exTRA by the Trinity River Authority of Texas

Inside the 4,300 square-foot greenhouse, rows and rows of towers stretch into the sky. Each tower, covered in lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. “Welcome to the starships pantry.”

Ever since drought took serious hold last summer, the reservoirs have been depleted enough to trigger an automatic cutoff for farmers who hold “interruptible” water contracts with the Lower Colorado River Authority, the agency that manages the reservoirs.

Those cutoffs began last July, and the LCRA announced Thursday they would continue this year.

Last year, the Dallas-Fort Worth area recorded sweltering summer temperatures and a 67-day streak without rainfall. Hot temperatures can dry out soil and evaporate water stored in reservoirs, and climate change can make droughts more frequent and severe.

The determination came as the Texas Hill Country continues experiencing severe drought conditions, which are impacting inflows and levels in the region’s water supply reservoirs at Lake Buchanan and Lake Travis. LCRA’s state-approved water management plan required it to cut off Highland Lakes water to agricultural customers in the Gulf Coast, Lakeside and Pierce Ranch operations this year based on the intensity and duration of the drought and amount of water in Lakes Buchanan and Travis on March 1.

After more than a decade of work and millions of borrowed dollars, city officials are falling short of a deadline in which to comply with a state order requiring they complete a sewer system overhaul by March 31. At City Hall, officials have applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for a six-month extension to complete work on two remaining sewer lift stations, Mayor Rick Guerra said Wednesday.

A Dallas developer purchasing Fairfield Lake State Park is considering a plan to sell water from the reservoir to parched North Texas cities, a move that environmentalists say would devastate the popular lake. The 50-year-old state park south of Dallas closed Tuesday after months of negotiations between private companies and the state failed to secure a deal.

Infinity Water Solutions announced agreements covering substantial volumes of recycle-and-reuse water in the New Mexico portion of the Delaware Basin. “This collaborative work with Infinity is part of ExxonMobil’s ongoing efforts to seek industry-leading performance on water management in the Permian, including a continued focus on increasing water recycling and sharing,” David Scott, general manager of ExxonMobil’s Permian Basin business unit. 

According to the most recent report from the Texas Water Development Board, drought conditions in the state continued to contract in East Texas while expanding and intensifying in the Panhandle, as well as in Central and South Texas. The report noted that at the end of February, Texas was experiencing the most widespread drought conditions so far in 2023, after weeks of remaining mostly steady.

The City of Leander has bumped up water restrictions to Phase 3 as repairs continue to rejoin a separated intake pipe under Lake Travis found by utility suppliers last week. Leander Mayor Christine DeLisle said this is being done out of an abundance of caution ahead of warm temperatures expected next week when customers may water lawns.

Invasive species in the Rio Grande Valley range from the aggravating — think fire ants— to fruit pests like citrus canker, citrus greening and the Mexican fruit fly, which cost growers millions in losses. Invasive species’ populations frequently explode when they find themselves in new habitats, having bypassed nature’s checks and balances in a new ecosystem that lacks the predators, parasites or diseases that keep things symmetrical.

The free program is being implemented to provide city customers with an easy-to-use service portal. The software also allows users to view consumption analytics, hourly information and recommendations on how to save money through water use.

What’s the most unique field trip you went on as a kid? For students with the Central Texas FIRST Lego League, it may be to the Flintrock Wastewater Treatment Plant to get an up close look at the science behind getting rid of our poop.

“I thought it was cool, because it was foggy,” said Yuvaan Iyer with FLL. “I wanted to know if it was like poop water.”

In normal times, there would be people hanging out around the well, dangling their feet in Cypress Creek or enjoying lunch on the rocks overlooking the water. But this year is unlike any other year in recorded history for the artisan spring. Hays County, which operates the Jacob’s Well Natural Area, has had to close Jacob’s Well to visitors for the spring and summer season due to a near-zero outflow of water.

Researchers came to that conclusion after testing toilet paper and wastewater sludge for PFAS. They found fluorotelomer phosphate diester, a type of "forever chemical," in both toilet paper and wastewater sludge.

Broken water main in Marlin adds to the city’s growing list of infrastructural challenges. The cause of the break, according to Cedric Davis, Marlin's city manager is the city’s old steel pipes that are in dire need of replacement.

Local environmental groups have raised concerns after a landowner filed a permit application with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to dump 600,000 gallons of treated sewage a day into a creek that feeds into the Comal River. The application - which was filed in September - is asking to build a wastewater treatment facility near New Braunfels off State Highway 46.

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett secured $2 million in federal funds for the city of Kyle's reclaimed water master plan. “With the climate crisis already impacting Central Texas, water is perhaps the precious resource that is most threatened. This direct federal funding will allow the city of Kyle to move forward with new water infrastructure to conserve resources and increase drought resilience,” Doggett said in a statement. “These new funds will enable expanded use of reclaimed water in planning for this rapidly growing community.”

Nearly three months into a temporary development moratorium enacted in late December, the city of Magnolia is adding water wells while having discussions with local developers on several more—all in an effort to meet the demand for water. With two wells in the works, City Engineer Mike Kurzy said he believes the moratorium could be lifted by this summer, depending on how construction goes.

“It’s no secret for the city of Edcouch that, for many years, we’ve had issues with our water plant,” Edcouch City Manager Victor Hugo de la Cruz said this week. And it’s not just creating clean water that concerns leaders in the Delta city. Cleaning effluent — or sewage — is causing them just as many headaches. The small town’s 35-year-old wastewater treatment plant is reaching the end of its lifespan right as Edcouch is poised to see a residential development boom.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, at the request of state Rep. Abel Herrero, D-Robstown, hosted the three-hour hearing to garner public comments to consider when determining whether to renew a wastewater discharge permit for Corpus Christi Polymers, a plastics plant being built on the Joe Fulton International Trade Corridor. The plant will be capable of producing a form of polymer used in the production of plastic bottles or containers for food packaging and beverages, and material used to make polyester fibers for clothing, bed sheets, curtains and bedspreads. 

The Brownsville Herald caught up with Garcia, a 20-year veteran of the city, to ask about some of the bigger projects on his department’s to-do list for the coming year and beyond. Some of the biggest ones have to do with either traffic or water — traffic signal synchronization and drainage projects specifically.

Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District board President Ryan Rowney wants to hold regular stakeholder meetings, allowing community representatives to provide input on groundwater management in Burnet County. The idea, Rowney said, is to bridge the gap between different interest groups in the community and raise awareness of the challenges Burnet County faces with the ongoing drought.