exTRA by the Trinity River Authority of Texas

Bee Cave is the 40th place to receive the designation. Other locations in Texas include Blanco, Dripping Springs, Fredericksburg, Horseshoe Bay, Lakewood Village and Wimberly Valley.

In the fight against the proposed Marvin Nichols Reservoir, state Rep. Gary VanDeaver proposed an amendment Tuesday to require a feasibility study of the project by 2025. The Marvin Nichols Reservoir project would flood 66,000 acres of bottomland hardwood forest in Cuthand, 30 miles southeast of Paris, to provide water to the growing Metroplex 150 miles away.

The city of Granite Shoals is currently replacing an estimated 2,700 water meters with higher-tech versions that will give residents the ability to digitally monitor and manage their usage. The installation began on April 4 and should be completed by the summer, said City Manager Peggy Smith.

Junior Ambassadors from Fort Concho Elementary with Keep San Angelo Beautiful presented a proclamation for Earth Day and ways to clean up the Concho River. The proclamation making April 22, 2023, as Earth Day was done in honor of Fort Concho Elementary student Cash Coy who, “acted boldly and believes in investing in our planet and creating a sustainable environment.”

The San Antonio River Basin received an 'F' on the Basin's report card for public trash collection. The “Don’t Let Litter Trash Your River” initiative intends to educate the communities throughout the basin and encourage the public to take part in helping keep area creeks and rivers clean by not littering and picking up trash when they see it on the ground.

The plants would be activated during emergencies. Lawmakers haven’t decided whether to pay for them through state funds or higher charges to electricity customers.

A plan to reduce flooding in the North Beach area is in the works. On Tuesday, city council will be presented a preliminary design aimed at improving drainage along North Beach. The design is called the Linear Park project. The city of Corpus Christi's Director of Engineering Jeff Edmond said the project will reduce flooding and increase tourism.

City staff said the Solid Waste Department is running at a deficit and balancing its budget would require raising rates, cutting services or both.

Over the last few years, the city has found toxic cyanobacteria in almost every major waterway in Austin. At least five dogs have died as a result of ingesting the algae, and a person fell ill in 2021 after swimming at Sculpture Falls and ingesting the water. 

The city of Kyle is fixing to dump about three times as much wastewater into Plum Creek as it currently does. But the creek won't be able to withstand that influx, advocates say, unless the state locks down stricter pollution regulations. 

Specifically, officials are considering hiring an engineering firm to develop a computerized hydraulic model of the City’s wastewater collection system by conducting field inspections and flow monitoring to measure what is actually passing through sewer lines and lift stations. Using this model, the Utilities Department will be able to identify issues, allowing for a reduction or diversion of excess flow, or identifying the need to increase capacity.

Officials said the designation will allow for more protection for the bird habitats throughout Austin. Some initiatives supported by the Austin City Council include the Lights Out Resolution, enacted in 2021, and the World Migratory Bird Day Resolution, enacted in 2022.

Neighbors and environmentalists are fighting to keep developers off a property south of Boerne, at the Guajolote Ranch. Some environmentalist experts say if homes are built, wastewater could affect the Edwards Aquifer.

The new system will be equipped with tools for easier and more accurate reads as well as a customer portal for citizens to track how much water they’re using. The bottom line is the current meters are outdated. The City of Plainview has been working with Ameresco, a renewable energy and energy efficiency company, to assess the city’s current water meter infrastructure and what could be done to enhance it.

Earth Day Houston takes place this week, highlighting the city’s efforts for a green and environmentally friendly Houston. The City of Houston kicked off day one of Earth Day HTX on Monday with an event highlighting the city's recycling efforts, water conservation programs, solar technology and more.

The bill would require the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to focus enforcement on repeat violators and increase public outreach.

Residents in Killeen, Harker Heights, Copperas Cove and Nolanville were left without backup power in May when an Oncor fuse blew, causing the plant to lose power for three hours, and forcing 200,000 people and businesses across the area to be placed under boil-water notices for days. Similarly, during Winter Storm Uri in February 2021, the district lost power at portions of the plant.

Nearly four years after Tropical Depression Imelda, Southeast Texas has received nearly $26 million in additional funding for disaster recovery-related improvements and upgrades necessitated by the storm. The money was just a portion of more than $227 million in federal disaster recovery funds, which are being administered by the Texas General Land Office, from 2019 flooding in the Lower Rio Grande Valley and Imelda in Southeast Texas.

New businesses planning developments in Pearland will soon be required to pay a raised impact fee. Impact fees allow the city to delegate half the cost of new construction for Pearland’s water and wastewater infrastructure to new developments. The fees lessen the burden from existing businesses and residents who would otherwise have to pay higher water and sewer rates, officials said.

When it comes to Corpus Christi beaches and Padre Island National Seashore (PINS) there are two topics many in the Coastal Bend are passionate about. Those issues are protecting the Sea Turtle Science and Recovery (STSR) Program and protecting vehicle access to the beaches.