Life By the Drop: Drought, Water and the Future of Texas
They creep in slowly. Reveal themselves so gradually, that it’s easy not to notice. Until you do.
“A drought is kinda like a cancer, it just slowly eats and eats and eats,” says John Jacobs, the mayor of Robert Lee. That town nearly went dry last year. “Your water sources dry up. Your businesses start drying up,” he says. “Without water people aren’t gonna stay there.”
Last year Texas suffered through the worst single-year drought in its history. But drought’s nothing new here. It’s as much a part of our heritage as cowboy boots and Tex-Mex.
Click above to listen to “Life by the Drop: Drought, Water, and the Future of Texas,” a special report from KUT News, StateImpact Texas and Texas Monthly, hosted by Jake Silverstein, editor of the magazine.