exTRA by the Trinity River Authority of Texas

Laredo utility crews are working into Friday night to repair a sinkhole on E. Frost Street caused by a 36-inch water line break, along with additional discovered damage.

A tiny farm town in rural San Patricio County may soon run out of easy access to drinkable water by Christmas thanks to a prolonged and worsening drought that has afflicted its sole water source. Officials in Mathis, a town of less than 5,000 people located about 36 miles west of Corpus Christi, said the town is within months of being unable to pump water from Lake Corpus Christi, the 21,000-acre, manmade reservoir that serves as the sole supply of freshwater to numerous small towns in the Coastal Bend.

The Texas Public Utility Commission (PUC) delayed a decision Tuesday on where Entergy will build a 150-mile high-voltage transmission line, a project meant to supply electricity to Houston’s fast-growing suburbs.

Captain Danny Sulivan has been giving boat tours on Caddo Lake in Texas for 15 years and has noticed an increase in tree deaths due to what he says is the herbicide being to combat the invasive fern while Laura-Ashley Overdyke of the Caddo Lake Institute believes the herbicide is necessary to prevent the lake from being covered in the invasive plant.

The Longview City Council approved the purchase of a new ozone generator for the Lake ‘O the Pines water purification plant last week as part of its capital improvement budget.

The largest cost in Longview’s 2025-26 capital improvements plan is replacing the ozone generator at the Lake O’ the Pines Water Treatment Plant for about $3 million. City Engineer Zack Shaner told the City Council this past week that the equipment disinfects the water treated at the facility, which helps supply water to Longview. 

South Texas drought threatens Mathis’ only water source. Lake Corpus Christi may be too low to pump by December, forcing the city to rely on emergency wells.

The Brazos River Authority is clearing up a few things about Lake Whitney and what people need to know:

The BRA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are moving forward with plans for Lake Whitney.

Comments can be sent over to the corps online.

Companies that build power lines to move much-needed electricity across long distances often face local pushback. Indeed, Entergy Texas’ plan to build an approximately 150-mile transmission line north of Houston has attracted opposition from many landowners, who’ve voiced common complaints such as unsightly views and reduced property values. 

Corpus Christi residents will see higher rates on their water and wastewater bills. On Tuesday, City Council voted to move forward on a proposed increase that would raise the average water rate by $4.78. City leaders pushed wastewater rates higher by $4.20.

Drill baby drill for new wells coming Future flow: Bryan secures water supply with $16M well project

Frisco officials approved the city’s $304.7 million fiscal year 2025-26 general fund budget and tax rate at a meeting Sept. 16.

An invasive aquatic plant that can grow up to an inch a day is spreading on lake Austin, but the city is working to fight it back. The plant is called hydrilla and this is not the first time the City of Austin has invested time and money to get rid of it.

Denton residents will see increases in their water and wastewater bills, property taxes and fees for a slew of city departments after the City Council unanimously approved an approximately $2.55 billion budget Tuesday night.

Kyle City Council approved its 2025-2026 budget in a 6-1 vote on Tuesday night. Inside the budget proposal was a plan to increase water and wastewater rates for those living in the city and those who live in Kyle’s Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction zones – or ETJs. 

The city told us residents within the city limits would see about a 20% increase, while those living in the ETJs –  just outside city boundaries – would face steeper hikes.

The Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District is making history, declaring a Stage 3 Exceptional Drought on Sept. 12, 2025.

Water challenges, strategies and technology will be discussed throughout Day 1. Billy Howe, Texas Farm Bureau associate director of government affairs, will provide an overview of the state’s water situation. 

 Traditional moisture measurement methods have long been slow and inefficient, but by capturing high-speed jet images that reflect the non-Newtonian properties of sludge, researchers have developed a system that can predict moisture content with remarkable accuracy in under 20 seconds.

Comfort residents shared history of floods in the community during Wednesday’s meeting and how they have impacted their lives.

Bellaire City Council is continuing its progress toward connecting its wastewater to Houston with the approval of two work orders that will help address its aging wastewater treatment plant.

Gov. Greg Abbott's office is standing by its apparent warning last week that Corpus Christi could be cut off from future financial aid after the city council voted down a controversial seawater desalination plant that has been in the works for years and is a priority for the governor. Abbott's office said by reneging on the deal, the city was proving itself to be an untrustworthy partner and putting the state in a difficult position when considering future projects.

Read: Abbott's office warns of fallout for Corpus Christi over water plant vote

The City of San Angelo has submitted a permit application to the TCEQ to discharge highly treated wastewater from its treatment plant into the Concho River, which critics say could have negative impacts on the environment, while proponents say it is a vital source of future water and population growth.