exTRA by the Trinity River Authority of Texas

AMARILLO - Drought conditions are getting worse throughout the panhandle. Right now, the drought monitor is showing a combination of extreme and severe drought in the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles, and Amarillo is right in the middle of an extreme drought pocket. Chief Meteorologist John Harris said with the ongoing lack of precipitation, always make sure to be courteous of the burn bans, and be aware of how you dispose of your flammable materials.

The San Jacinto River Authority was denied motions to dismiss a mass tort lawsuit involving more than 100 Lake Houston area residents.
Bradford T. Laney, Kingwood resident and lawyer with Raley & Bowick LLP, filed the lawsuit in October when his and hundreds of other area homes flooded after Hurricane Harvey.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has given the green light to the state's first new reservoir in 30 years, a project expected to meet the water needs of North Texas' rapidly growing population for years to come.

Since spring is around the corner, some of you will be turning on your irrigation system for the first time since last fall. I want to advise you to be careful and not just turn on the controller. Very few people know how to set the controller. Also, not too many people know how much water they put on their lawn through the irrigation system. Let me try and break it down for you. My irrigation system has 10 zones. Each zone has 10 sprinkler heads that put out 1 gallon a minute. Each zone is set to irrigate for 20 minutes, so that’s a total of 200 minutes. Each zone will put out 200 gallons of water in 20 minutes. The total amount of water for one night would be 2,000 gallons.

For months, Cleburne residents have complained about the quality of water both at home and at local restaurants. Linda Starke recently shared her experience with tap water on the Times-Review Facebook page. “I drank Cleburne water at two different restaurants, and both made me sick with diarrhea,” she said. A recent press release from the city notes that officials are aware of areas throughout the city that may be experiencing changes with the taste and odor of the water.

The Coppell City Council approved an ordinance to increase the water and sewer rates beginning on Feb.1. Under this ordinance, the water and sewer rates will rise in order to cover the increase in the rates charged by Trinity River Authority (TRA) for wastewater treatment service and Dallas Water Utilities (DWU) for water purchased by Coppell. The increase will also fund $30 million in capital improvements to the water and sewer system.

A two and a half year process has finally ended with a settlement agreement where Victoria County Commissioners stopped a land owner from receiving a permit to dump hazardous products on Their land. Commissioner Clint Ives calls this a victory for Victoria County. On Monday, County Judge Ben Zeller made this agreement officials, where he signed The settlement document.

A deep dive into the many water issues facing the Permian Basin oil and gas industry – and the region’s communities – is in the works for late February. The University of Texas of the Permian Basin is sponsoring the inaugural Permian Basin Water In Energy Conference Feb. 20-23. Events will be held at the Petroleum Museum, Horseshoe and Odessa Country Club. “Our plan at UT Permian Basin is to be responsive to the needs of our community and have a significant impact,” said Sandra Woodley, UTPB president, by email. “This water conference is a great example of that commitment. We want to be part of the solution for an important issue in the oil and gas industry and we want our students to play a role in the process and learn from the experts in this field.”

Hurricane Harvey delivered torrential rain to Southeast Texas in late August, causing millions of dollars in damage, displacing hundreds of Montgomery County families and shutting the doors of many businesses. Prior to Harvey, Montgomery County residents experienced two major flooding events in two consecutive years: the April 2016 Tax Day and May 2015 Memorial Day floods. Local, state and federal officials intend for flood mitigation to be a priority in 2018.

FANNIN COUNTY, Tex. (KXII) - The North Texas Municipal Water District has been approved to build a 16,000 acre reservoir in Fannin County, a $1.2 billion project, and the first new reservoir in Texas in 30 years. But not everyone is excited about it, like rancher Thump Witcher. "My dad bought this property in 1960, and it's been my life dream to live down here," he said. Witcher had every plan to retire peacefully at his dream ranch in northeast Fannin County, but said he has no choice now but to be kicked out. His family has owned land nearby for nearly a century.

Carrollton officials say water rates from Dallas Water Utilities (DWU) and the Trinity River Authority (TRA) are going up, and residents will have to pay more due to that increase. The city staff is recommending the City Council raise water rates by March. Bob Scott, chief financial officer for the city of Carrollton, said the TRA, which supplies all wastewater treatment for the city, has been raising their rates due to an extensive capital program.

DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) – A group of Dripping Spring residents will be gathering Thursday night to begin a campaign to stop the city of Dripping Springs from releasing treated wastewater into Onion Creek. The city began discussions in 2016 when it applied for a permit with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to dump 1 million gallons of treated wastewater a day into the creek to keep up with the growing

Like a lot of smart people, during and after Hurricane Harvey, Arturo Leon put a lot of thought into potential solutions to a problem that has confounded the Bayou City for decades: how to keep water from rushing into the city from watersheds west of town. And the UH civil engineering professor found himself coming back to an invention that is not only not new, but, in fact, ancient.

Months after record rainfall during Hurricane Harvey caused some communities to experience historic flooding, the Lake Conroe Association's response to calls for a permanent 3-foot reduction in the lake's level was a resounding "no."
"As residents and businesses in the Lake Conroe area, we support a comprehensive, independent flood control study covering the area from northern Montgomery County to Galveston Bay," 

Southern New Mexico’s Mesilla Valley is like an island: a fertile patchwork of farm fields and groves of pecan trees surrounded by the brown Chihuahuan Desert. For Mesilla Valley farmers, the metaphor rings true in other ways as well. Though they live in New Mexico, the residents of the roughly 90,000-acre-area are caught between their own state and Texas.

When you think of water pollution, you may picture contaminants coming from somewhere like an industrial operation or wastewater treatment plant. This is known as point source pollution, because the pollutants are coming from a single, known source. Pollution from point sources is controlled through regulations that require treatment of a facility's wastewater before it is discharged into a nearby lake or stream. However, did you know that this is not the only type of water pollution that can occur? Contaminants can also enter the water through nonpoint source pollution.