exTRA by the Trinity River Authority of Texas

GEORGETOWN, Texas – Zebra mussels have been found in Lake Georgetown, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologists confirm. TPWD said biologists confirmed the infestation in the nearly 1,300-acre lake after larvae were found in routine water samples Oct. 27. A follow-up survey on Nov. 6 “revealed young settled zebra mussels attacked to rocks along the shoreline.”

AUSTIN, Texas – Zebra mussels are infesting two Texas lakes and biologists fear them spreading, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Lake Georgetown and Lake Livingston are reportedly infested with the invasive mussels. The species poses an environmental and economic threat.

City of Houston District E Councilman Dave Martin looked down in disbelief at the San Jacinto River from a Houston Police Department helicopter Tuesday, Nov. 7.
"It was unbelievable to see how much siltation has formed in the middle of the San Jacinto River," Martin told people at the Nov. 9 Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 10/Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority meeting.

Council members voted Wednesday to add 102 acres to the city of San Marcos’ collection of preserved land. The undeveloped land, located off Derby Court in the Country Estates subdivision, cost the city $1.27 million. That money is included in the city’s recently-passed fiscal year 2017-18 budget. The appraised value of the land is $1.3 million. The property was formerly owned by Grady Early and is now owned by the Texas State University Development Foundation.

Water quality was at the top of everyone’s mind at the eighth annual Water Forum sponsored by San Antonio Clean Technology Forum. Even before opening the program, several speakers cited the quality of San Antonio’s water. Andrew Sansom, who was awarded the Water for Life award for his work with the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, among other achievements, noted in accepting the award, “San Antonio a beacon of hope for the rest of the United States with respect to water.”

The San Antonio River Authority (SARA) is rolling out a web-based tool as part of Risk, Mapping, Planning, and Assessment (Risk MAP), a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) program currently being implemented across the country. SARA recently completed the first batch of flood risk data for the Upper San Antonio River Watershed and the Salado Creek Watershed. The results from those studies are available at www.sara-tx.org/flood-management/riskmap.

Two teams from Texas clinched first place in their respective divisions during the 30th annual Operations Challenge competition. Team TRA CReWSers won Division 1, and team Aqua Techs took home the top prize in Division 2. Both teams represent the Water Environment Association of Texas. The fun-filled, high-energy event took place at WEFTEC 2017 in Chicago, which was organized by the Water Environment Federation.

More than two months after Hurricane Harvey inundated the Houston area, three wastewater treatment facilities in Harris County remain inoperable with more than $1 million in damages, as officials struggle to find solutions to get them back online. The heavily damaged Cedar Bayou Park Wastewater Treatment plant - which processes sewage from 180 homes in a small Baytown subdivision - may never be reopened. 

GONZALES, Texas — The Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA) in partnership with the Victoria Independent School District (VISD) is offering more than 180 high school Aquatic Science students two outdoor field trips to Palmetto State Park 10:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Nov. 15-16, 2017. The field trips are made possible by a $44,000 grant to GBRA from the Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) Community Outdoor Outreach Program (CO-OP).

On Nov. 1, Ann McElroy, co-founder of the organization No Colorado River Dam Inc., stood in front of the Environmental Commission to plead for its assistance in encouraging the city of Austin to pass a resolution denouncing a dam that is planned near the city of Goldthwaite. Although this in-channel dam is slated to be constructed 100 miles northwest of Austin, McElroy explained that the city should be aware of this project because Austin “is so dependent on the river” and adverse effects following construction would be experienced by downstream landowners for miles.

El Paso Water (EPW) has long been recognized as a leader for its innovative water supply strategy. Water professionals from around the world visit the utility to learn about its acclaimed water reuse, inland desalinization and conservation methods. Located in the Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico, EPW’s service area includes El Paso’s 248 square miles and population of more than 800,000. The fourth largest city in Texas, El Paso is also the nation’s third fastest growing metropolitan area, with a 40 percent population increase projected by 2040.