exTRA by the Trinity River Authority of Texas

CORPUS CHRISTI - A first step, but an important one; that's how city officials are describing a loan recently awarded to Corpus Christi for a desalination project. City Manager Margie Rose said the loan is a key part of the future of the city's water supply. The $2,750,000 loan was awarded Thursday by the Texas Water Development Board for the city to pursue the initial steps towards desalination projects in the area.

An EPA plane will be flying over the area to check on air quality. Police have been going around informing people nearby what's going on. But as of yet, no residents have been evacuated. City officials say the plant is designed in a way that can contain this type of leak.

There can be a disconnect between utilities and customers when water conservation is pushed for, yet rates continue to rise. A new study provides some data that utilities can use to help customers see the bigger picture. The study, conducted by the Alliance for Water Efficiency, looked at two Arizona cities, Tucson and Gilbert, and compared current water and sewer rates to what they would be had the cities not enforced conservation measures years ago. The study found that Tucson’s rates are at least 11.7 percent lower than if water use had not been curtailed starting in the mid-1980s. Gilbert’s rates are 5.8 percent lower today than they would be without conservation practices.

Following the advice of the United State Geological Survey, a Woodlands-based task force is working to install additional stream monitoring equipment to collect data and possibly work as an early warning system for residents. According to David Brown, Gulf Coast Program Office chief for the USGS Texas Water Science Center, the USGS has looked at potential stream gauging sites in Montgomery County and communicated that information to various entities interested in monitoring flooding issues including The Woodlands Joint Powers Agency, Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management, San Jacinto River Authority and Harris County Flood Control District. 

AUSTIN - Austin depends on the Colorado River. It is the source of our drinking water and outdoor recreational activity. But what was once being threatened by an invasive species is now being threatened by the solution. And it has already cost you half a million dollars. The City of Austin, like so much of the state, is fighting a constant battle to keep out invasive species -- creatures that are not native to Texas. This map shows where all the invasive plants, animals and insects have been spotted in the area.

About 40 people turned out for the meeting held at the headquarters of the San Jacinto River Authority Wednesday evening to find out about what's called the "Flood Protection Planning Project." The project is a joint effort prepared by the authority and coordinated with Montgomery and the City of Conroe to update floodplain information, as well as to improve monitoring and flood warning systems. During the meeting, David Parkhill, director of raw water enterprise for the authority and Sam Hinojosa, with Halff Associates, a Conroe civil engineering firm, went into detail on a new and expanded alert system and protocol.

Water authority must keep millions of gallons flowing constantly for industrial giants on Galveston Bay For the first time since its inception, the Gulf Coast Water Authority has to replace a pump station to secure a vital supply of cooling water to big industrial facilities lined up along Galveston Bay, from the island to Texas City. Everything in the Ship Channel, all those refineries, petroleum plants, said Mike Howe, executive director of the Texas section of the American Water Works Association.