exTRA by the Trinity River Authority of Texas

The Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network (TMMSN), a nonprofit dedicated to marine mammal conservation, said it recently helped rescue an orphaned dolphin seen swimming alone in a lake on the Texas coast. TMMSN said the young female dolphin was found land-locked in Power Lake which is located on Matagorda Island, near San Antonio Bay.

Workers with the City of Nederland were trying to stop a water leak Thursday night, the second time in less than a week that the extreme heat and lack of rain have caused pipes to burst, according to information from City Manager Chris Duque. The leak was reported Thursday afternoon on Nederland Avenue, in the same general areas as a leak that developed last Sunday between 25th and 27th Streets.

El Paso Water will soon add wastewater as a source of drinkable water, furthering their efforts to make the Borderland drought-proof. 

“Wastewater is becoming incredibly valuable to desert communities all across the west. It’s being used for irrigation, golf courses and irrigation parks. That’s the first step that you would take and then you start looking at the purified concepts,” said water resources manager for EP Water, Scott Reinert. 

The city’s water department expects its budget to increase by $42 million next year to fund infrastructure improvements and testing.

Hutto is among many Central Texas towns experiencing massive growth. In order to keep up, the city broke ground Monday on the expansion of its wastewater treatment plant. About two years ago, the City of Hutto started planning the development of the expansion. The new wastewater plant will increase its capacity from 2.5 million gallons per day to 6 million gallons.

Wichita County Commissioners on Tuesday voted to enact a ban on outdoor burning in the unincorporated areas of the county. The ban takes effect at 12:01 a.m. Thursday.

The city of Clyde, located roughly halfway between Dallas and Midland, informed investors it couldn’t make a debt payment due in August, according to a securities filing. Instead, its bond insurers —  Assured Guaranty and Build America Mutual — were asked to cover the payment, illustrating the financial strain facing the city.

With a population of around 3,000 people, La Villa city leaders say money for improvements is hard to raise, and any money they do get goes a long way. The city flooded badly in 2018, 2019 and 2020. On Thursday, a flood relief project was underway in the middle of town after the city received $275,000 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

City crews found a sewer line break near the north end of Lanana Creek Sunday morning. Officials were notified of the incident at about 11:30 a.m., according to a release from the City of Nacogdoches. The break was found to be in a 15″ pipe that runs behind 4541 NE Stallings Drive.

The Port of Corpus Christi CEO Kent Britton says the facility will no longer pursue the La Quinta Channel as a location for a potential desalination plant. La Quinta and Harbor Island were the two sites the Port was evaluating for possible development.

As of Aug. 22, the West Travis County Public Utilities Agency returned to Stage 2 watering restrictions, which limit outdoor watering to once per week. This move comes after customers west of Bee Cave and near Hamilton Pool Road experienced low water pressure or complete water system failure due to high irrigation demand.

Residents of Bellaire will be asked to vote on $70 million in bond referendums this November to fund stormwater and wastewater projects. The $70 million package will be separated into two ballot items, including a $30 million bond for water and wastewater improvements, and a $40 million bond for stormwater improvements.

Wildfire threats continue to increase across Texas as drought conditions have returned. Tarrant County banned outdoor burning, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott deployed additional state firefighting resources on Tuesday.

The Lower Colorado River Authority has released a new way it's tracking the biggest cause of water loss from the Highland Lakes.

A boil water notice was issued Monday by the Angelina County Fresh Water Supply District No. 1.

The raised rate would fund a $42 million increase in the utility’s 2025 budget, which is expected to be $616,969,098 — a 7% increase from 2024. 

The San Antonio River Authority collaborated with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to help bring thousands of native mussels to waterways in the area.

"It is a huge day for the State of Texas," TWDB Chairwoman Brooke Paup told Nexstar. "This document will help save lives and property throughout the state."