exTRA by the Trinity River Authority of Texas

Travis County plans to install a flood siren pilot at three creeks, including Sandy Creek, county officials told commissioners on Tuesday. More than a year after floods killed 10 people in northwest Travis County, the county still has no official flood warning system in the area. 

A Harris County Flood Control District report earlier this year revealed that several of the county's disaster relief flood projects -- which were authorized by voters in 2018 as part of a $2.5 billion bond -- would not meet a state-imposed deadline early next year.

Corpus Christi's reservoirs dropped to nearly 7% capacity this summer, pushing the city to the brink of a water crisis. Experts say the region must act now.

The Conroe City Council voted to move forward with buying water and wastewater systems from Mid-South Electric Cooperative Association subsidiaries. The resolution authorizes the city to sign purchase agreements and prepare to issue water and sewer system revenue bonds to pay for the systems. The purchase has not closed, and council will vote on the bond sale separately.

The Colleyville City Council approved base rate increases for water and wastewater customers to help meet utility fund operating costs starting Oct. 1.

A proposed desalination facility that could bring Corpus Christi up to 50 million gallons of water a day just took a big step forward. The Port of Corpus Christi received approval Wednesday from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for an offshore discharge permit, completing the permitting process for the proposed large-scale Harbor Island Desalination Facility.

In this week’s episode of Student News Now on KXAN+, the Lower Colorado River Authority plans to drawdown Lake Austin by 10 feet from October 12 to November 30. It’ll allow property owners to perform dock maintenance while also helping manage hydrilla growth. However, business owners say the plan will also dry up their stream of customers.

As digital twins become easier to explore, it can be tempting to use them for complex projects right out of the gate. But we explain why you should start small first.

An estimated 200,000 gallons of untreated wastewater spilled Sunday from a City of Amarillo lift station on Cliffside Road after a pump malfunction, city officials said. The discharge began about 12:30 p.m. at Lift Station 40, 7100 Cliffside Road, and was contained by 3:15 p.m., according to the city. 

Mission approved a utility rate study to assess water and wastewater infrastructure needs as the city's residential growth continues to climb.

Hill Country homeowners drove four hours to Robstown on Friday to confront the Nueces River Authority board over a wastewater project they say has left their community dealing with damage and unanswered concerns for years. The Twin Forks Homeowners Association says the project has damaged roads, caused sinkholes to form and left some residents still waiting to be connected to the wastewater system.

Houston City Council member Fred Flickinger hosted a District E town hall to discuss the Lake Houston Dam, Northpark Drive Overpass and other local projects.

Heading into election season, leaders in Corpus Christi face a puzzling question: what to do with $235 million from the state of Texas for a seawater desalination plant that was never built. This month, officials in the Gulf Coast city declined to pursue the flagship water supply project for the second time in a year over cost concerns. Now Corpus Christi may have to return the money, including $50 million it already spent, plus $72 million in interest.

The Tomball City Council adopted an unchanged property tax rate of $0.3409 per $100 valuation for fiscal year 2026-27 as utility projects move forward.

Fulshear will avoid about $40 million in planned water plant improvements after securing a new source of surface water, part of a broader effort city officials say has cut roughly $90 million from planned water and wastewater projects.

Texas’ next era of economic growth may depend as much on water as it does on energy, technology or capital. That reality was at the center of the Water Nexus Conference, hosted by the Rice WaTER Institute at Rice University, where more than 120 utility leaders, researchers, government officials, entrepreneurs, corporate water teams, engineers and investors gathered to examine how the state can meet rising demand while confronting water scarcity, aging infrastructure and rapidly changing industrial needs.

Live Oak and McMullen counties are seeking federal assistance for damage from July flooding as the region continues to face diminishing water supplies. Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) on Sept. 4 to request that Live Oak and McMullen counties, along with Grimes County, be added to the federal major disaster declaration following the July severe storms and flooding.