exTRA by the Trinity River Authority of Texas

Recent heavy rains are opening up more woes for the City of Jourdanton as drainage issues become the new topic of discussion at city council meetings. On top of poor road conditions worsening from recent rains, local flooding is becoming a problem as the city seeks relief with a grant to help ease the issue.

As wildfires continue to blaze across Canada, many parts of the United States — including North Texas — are feeling the effects of smoky skies. Air quality in Dallas was moderate as of Wednesday afternoon. A combination of particle pollution and increased ozone levels are responsible for the current air quality.

A total of $28 million in funding was approved by the Texas Water Development Board to make improvements in the Montana Vista community. The money will be used for the planning, acquisition, design, and construction of water and wastewater system projects in Montana Vista.

Despite an unusually rainy spring, Austinites should hold off celebrating any end to the statewide dry spell. Austin Water staff joined City Council’s Austin Water Oversight Committee last week to discuss the ongoing crisis, confirming that the city is still on track to meet the Stage 2 drought threshold by the end of the year. 

Democratic U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, of California, on Monday, visited the Tijuana River Valley Wastewater Treatment Plant on the U.S. side of the border to announce that $300 million has been budgeted to stem the flow of raw sewage from Mexico into California. The money is part of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, which set aside money to clean up the environment along the southern border.

Bags flew at the Lake Livingston Project recently as Trinity River Authority employees battled it out in a cornhole tournament. Thanks to the efforts and generosity of the staff, $3,750 was raised to donate to Polk County Childrenz Haven. 

The bills will give owners of natural gas power plants incentives to build more capacity, but they don't go as far as originally proposed to change how electricity is created and sold in the Texas market.

“When you get a million dollars, that is great news for the City of Orange.” That was how Public Works Director Adam Jack responded recently when asked about the city’s recent $1 million grant award for sewer system improvements.

In March, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed the first-ever national drinking water standard for six perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS. They are part of a large, complex group of synthetic chemicals that have been used in consumer products around the world since the 1950s, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. 

After nearly a year in Stage 3 drought restrictions, New Braunfels moved to Stage 2 on May 29 due to recent rains in the region. Rainfall has allowed New Braunfels to meet the following Stage 2 criteria, according to New Braunfels Utilities.

Recent rainfall has helped North Texas' drought conditions.

Laredo Utilities Director Arturo Garcia described the city's water quality as "excellent" while presenting at the June 5 City Council meeting and said it remains in Stage 1 of the Water Conservation and Drought Contingency Plan as recent rainfall has led to steady increases at the Amistad Reservoir. The Amistad Reservoir was at 38.8% when Garcia presented to City Council.

Governor Greg Abbott today issued a disaster declaration for the Texas Panhandle, High Plains, and South Plains regions impacted by severe storms and flooding that began on May 27 and continues to affect homes, businesses, and the agriculture industry throughout the region. The counties in the Governor’s declaration include: Bailey, Briscoe, Castro, Deaf Smith, Garza, Hale, Lamb, Lynn, Potter, Randall, Parmer, and Roberts counties.

Not to scare you, but gardening in Texas can be dangerous work. Know which plants to stay away from. 

Contemporary Glass Tempering LLC plans to construct the 80,000 square-foot manufacturing facility on Interstate 45 in Ferris. It’s the second major announcement in the Ellis County town in the last week. Dallas-based Henry S. Miller Co. is planning a $35 million apartment and mixed-use development in Ferris.

Over the weekend, state Sen. Roland Gutierrez joined the growing number of politicians and residents opposing a Hill Country wastewater plant. The plant would release an average of 1 million gallons a day of treated sewer effluent into Helotes Creek, which is located across the Edwards Aquifer’s contributing and recharge zones. 

Due to a break in a line, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has required San Augustine Rural Public Water System to notify all customers who were formerly Bland Lake customers on CR 114, FM 1279, FM 3230, Hwy 96 N, FM 711 and Hwy 147 N to boil their water prior to consumption (eg., washing hands/face, brushing teeth, drinking, etc). 

"The local developer that purchased the park land and surrounding land totaling roughly 5,000 acres to build a luxury gated community with multimillion-dollar homes has said his company is moving forward with those plans. But state officials aren’t ready to accept defeat.... Now that Fairfield Lake State Park is closed to the public, Texas officials are discussing condemning the land to acquire it from Todd Interests."

Due to a missing part within a well, the city of Bullard is currently under a stage 3 water conservation. The city manager, David Hortman, sent out a mass message notifying the city of the need to conserve water. "We do have the ability to write a citation, no less than $100, no more than $500," said city manager David Hortman.

During this year’s legislative session, Texas lawmakers allocated part of the state’s historic $32.7 billion surplus toward better protecting the state against droughts and floods — an investment that followed one of the hottest summers on record and the worst drought in a decade. One billion dollars of the state’s surplus money during this budget cycle will go toward water supply and water infrastructure projects, if voters approve the idea this fall. 

Citing a lack of conclusive evidence that discharge from the proposed plant would not degrade the quality of the Edwards Aquifer, both the City of Helotes and Dorazio, who represents Helotes and the surrounding area, are calling on the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to deny a permit for the plant. In voicing their concerns last week, they joined hundreds of local residents who are calling on the TCEQ to deny the applicant, Lennar Homes, a building permit to construct a wastewater plant that would serve a 2,900-home development the Florida-based developer is planning to build on 1,160 acres north of San Antonio known as the Guajolote Ranch.

The Helotes City Council is taking a stand against a proposal that would dump about a million gallons of treated wastewater into Helotes Creek, a swimming hole in Grey Forest, where some of that water could end up. The council voted unanimously on Thursday to oppose the water permit by Municipal Operations LLC to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.