exTRA by the Trinity River Authority of Texas

The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has approved financial assistance totaling $670,975,000 to eight communities for State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT) projects. The TWDB administers cost-effective financial assistance programs for the construction of water supply, wastewater treatment, flood control, and agricultural water conservation projects.

The drought and heat are gripping South Texas and the lack of rain has led to questions about standing water in area lakes, rivers and popular swimming destinations.

The water crisis is here.

And as water levels at Falcon and Amistad international reservoirs continue to plummet, officials are calling the burgeoning water crisis “terrifying,” “urgent,” and “dire.”

The Travis County Commissioners Court unanimously approved a resolution July 19 requesting that the Lower Colorado River Authority accelerate a change to its Highland Lakes water management plan. If LCRA cooperates, a “more protective” approach would be implemented to reflect Central Texas’ shrinking water supply and substantially more arid conditions.

The City of Amarillo is officially adding to it’s water supply by buying 15,768 acres of water rights for $30-million. The purchase increases the city’s water inventory by approximately eight percent and secures Amarillo’s water for years to come.

With no discussion, League City City Council on July 26 updated its flood ordinance requirements, which were last updated in July 2018, partly in response to Hurricane Harvey. The 2018 update required developers to construct new homes over certain elevations to reduce the risk of them flooding.

As of Tuesday, Lake Travis is about 54% full. That means there's about 623,000-acre feet of water in it, or nearly 203 billion gallons of water left over in the lake.

Thanks to a private donor, crew members employed by Presbyterian Night Shelter's UpSpire program have spent the past four years removing trash from Fort Worth’s most polluted parks. 

With record low water levels at Amistad and Falcon reservoirs on the Rio Grande and the Brownsville Public Utilities Board and Rancho Viejo implementing Stage 2 of their drought contingency plans, climate forecasters predict continued drought and worsening water supply issues at least through October.

The Rio Grande is at its lowest levels in almost three decades in rural Zapata County, and there isn’t enough water to be drawn for the 15,000 border residents who depend on it as their sole water source, Border Report has learned. Dry rocks jut from the shores of Falcon Lake, where the Rio Grande runs into before it continues to the Gulf Coast. 

Due to a water main break, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has required the city of Rusk, PWS# 0370003, to notify customers of the need to boil their water prior to consumption.

To ensure destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking, and making ice should be boiled and cooled prior to use.

A new drainage pond aiming to relieve ponding along Hwy. 6 in Manvel is under construction. 

Juárez activists are calling on Mexican authorities to stop the flow of untreated wastewater entering the Rio Grande downstream of the American Dam. While El Paso Water’s wastewater discharge into the Rio Grande ended in January, environmental groups warn that sewage is still threatening the river ecosystem and public health.

Amarillo may be adding to its water supply through buying almost 16,000 acres of water rights for $30 million. The city now has about 263,000 acres of rights in six counties that are largely untapped.

Amarillo continues to experience a hot and dry summer, along with a large portion of the state of Texas and the country as a whole. And, it is starting to have an impact on the city's water. As part of its 2019 Drought Contingency Plan approved by Amarillo City Council, the city is asking residents and businesses to follow Stage 1 of the plan, which consists of a voluntary outdoor watering schedule, according to a news release.