exTRA by the Trinity River Authority of Texas

A new drought contingency plan for the city of Pflugerville now limits residents outdoor watering to two days per week, year-round, as part of new conservation efforts. The new plan went into effect on Jan. 24 following City Council approval. 

Approximately three decades after resolving a similar issue, a problem has once again erupted that has put the City of Nuevo Laredo’s wastewater treatment plant system into the spotlight.

There are several concerns over the discharge of raw sewage and dirty water, or aguas negras, into the Rio Grande that has concerned many border officials. Among them is Rep. Henry Cuellar (TX-28), who said the cost to do repairs is in the millions but the money is there if both local and state governments from the United States and Mexico work together to solve the issue. 

Fair Oaks Ranch residents, thousands of whom lost power Wednesday night, came close to having to boil their water as well.

Transmission lines owned by a neighboring utility slowed CPS Energy’s ability to restore power to the municipality of roughly 10,500 people, which was forced to issue a water conservation notice because a water pumping station lost power.

The city of Marlin is relieved to still have water during the winter storm. City manager, Cedric Davis, said Marlin’s water is flowing smoothly. “It’s like winter storm Uri all over. So, hopefully, everyone around the state can stay warm,” said Davis.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to investigate allegations that the state is failing to enforce the Clean Water Act. Environmentalists say the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s system of issuing permits has made it too easy for industries to contaminate rivers, lakes and estuaries.

In the coming year, local projects will increase water treatment capabilities. The Water Treatment Plant Rehabilitation project is under construction in Cedar Park. This project involving replacing protective coatings of storage tanks and treatment units is one of the most important things the city can do to maintain the lifespan of equipment, Utility Engineering Manager Mike Huber said.

Over the weekend, a massive sinkhole formed along N. Tancahua St causing traffic delays for many drivers, and also raising questions regarding the city's efforts to repair our underground waterlines. The repairs to N. Tancuhua Street have been made, but the road will be shutdown until it can be paved in a week. 

The new plant is being built in accordance with a contract between Aqua Texas and the developers of Granite Pointe, Sterling Creek Holdings. It will have a higher processing capacity, operate more efficiently, and produce less odor, according to Aqua Texas representatives. The cost is expected to be about $2.5 million to $3 million.

As the western U.S. continues to grapple with drought worsened by climate change, technology aimed at making it rain is attracting more attention. What’s known as “cloud seeding” is a decades-old practice of spraying special particles, like silver iodide, into the air to boost precipitation (with vastly varying outcomes).

The City of Sweetwater is partnering with Secure Vision of America to replace meters at every Sweetwater home and business with smart meters. After installation, users will be able to view their hourly water use data, receive automatic leak alerts, and notice consistent, 30-day billing periods.

Due to a main line break, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has required the Rusk Rural Water Supply Company to notify all customers to boil their water prior to consumption. In lieu of boiling, individuals may purchase bottled water or obtain water from some other suitable source for drinking water or human consumption purposes.

Winter storms brought heavy rain and snow to much of the eastern U.S. and from the Pacific Northwest to the central Rockies this week with above-normal precipitation observed from the southern Plains to the Southeast and along the East Coast. Precipitation led to abnormal dryness and drought improvements in the central Plains, Midwest, Southeast and Northeast. Conversely, conditions worsened over dryer areas including Idaho/Montana, southern Texas and the Florida Panhandle.

Mill Creek faces continuing water pressure problems as a result of rushed preliminary development of the city. Though Magnolia is trying to find solutions, these issues have been on-going since residents moved into Mill Creek, and they are forced to await the construction of a well to find a solution to the problems.

“Our backs are against the wall”, said Mayor Marvin Self in a special meeting of City Council members on Tuesday. This was the sentiment of all council members during the meeting.

New Braunfels Utilities (NBU) says the notice is for its customers in the Riverchase Pressure Zone, about 10 miles Northeast of Downtown New Braunfels. The reason is that the pressure of the system fell below 20 psi during the outage. They are working to restore the water pressure.

The project, originally green-lit in November 2019, set out to address critical ponding and structural flooding issues, targeting a series of problematic areas within the subdivision as part of a 2019 general obligation bonds project. According to staff reports at the time, the project was initiated six months after what city officials at the time described as more than 13 inches of rain in nine hours and was completed by J Rivas Construction LLC. The project was originally slated to be completed in October 2022.

Six years after a suspected chemical contamination of the water supply, city officials are moving forward with plans to spend an additional $1.3 million to safeguard against future incidents. The plan for the earmarked dollars covers a range of new equipment and training to respond to and prevent the circumstances that led up to the dayslong December 2016 ban.