exTRA by the Trinity River Authority of Texas

The growth in Bell County and surrounding areas along the Interstate 35 corridor were recognized as areas of concern that could experience water supply shortages. To address this problem a pipeline will take water from Belton Lake to Stillhouse Hollow Lake to provide water to residents during drought conditions, a pipeline like the one being proposed running from Stillhouse Hollow Lake to Georgetown.

Dallas City Councilmembers Wednesday heard an “after action” report on the city’s response to August flooding. Some spots in Dallas recorded 15 inches of rain beginning the night of Aug. 21. It left heavy flooding in places that never saw such damage before.

Record-setting rainfall in August has pushed back the need to restrict water use, said Rachel Ickert, the chief water resources officer for the Tarrant Regional Water District. Before the massive storms last month, Ickert said the water district would likely instruct its customers to enter Stage 1, or the ‘Water Watch’ stage, of its drought contingency plan by late September or early October. 

Conservation measures prohibit all outdoor watering, and Leander water customers are asked to turn off irrigation systems completely and limit other nonessential uses until further notice.

Viral TikTok of person swimming at the San Antonio River Walk isn't just illegal, it's also unsafe. The river, however, has so much fecal matter in it that only 28 of the 76 water quality testing sites meet the state’s standard for swimming and wading, according to the river authority’s latest water quality report card.

Drought was the big story this summer. However, that changed in late August. The Brazos Valley experienced several rounds of widespread rainfall, dropping 1-2″ of rain multiple times to areas that desperately needed it.

The cracked and broken pipeline, which routes from the city's wastewater treatment plant located at 25839 I-10 Frontage Road, Katy, to detention areas near Pin Oak Road, has caused sinkholes to develop along the bottom of the ditch.

The population of the iconic insect has declined by 85% in the past 20 years. That makes it dangerously close to extinction.

Residents are facing a 3-percent boost in water rates as officials plan to help offset rising costs. Meanwhile, officials are proposing to cut about 3.5 cents per $100 valuation off the property tax rate.

Due to dry weather conditions and notable population growth, Georgetown water officials are encouraging residents to conserve water as they work to bring more capacity online.

"It will identify areas that need stormwater infrastructure. It will inventory our existing stormwater infrastructure," said Franchon Stearns, the city's capital improvement project manager. Dension will hire engineers to develop the plan for $254,000. Stearns said this data will become increasingly crucial as the city grows. 

A plan to maintain a stable water supply in Bell County has been years in the works, and now plans are moving forward that will eventually start the construction of a new pipeline.

San Antonio, and unincorporated Bexar County to the north get their water through the San Antonio Water System, which pumps 50% of its water from the Edwards Aquifer. The aquifer has seen water levels significantly drop—down to levels not seen since 2014.

Recent rains over the last month have removed drought conditions throughout the Rio Grande Valley and the deep South Texas Ranch and Brush Country, according to the National Weather Service in Brownsville.

A Taylor hemp farmer said the drought-tolerant crop proved to be just that, but there's more to be done to increase profitability. While hemp can be used for CBD, the company focuses on industrial use and turns the plant into fiber and hurd.

The Brazos River Authority is announcing a pipeline project to connect Belton Lake and Stillhouse Hollow Lake within the next 8 years. This would also give the Brazos River Authority more flexibility to serve Williamson county and the Georgetown area. 

"The goal for us is to maximize reuse, so that you can limit the amount of freshwater consumption," CEO and cofounder Alex Rappaport told CNBC in a video interview. "We're going to enable a future of water abundance."

Derby residents have had its water cut off since August 6 and more than a month later they’re still without water. The water provider, Derby ING, says they do not have a timeline for when water will be restored.

The Region 12 draft states that under existing San Antonio-area conditions, roughly 19,100 structures, 753 miles of roadway, 2,733 roadway crossings and almost 80 square miles of agricultural land are at risk of flooding during a 100-year flood event.

The City Of Wolfforth has been under a water restriction for years, this restriction prohibits the use of automatic irrigation systems. The citizens of Wolfforth say that they are tired of it, but at Monday’s city council meeting members claimed to have finally found a solution.