exTRA by the Trinity River Authority of Texas

In December 2016, the mayors of Plano, Garland, Mesquite and Richardson came together and appealed to the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) to step in and reevaluate how the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) establishes its rates. At the December meeting, city manager Bruce Glasscock said the four-city alliance wanted action on a “discriminatory” contract that was “inconsistent with water conservation and are not in the public interest.”

Austin – On Thursday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed state Sen. José Rodríguez’s S.B. 570, which would have helped communities deal with the problem of scrap tires being illegally dumped, an issue that is particularly troubling for local health authorities trying to prevent the spread of the Zika virus.

CANYON LAKE, Texas — After a watercraft in the Cranes Mills Marina area of Canyon Lake recently showed signs of what appeared to be zebra mussels, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) officials conducted larvae testing and determined zebra mussels actually are present in the lake.

TwitterEmailShare Conroe City Council approved a resolution on Thursday evening opposing a 14-cent increase in San Jacinto River Authority water fees. The SJRA approved the fee increase on May 25 and it will go into effect Sept. 1. The new fees will be $2.64 per 1,000 gallons of water for groundwater used, and $2.83 for surface water used. The fees are in addition to the regular water rates of the corresponding water provider used by residents.

A creek that flows into Joe Pool Lake has tested positive for higher levels of a potentially dangerous bacteria. According to the city of Grand Prairie, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has identified Walnut Creek as impaired for bacteria, recreational use is not advised. An effort is now underway to help improve the water quality of the creek and protect the lake. “We try to come out once a month,” said Sherry Sanders of Mansfield. Source: Effort to Improve Water Quality at Creek That Feeds Joe Pool Lake.

FORT WORTH BlueStone Natural Resources II is dropping a plan to drill a saltwater injection well near Lake Arlington, a project that was widely criticized by residents and city officials as a threat to the area’s water supply. The Oklahoma-based company, which acquired Quicksilver Resources last year, said that while the application it filed in January is “technically and administratively” in compliance with state guidelines, it has decided to back away from the project for economic reasons.

Zak Crosby, owner and operator of Tall Drink Rainwater Harvesting, said once the public uses rainwater, it will never want to use well water or city water again. “Rainwater tastes better than any water you can get,” he said. “And once you bathe in it, taste it, wash your clothes in it, you will never want anything beside rainwater for the rest of your life. It’s hands down the very best quality of water. Once the system is in, your return on investment is limitless.”

SEGUIN, Texas — Effective immediately, the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA) is implementing a revised Guadalupe Valley Hydroelectric System power generation schedule for summer work days on which the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) predicts periods of “high” electric demand.

According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, the most common cause of fish kills in the area is low dissolved oxygen. While this can be the result of human activity, it is in many cases a natural occurrence caused by extreme weather, bacterial and viral disease or parasitic infections. Sometimes, algal blooms can produce toxins that lead to fish kills.

AUSTIN — Invasive zebra mussels have been positively identified in the Guadalipe River Basin. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) experts confirmed the presence of zebra mussels at Canyon Lake on June 8. Employees with Canyon Lake Marina first discovered the presence of zebra mussels while working on a boat that had was stored in a slip.