exTRA by the Trinity River Authority of Texas

The Trinity River Authority (TRA) has announced the winners of the Spring Photo Contest held at Wolf Creek Park. This contest, open to all park visitors, saw a remarkable collection of 50 submissions from talented photographers capturing the natural beauty of the park. Five winners were selected based on their outstanding photography skills.

The owner of more than 200 acres has filed for a permit to spread biosolids, also called sewage sludge, on his land.

San Antonio Water System officials say they are in the process of cleaning up a sewer spill that happened Sunday evening near McAllister Park. According to a news release issued today, the spill was caused by a collapsed eight-inch sewer pipe and was contained and repaired within hours of being discovered.

The City of Clyde says they only have so long until they run out of water completely. Chris McGuire, Clyde city manager said if the levels at Clyde Lake continue to drop, they will have to turn to other water sources.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is set to hear the request for a wastewater treatment plant permit that's been causing concerns among property owners near Grey Forest and environmental groups. The developer is seeking a permit to build the plant and dump millions of gallons of treated wastewater into the Helotes Creek. 

The Marvin Nichols Reservoir threatens 200,000 acres along the Sulphur River.

The city of Round Rock will move forward with over $16 million in projects for its water reuse program with assistance from the federal WaterSMART program. The program will cover 25% of project costs, with the city funding the remaining balance after City Council approved the award July 25th.

The city of Atoka is the recipient of a big check to repair and improve its wastewater treatment plant. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Oklahoma State Director Kenneth Corn presented a check for $4,000,000 to the Atoka Municipal Authority Wednesday.

Fracking wastewater, injected underground for permanent disposal, traveled 12 miles through geological faults before bursting to the surface through a previously plugged West Texas oil well in 2022, according to a new study from Southern Methodist University. It’s the first study to draw specific links between wastewater injection and recent blowouts in the Permian Basin, the nation’s top producing oil field, where old oil wells have lately begun to spray salty water.

Staff at a state park in East Texas recently experienced a rare encounter with an elusive native species. Village Creek State Park, which is located in the Piney Woods of eastern Texas, about 10 miles north of Beaumont, said maintenance staff recently spotted a mother bobcat with her two little cubs while working to get additional trails open following damages from Hurricane Beryl. Bobcats, white-tailed deer, rabbits and opossums roam the park's woodlands, as well as amphibians, insects, and reptiles. 

The Granite Shoals City Council on July 23 approved a new 40-year contract with the Lower Colorado River Authority to provide its municipal water supply. The deal comes with the stipulation that the city adhere to the river authority's drought contingency plans. 

Though July’s rain may have eased some fears over the continuing drought, Austin Water is still playing the long game, with plans to prepare for a drier future. Water Resources Supervisor Marisa Flores Gonzalez joined the city’s Water and Wastewater Commission last month to discuss a new indirect potable reuse project, designed to stretch Austin’s water supply during severe shortages. With rough schematics in place, the utility hopes to have the infrastructure fully operational by 2028.

The Midland Health Services is working on a new wastewater surveillance program. It will help track Covid-19 and other viruses in Midland.

Regardless of what the weather is doing – hot – cold – hurricane or drought – it seems hardly a week goes by that we don’t hear about a boil water order being initiated somewhere in East Texas.

These situations present themselves usually when a water system fails to maintain pressure in the system and the risk of bacterial contamination exists. 

The Mosheim Water Supply Corporation in Valley Mills has issued a boil water notice for all customers. The company says this comes due to low chlorine in the distribution system. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has required the system to notify all affected customers to boil their water prior to consumption.

Lake lovers can rejoice because Lake Travis has risen by more than 7 feet in the past seven days, following heavy rainfall across Central Texas and the Hill Country in July. In the past two weeks, the Hill Country has received widespread rainfall of 3 to 6 inches, with most of it falling along the Llano River, which flows into the Colorado River at Lake LBJ.

The violation primarily cites “discharge without a permit” as the primary issue. The violation references an incident on July 7, 2024, where eight fish were found dead in East Cache Creek near Sultan Park in Walters, 25 miles south of the WWTP, as well as other data indicating effluent ammonia concentrations, exceeding the ammonia toxicity threshold for fish.