exTRA by the Trinity River Authority of Texas

A direct hit by a hurricane of Harvey’s magnitude would cause catastrophic flooding that would flow over the Olmos Dam and emergency spillway by four feet and inundate portions of U.S. Highway 281 for approximately 12 days, according to models released by the San Antonio River Authority on Wednesday.

Possible updates to how Buda approaches water conservation are bubbling to the surface. Record high water usage, partnered with requirements from the Texas Water Development Board, prompted city staff to present possible updates to Buda’s water conservation and drought contingency ordinance Oct. 4.

A successful pilot program for the San Antonio Water System (SAWS) is expanding to encompass the nation’s widest deployment of smart infrastructure in sewer collection systems to lower operating costs by millions of dollars, reduce pressure on rates, and dramatically decrease the risk of sewer overflows. The San Antonio Water System (SAWS) is in the process of strategically deploying 200 SmartCover Systems real-time remote sensors to keep a high-tech eye on troubled pipeline segments citywide. These units will join more than 300 current sensors used to monitor high risk pipes, increasing the smart monitoring network to more than 500 sites.

BALLINGER - The City of Ballinger approved a water supply agreement with the City of Abilene that will secure water for Ballinger for the next 80 years during a special called meeting today at noon at Ballinger City Hall. 

he debate over whether to add fluoride to the water in Buda, reignited early this year by community activists, will come to a head in November as residents decide the issue at the polls. Residents of the Hays County city of 15,000 had been receiving fluoride in their water for years, starting in 2002 when the city became a customer of the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority, which operates the San Marcos Water Treatment Plant.

Sen. Kirk Watson and Rep. John Cyrier have joined the Bastrop County Commissioners Court and Bastrop school district in calling for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to deny a permit to locate a waste transfer station on Texas 21 near its intersection with FM 812 in Cedar Creek. Lealco, a subsidiary of Waste Connections, is proposing to build a waste transfer station that will take up to 2,500 tons of trash per day from local garbage collection sites and reorganize it on larger trucks before taking it to the landfill.

SAN MARCOS, TEXAS – For 10 years, The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University has hosted the Groundwater Festival in an effort to promote environmental awareness and water education. The San Marcos Independent School District participated in the Groundwater Festival at Spring Lake with 626 fourth-grade students.

SAN MARCOS, TEXAS - The images of floodwaters are burned into the minds of people throughout the Blanco Gardens subdivision. “The fact that the second flood came along when we had already just started, and done quite a bit for the first flood, it just wiped everything out and we had to start over,” said Ruah Gleason.

Thanksgiving is prompting the Abilene City Council to take care of city business a little sooner in November. Normally, the council meets during the second and fourth Thursdays of each month. But because Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday, each council meeting, along with a Tuesday workshop, has been moved up a week.

In the last decade, a multibillion-dollar industry has emerged – and much of its products end up in our toilets. We’re talking about the wet wipes industry. Companies that once just made baby wipes, like Irving-based Kimberly-Clark Corporation, now sell wet wipes in all shapes and sizes, for all ages, and some are categorized as “flushable.” As soon as those wipes go down the drain, though, controversy bubbles up.

The Buda City Council approved the first of three bond issuance’s on a long-term plan to bring additional groundwater supplies to Buda. The Alliance Regional Water Authority, formerly the Hays Caldwell Public Utility Agency, has been working on the project for several years. Groundwater will be pumped via a pipeline from the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer east of Lockhart in Caldwell County. It will bring an additional 13 million gallons of water per day to the region.

Lyle Larson, committee chairman of the Texas House Natural Resources Committee; Dan Huberty, state representative for district 127; Dave Martin, city of Houston council member for district E; and Merle Aaron, city of Humble mayor, spoke about their focuses in response to the devastating effects of flooding from Hurricane Harvey, and invited community members to comment on their concerns as well. One of the priorities Huberty listed is implementing a better governance policy for the San Jacinto River Authority.

The city councils of San Marcos, Buda and Kyle voted Tuesday to approve the issuance of millions of dollars in bonds dedicated to the first phase of a project that will bring an additional 13 million gallons of water per day to the region and be an additional source of water to residents for years to come. The Alliance Regional Water Authority—formerly the Hays Caldwell Public Utility Agency— has been working on this project for 10 years. It will cost a total of $213.4 million when complete in 2023.