exTRA by the Trinity River Authority of Texas

The San Jacinto River Authority approved the “temporary and seasonal” lowering of Lake Conroe during hurricane season for 2019 on Thursday. The move represents the continuation of a temporary flood-mitigation strategy that gained the approval of local and state officials last year.

Councilwoman Rebecca Huss questioned Wastewater Plant Flow numbers presented in the monthly operations report by Gulf Utility Service, Inc. on Tuesday that could mean the difference in the small city needing to pay millions of dollars it does not have.

Spurred by memories of last June’s record rains, and the looming hurricane season, city officials from across the Valley met yesterday with the top official of the International Boundary and Water Commission to discuss rising concerns about flood control.

Texas municipalities, including the City of Heath, are responsible for the enforcement and regulation of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) rules addressing the testing of backflow prevention assemblies on private property.

Texas is far behind other states when it comes to the quality of tap water, according to a national database. Last month a nonprofit organization environmental working group created a database to show what's in the drinking water for U. S. cities. The database showed Brownsville and McAllen had 12 contaminants over health guidelines and Harlingen had 10.

Postponement of a Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) decision on Wimberley’s proposed change of scope for its wastewater project now places those plans in limbo.

Residents may soon see a bit of a break in their water bills after information recently presented to city council. At the Monday, Feb. 25 council meeting, a presentation regarding the city’s water and and wastewater rates was given by Rebecca Schafer of NewGen Strategies and Solutions.

The foul-smelling flow started when a concrete sewer pipe collapsed and then another pipe broke. That led to the two creeks spilling the raw sewage.

Almost $16 million was provided by the Texas Water Development Board this week in financing for water system projects in the cities of Arlington, Garland and Grand Prairie.

Lake LBJ is presently being refilled in an effort to commence with upcoming cleanup and construction projects. The lake was lowered in December of 2018, following the historic flooding that took place in the fall. However, there's a concern the refill is premature due to what might yet be submerged.

Two Bexar County commissioners directed the San Antonio River Authority this week to avoid future cost overruns on the San Pedro Creek Culture Park project

Parts of University Drive was shut down Wednesday after a broken water pipe flooded the Moudy plaza. The street suffered a 12-inch water line flood, said Mary Gugliuzza, the Fort Worth water and wastewater public information officer.

McAllen Public Utility (MPU) celebrated the ribbon cutting ceremony for its North Wastewater Treatment Plant, located at 2100 W. Sprague, on Thursday, February 28, 2019.

A new vessel is joining the Port Aransas Ferry Operations fleet. It was presented before area leaders Friday and given its name.

The Lakeway Municipal Utility District has started the pilot phase of the Out of District Wastewater project. As of mid-February, nine homes have been switched successfully from operating on their personal septic system to being hooked up to the public sewer system.

The City of Aransas Pass is currently under a mandatory water boil until further notice. According to city officials, they are still looking for a possible leak that caused a change in pressure on the northside of town.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality issued a wastewater discharge permit to Dripping Springs on Wednesday, giving the city authority to expand its existing wastewater plant and discharge up to 822,500 gallons of effluent per day into Onion Creek.

Work began Feb. 25 to extend the Salado sewer collection system to the Salado ISD properties on Thomas Arnold Road and Williams Dr. even though the properties have not yet been annexed into the Village of Salado.

The Lower Colorado River Authority and the Texas Department of Transportation are coordinating efforts to clean up debris from the RM 2900 bridge that washed away along the Llano River arm of Lake LBJ during historic flooding in October.

A growing number of cities are dumping treated wastewater into the very places we enjoy and get our drinking water. The concerns are real.