exTRA by the Trinity River Authority of Texas

In May the Public Utility Commission of Texas voted to approve the Lower Colorado River Authority Transmission Services Corp’s LHO-1 transmission line route from Leander to Round Rock. Once complete, the 138-kilovolt lines would connect power substations in Round Rock and Leander to proposed substations in Cedar Park and Leander. The cities of Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander and Georgetown supported route COL-1, which would run along Hero Way and CR 175.

The City of College Station continually warns residents to not pour their oil, grease, or fat down the drain. Oil isn't the only issue causing problems at the Lick Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant.

In a more regional approach to flood control, Harris and Montgomery counties are pursuing a study that could re-evaluate how reservoirs along the San Jacinto River are operated, an apparent response to Hurricane Harvey when massive water releases inundated thousands of homes and prompted a string of lawsuits. 

The city of Harker Heights has three months to institute a state-mandated environmental project to avoid paying nearly $10,000 in fines linked to a sewage leak into Trimmier Creek in

City officials in Beeville want answers from the city of Corpus Christi. Eighteen cities and communities, including the Beeville Water Supply District, buy water from the Corpus Christi water system in a deal set forth more than 35 years ago. Starting in 2011, when Corpus Christi added a 5 cent surcharge to Beeville's water bill, officials began questioning where the extra money was going. Beeville estimates it has paid $500,000 in surcharges since 2011, according to a petition filed to the Public Utility Commission of Texas.

POLLUTION SUCH AS OIL AND CHEMICAL SPILLS, litter dumping of waste, and illegal discharge of boat sewage have the potential to harm our environment and threaten the health of people, plants, and animals. We must act against pollution to ensure our communities remains healthy for us and our kids to enjoy. By reporting any pollution you see in the Houston-Galveston region, you can help protect yourself, your family, your community, and the Bay.

The Plethora sculpture commissioned by Bexar County for the San Pedro Creek Improvements Project will not be ready for the grand opening of the project’s first segment on May 5. Completion of the controversial $735,000 piece is being delayed by fabrication issues, likely pushing it over budget. “We don’t anticipate that it will be ready by May 5,” said Carrie Brown, the project’s public art curator. “Through this process we do anticipate some additional costs.”

Water in the small Central Texas town of Brady has the highest radium levels in the state — almost double the legal limit set by the EPA, according to a new report. But Kim Lenoir, the city manager in charge of cleaning up Brady’s water supply, says she isn’t alarmed. In fact, Lenoir, who moved to town four years ago, says she still drinks the tap water. “You have to understand it’s natural,” Lenoir told the Observer. “I know that it is safe to drink, just like we tell our citizens.”

The Harris County Flood Control District was authorized to partner with Montgomery County and apply for grant funding to study flood mitigation projects near the San Jacinto River and Spring Creek at a Harris County Commissioners Court meeting Jan. 9. Spring Creek and San Jacinto River watersheds and their tributaries will be assessed during the study, which is estimated to cost $1.25 million and begin as early as the second quarter of 2018, said Darren Hess, director of homeland security and emergency management for Montgomery County. The flood mitigation plan will examine and implement projects on tributaries and reservoirs to potentially reduce flooding.

After thousands of homes and businesses were damaged across the region during Hurricane Harvey, local, state and regional officials are working to secure billions of dollars to pay for mitigation projects. The officials have also stressed a sense of urgency as the next hurricane season is only a few months away. Harris County is preparing for a bond referendum in 2018 that could exceed $1 billion, while Lake Houston area officials and legislators pursue state and national funding for projects that could also limit flooding. A bond of this size could cause property tax rates to increase, County Judge Ed Emmett said.

WIMBERLEY, Texas (KXAN) — A new sewer system that will only service half a city has some in Wimberley saying their leaders are digging a financial hole that will be hard to climb out of. The plan has been in place for years, but when an agenda item popped up this week claiming the city lost $68,549.50 for not following federal requirements, it shot up another red flag.

It's all about managing the quality of the runoff. The city has taken over the storm water quality monitoring from the Upper Colorado River Authority (UCRA) and approved my position, Stormwater Program Manger. Testing and monitoring of stormwater runoff in the city now falls under this program and the jurisdiction of the City of San Angelo. Authority extends along all waterways the length of the city limits and water runoffs into the major bodies of water: Lake Nasworthy, O.C. Fisher, Twin Buttes and the Concho rivers.

All around town dirt is flying for new infrastructure projects: new pipes being set in trenches and water towers and pumps being replaced. To find out who is footing the bill for that progress, take a look at a utility bill. Starting this week, the typical Waco resident will see a monthly increase of $3.26 for water and sewer to help pay for improvements that are part of a 10-year master plan. And more increases are planned in each of the remaining seven years of that $270 million campaign.