.

Those issues place the city leaders in a position of needing to come up with nearly an additional $50,000, which the city does not have, according to Mayor Andy Nixon. At stake is a much needed sewage lift station to help provide improved service to residents hooked up to the city’s water and sewage system.

Presidio County will receive $4.6 million from the Texas Water Development Board to fund four main projects in the county — a first-time victory for the county-wide water infrastructure steering committee that formed last year to lobby for state and federal funds, though a fraction of the $12.6 million the committee requested. The funding, which comes from the TWDB’s Economically Distressed Areas Program (EDAP), will go towards remediating wastewater issues at Fort D.A. Russell, the establishment of first-time water and wastewater services to the East Heights area of Marfa, as well as planning and design of water services for Las Pampas Colonia near Presidio and a long-term solution to Shafter’s ongoing water instability. 

As of June 14, 2023, a boil water notice has been issued for the City of China due to a break in their 6-inch service line. According to a media release from the city, all water must be boiled prior to use for drinking or human consumption purposes, such as washing your hands or face, brushing teeth, drinking.

Save Lake LBJ wants to "separate fact from fiction" regarding two proposed dredging operations and two processing plants on the lake. A public meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. Thursday, June 15, at the Kingsland Branch Library, 125 W. Polk St. Collier Materials Inc. has applied to the Lower Colorado River Authority for two permits to dredge Lake LBJ under the Highland Lakes Dredge and Fill Ordinance and two permits to set up sand and gravel processing plants under the Highland Lakes Watershed Ordinance. 

Under eminent domain laws, entities including the state government can seize private property if it is for the public benefit. Andrew Morriss, a professor at Texas A&M’s School of Law and The Bush School of Government and Public Service, said that a state park is firmly within the scope of the public benefit.

Amarillo city leaders are organizing cleanup projects this month to address flood damage at area lakes. 

“The rain this spring has been a wonderful blessing in the Panhandle but it’s the extra rain these last few weeks that has created a problem,” said Chrystene Speed, Amarillo West Rotary president-elect.

The expansion project will enable the world’s largest class of tanker ships to dock at a new oil export terminal on the Gulf Coast. It also involves dredging a Superfund site.

According to Kills and Spills Region 3 team, this was caused by a low dissolved oxygen event, which is considered a natural occurrence as temperatures begin to rise.

Hydrilla is among several noxious and invasive plants listed in the Texas Agriculture Code, which makes it illegal to sell, buy or plant it in the state. But you may be wondering just what the heck hydrilla is and why it’s such a threat.

During Thursday’s special meeting of the Amarillo City Council, the council unanimously approved two flooding-related measures, extending Amarillo Mayor Cole Stanley’s declaration of disaster that was approved last week and purchasing a temporary pump to remove water from the Greenways Playa Lake. According to previous reports by MyHighPlains.com, this comes after the commissioners’ courts from both Potter and Randall counties extended their respective declarations of disaster because of the recent rainfall and flooding.

The new state budget includes a victory for opponents of Marvin Nichols Reservoir, the proposed 66,000-acre impoundment in northeast Texas that would provide water to the Metroplex. After extensive advocacy against the project by Preserve Northeast Texas, a campaign formed in 2021, the budget will include a provision that requires the Texas Water Development Board to conduct a feasibility study by 2025.

About 2,600 Montana Vista residents will transition to a modern wastewater system thanks to almost $29 million in financial help from the Texas Water Development Board. El Paso Water will use the money to construct a wastewater system for about 775 homes in the area, and once the system is built, the residents will stop using their current septic tanks.

Water and wastewater impact fees will nearly double for those developing properties in League City, but the new rates won’t kick in until Dec. 1. League City City Council on June 13 voted 6-1 to raise most impact fees for water and wastewater infrastructure 93%. 

The swimming hole in Wimberley will likely remain closed for the rest of the summer. The region's experience with droughts and an increase in private wells are causing a strain on the nearby aquifer.

Four types of permeable parking lots were installed at the site as part of the research led by Marcio Giacomoni and Tom Papagiannakis, professors in the Margie and Bill Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design’s civil and environmental engineering department. All four lots use permeable materials that allow precipitation to percolate through rather than run off of the lots.

Multiple bond projects were discussed. Larger ones include two different funds, $7 million from obligation bonds and almost $30 million from certificates of obligation. The City Council approved the use of these funds for utility projects such as water, wastewater and electric projects.

Despite ongoing drought restrictions, rules on how − and how often − you can water your lawn are not expected to tighten further in the near future, according to city officials. Although restrictions aren’t expected to increase, current regulations are also not expected to end soon, said City Manager Peter Zanoni.

Bill Nash has owned a 15-acre property in Kerr County, Texas, for over 20 years. He uses rainwater harvesting for home use, as well as to support gardens.

A popular state park south of Dallas has new life after the state decides to use eminent domain to stop the sale to a private developer. The drastic and unanimous vote from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission on Saturday is the next step in what is expected to end up as a lengthy court battle around the future of Fairfield Lake State Park.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Wardens say they're seeing an influx of visitors at Canyon Lake due to lower water levels in nearby rivers and lakes. But with more people on the water, there's a bigger chance for more violations to be made. 

A boil water notice for the San Augustine Rural Public Water System has been rescinded, and the water is now safe to drink. On June 5, a boil water notice was issued due to conditions in the system, and as of June 8, that notice is no longer in effect.

On Thursday night, the state is getting feedback on a plan to dump hundreds of thousands of treated sewage water into a Comal County creek in east Bulverde. There’s concern that if the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality green lights it, sewage water could enter the Edwards Aquifer and the water we drink.