exTRA by the Trinity River Authority of Texas

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Starting next week, the Lower Colorado River Authority will be removing and replacing each of the nine floodgates at Tom Miller Dam in central Austin.

The project is expected to last 18 months and cost $9.9 million. The floodgates being replaced are the original floodgates installed during construction of the dam nearly 80 years ago.

The LCRA says the dam will remain operational in case of flooding and for water supply needs. One by one, floodgates will be removed and each one will take about six weeks to replace. 

Changing estimates of Hurricane Harvey-related pollution underscore questions about just how much air and water pollution was truly released in the aftermath of Harvey and how much of it could or should have been avoided by better planning, maintenance and procedures, a new report says. The report, released Thursday, chronicles the amount of air and water pollution caused by Harvey and how state, local and industrial officials can better prepare for the next big storm.

The Lower Colorado River Authority is in the midst of its first sunset review, which could result in the Texas Legislature mandating the entity make changes to its performance and mission.

Organizations such as nonprofit Central Texas Water Coalition see the sunset process as an opportunity to invoke change.

The LCRA came into existence in 1935 by an act of the Legislature. It was created to address the flooding of the Colorado River, provide a source of reliable water and generate electricity through the construction of a series of dams.

$1.5 million was the most recent projected cost of the Plethora sculpture, which will no longer be the centerpiece public art work at San Pedro Creek Culture Park. The San Antonio River Authority (SARA) issued a request for qualifications last week seeking a new public art project for the site.

Plethora‘s original budget of $735,000 escalated in part because of a change to a more expensive construction material to improve the sculpture’s structural integrity.

AUSTIN -- Ryan Farnau is experiencing high water bills this summer for his urban farm and having to rely on using city water, though he’s implemented a rain catchment system. “After one rain event, like July 4, we filled our rain catchment totes which are over 400 gallons a piece,” Farnau said. “We used that rainwater in less than a week.” Farnau, who owns F-Stop Farm in Austin, has a system that’s able to hold more than 2,200 gallons of rainwater. However, the ongoing Texas heat and drought is impacting farmers and their crops across the state. Farnau hasn’t had many opportunities to use rainwater for his farm.

San Antonio City Council on Thursday unanimously approved a package of zoning changes aimed at managing development surrounding the four Spanish colonial missions along the San Antonio River on the city’s South Side.

Dozens of properties in the so-called World Heritage Buffer Zone were “downzoned” – meaning any new business or structures there will be restricted to lower intensity uses – and others were given mixed-use zoning that allows for more flexible development. Click here to learn more about the changes and download maps of the properties

River Authority officials say the rate increase is all about responding to the need for better flood preparedness that emerged after Hurricane Harvey slammed the Texas Gulf Coast nearly a year ago.

Sparked by the damage Hurricane Harvey brought to the area one year ago, county and area water officials are pushing forward flood studies in hopes of preventing future flooding. However, as many residents anxiously wait out this year’s hurricane season, actual construction to prevent flooding may be years away from beginning.

Despite all the rain, Wichita Falls got on Monday, city leaders are always thinking about the next drought.On Tuesday Wichita Falls City Council is expected to adopt revisions to their Water Conservation and Drought Contingency plan.It's something they're required to do every five years.But they're doing it six months early so they can include it in an application for their latest water conservation project, Lake Ringgold.

Although San Angelo has received a good amount of rainfall since last week, Drought Level 1 restrictions appear unlikely to end just yet.

The city has received 3.59 inches of rain since Thursday, pushing the 2018 total to 13.52 inches, according to the National Weather Service of San Angelo. That's over an inch above the year-to-date average of 12.48 inches, but the water supply remains under 24 months.

Houston City Council Member Dave Martin, a representative and resident of the Kingwood area, believes the addition of 10 gates to the Lake Houston dam is the single most important project that can be done to prevent future flooding in the Lake Houston area.

Ten Fort Worth businesses in 2017 used nearly 2.6 billion gallons of water. The top five: the MillerCoors brewery, Alcon Laboratories, the Fort Worth school district, Lockheed Martin and Texas Health Resources.

Travis County has slipped into moderate drought after several weeks with little to no rain, a map released Thursday by the U.S. Drought Monitor shows.

The latest data shows that, as of Thursday, only 22 percent of the state is drought-free, compared to 73 percent at this time last year.