exTRA by the Trinity River Authority of Texas

Authorities took water samples from areas that caused the deaths of several dogs after they consumed water from the lake. The results continue to show high levels of cyanotoxins in Lake Belton at Morgan’s Point Marina and the Pima Lane Cove.

Blayne has been a pipeline engineer and project manager with the Trinity River Authority of Texas for the last three years. Prior to joining TRA, he was a project engineer at an engineering consulting firm specializing in water and wastewater projects. In his spare time, Blayne enjoys mountain biking, distance running and other outdoor activities, as well as coaching runners who train for the Cowtown Marathon.
 
We asked Blayne what his favorite part of being on the EC is, and he says: "Definitely the people. All of the EC members are easy and fun to work with, which makes planning events go very smoothly. Personally, my favorite part of being in the EC is having a role in getting our members to engage with one another at our meetings, both on a technical level as well as socially."
 
Thanks for your dedication to WEAT, Blayne! Stay tuned to meet more of your EC soon. 

The Abilene City Council adopted a five-year water utility rate plan that Rodney Taylor, the city’s director of water utilities, said should better cover existing expenses and ultimately help shave interest costs from longer-term projects. A typical residential water/sewer bill, with 5,000 gallons of usage, jumps from $56 per month currently to $57.50 in 2022, then rises incrementally in subsequent fiscal years to a high of $81.75 in 2028.

State resources are at the ready as heavy rains threaten flash flooding in Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend on Thursday-Friday, July 8-9, and beyond. The rain is expected to continue for the next few days and has already resulted in sanitary sewer overflow as well as road closures across the area. A flash flood watch is in effect until 7 p.m. Friday.

A police commander calls it the worst flooding he's ever seen in his 32 years on the force, and Rockport's mayor says the city received half a year's worth of rain in a few hours. Both of them have advice for residents with more rain in the forecast.

Summer is here and Arlington Water Utilities wants to help residents determine how much water their lawns need. The EPA estimates that up to 50 percent of outdoor water usage during the summer is wasted due to overwatering. 

Algae samples collected June 22 from Lake Travis did not detect toxic cyanobacteria, also referred to as blue-green algae, according to a July 2 news release from the Lower Colorado River Authority.

The LCRA collected the samples from the Travis Landing region of the lake, where algae samples have tested positive for cyanotoxins, the toxins produced by cyanobacteria, since February.

In late June, samples from the area reflected a significant decline in toxicity for the first time since testing began this spring. 

The pelting of the Rio Grande Valley began as early as Tuesday, with rain that created moments of flooding throughout the region.

As of Friday afternoon, National Weather Service RGV meteorologist David Reese said the radar estimated rainfall totals for the San Benito area at 6 to 9 inches. And it continued to rain. But after all is said and done, San Benito Mayor Ricardo Guerra says the city’s drainage system did what it was supposed to do.

With a seemingly never-ending summer rain and peak hurricane season approaching, officials are signaling to ways to keep safe while boating on Lake Conroe. “If it’s not a bright sunny day, (boaters) pretty much need to have their navigational lights on,” said Lt. Miguel Rosario of the Montgomery County Precinct 1 Constable’s marine division. 

The Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority won a victory in an appeals court in its fight with property owners along four of the Guadalupe Valley Lakes System lakes in and around Guadalupe County. The Fourth Court of Appeals rendered a decision in the Williams v. GBRA case, holding that the property owners lacked legal standing to sue the river authority, according to a statement GBRA released Wednesday. 

As the City of Laredo continues to wait for its water system to be corrected, officials put out a statement on Thursday night indicating this ordeal may not be finished until next week. The city stated that it completed its conversion to free chlorine on both water treatment plants on Wednesday, and that tank conversion is “expected to be complete by early Friday morning.

A large amount of rain has caused the Nueces County WCID #4 sanitary sewer to be overwhelmed. Port Aransas Residents have been urged to avoid unnecessary water use. The city reports multiple overflows from sanitary sewer manholes in the area of Beach & Alister and Ave A & Oleander. These overflows, totaling over the 100,000-gallon threshold, meet the standards to require the notice.

Governor Greg Abbott announced Wednesday that state resources have been put on standby as heavy rains and flash flooding hit Central and South Texas over the next few days. A high risk of flash flooding is expected along the Texas Coastal Bend today and tomorrow, and river flooding is likely to occur in the Coastal Bend and portions of South Texas tomorrow.

Help is on the way for a flood prone area of southeast Texas. In May the federal government awarded nearly $16 million to Vidor for drainage improvements, and now we're getting a first look at the timeline of when the project will get underway. During the July fourth weekend , 6 inches of rain fell in Vidor in only about an hour-and a-half. Flooding streets all around, including Mike Rhodes' neighborhood.

Residents in a Northwest Side community say flooding problems have been escalating in their neighborhood after some of them spent several hours stranded in their homes, while others were displaced after rainwater went in their homes.