exTRA by the Trinity River Authority of Texas

With Corpus Christi's water supply under pressure, Ingleside is in talks with Seven Seas Water Group to build a reverse osmosis plant for long-term relief.

As Austin continues to court high-tech industries that could require large amounts of water, a task force planning the city’s future water supply is warning that economic development cannot come at the expense of conservation. On Tuesday, the Water Forward Task Force — a community-led group monitoring Austin’s future water supply needs — approved recommendations aimed at ensuring new high-water-use industries, such as semiconductor manufacturers and data centers, undergo a public approval process and make greater use of recycled, non-potable water.

Richardson residents are set to see water and wastewater rate increases this November as City Council considers new rate structures in light of rising costs for water and related services.

Texas is poised to become the world's largest data center market in the next four years, according to the Data Center Coalition. But the vast expansion of data centers in the state has drawn growing concerns from residents and elected officials in the greater Houston-area suburbs.

In May, a report from real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield named Dallas the No. 1 primary data center market in the world, stating these centers powering the internet are flocking to Texas to take advantage of the state’s pro-business attitude, independent and deregulated power grid and abundance of land. 

NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida sent a mobile wastewater treatment system to the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. The unit will help prepare for long-duration missions on the Moon and Mars. Graduate students at the university will integrate the Divergent Deployable Wastewater Treatment Facility with the university’s Integrated Lunar/Martian Analog Habitat to test the combined units under conditions designed to closely mimic the challenges of operating on another planetary surface.

More concerns about the water in the small Texas town of Trinidad have arisen after a family says their daughter suffered a chemical burn after showering with the city's water.

Pearland City Council is moving forward with an $83.5 million bond sale to fund major water, sewer, and drainage projects across the city. The sale, which was advanced by council at its June 8 meeting, also refinanced older bonds and pays off existing debt early, generating about $3 million in interest savings for the city, according to city documents.

Texas is becoming a bigger piece of Google’s data center map, and water is now part of the sales pitch. Google announced the Google Texas Water Impact Fund, a $10 million effort to support community water sources, infrastructure, and access in Texas. The timing matters because Google is expanding its cloud and AI infrastructure across the state. The company says responsible water planning must grow along with those data centers.

The 2026 tournament will bring millions of visitors to 16 host cities across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico during the hottest weeks of the year.

When a family in Taylor, Texas, transferred 87 acres to a public trust for $10 in 1999, the goal was simple: the land was supposed to become a public park, according to 404 Media. Instead, the site, located at 1601 E. Martin Luther King Blvd., took a different path. 

Marble Falls is installing early flood warning systems at low water crossings along major city roadways after receiving a grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

Tarrant County Public Health is working with state officials to keep people informed about communicable illnesses during the event.

Hut 8 says its proposed AI data center near Robstown won't use local water, but questions remain about incentives, agreements and its tenant.

"When courage and leadership were badly needed, the Corpus Christi City Council once again completely failed the citizens they represent,” said Gov. Abbott's office.

Mobilization of this project is scheduled for the week of June 15, and it may take two to three months before completion.