An Interactive Look at the Texas Drought

Background

Just how much damage has the record single-year drought done to Texas? For the first time, you can see an interactive map and several visualizations that show just how severe the drought has been. On our new interactive web app, ‘Dried Out: Confronting the Texas Drought,’ you can see the intensity of the worst single-year drought in Texas’ history; learn more about the hard choices the state has to make; see the drought’s progression and its impact on the state; explore the pros and cons of the policy decisions that need to be made and share your stories.

See for yourself at our new interactive webpage, Dried Out: Confronting the Texas Drought.

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May 3, 2012

Your Weekly Drought Update: A Mixed Bag

Despite the fact that it’s been a relatively dry April for much of the state, particularly Central Texas, the slow improvement of the drought continues, though the news isn’t all good. The latest numbers released today by the the National Drought Monitor show that parts of the state are still making their way out of […]

May 2, 2012

Updated: An Interactive Look at the Texas Drought

Last month we debuted our interactive web page on the Texas drought, Dried Out: Confronting the Texas Drought. Now there’s an update to the page, so you can see the latest illustration of how the drought progressed, and how conditions are slowly improving across much of the state. What was once a sea of red (indicating […]

April 26, 2012

The Race to Save the Pronghorn of Far West Texas

The pronghorn of far West Texas are disappearing, and no one is exactly sure why.

April 24, 2012

Why We Don’t Drink More Waste Water

Water is becoming scarcer in Texas, and the solutions being passed around as of late are varied. Desalination, conservation and new reservoirs are all on the table. Another less, ummmm, palatable solution that is already being used in Texas? Treating “effluent” (i.e. waste water) to be used again for drinking, cooking and cleaning. A new video […]

April 19, 2012

Your Weekly Drought Update: The Regression Continues

The latest drought monitor is out today (which isn’t surprising, it comes out every Thursday) and again, the numbers show improvement. The great drought that began in the fall of 2010 shows continued signs of receding, with over 18 percent of the state now completely drought-free, and a little less than ten percent of the […]

April 18, 2012

Farewell, St. Augustine: Dallas Enacts Permanent Water Restrictions

If you live in Dallas, you may want to reconsider that thirsty St. Augustine grass on your lawn, because starting Monday, you’ll only be able to water your lawn twice a week. Permanently. Today the Dallas City Council voted in permanent water restrictions for the city, in a move that Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings (as well as […]

April 16, 2012

Rice Farmers Used More Than Three Times as Much Water as Austin Last Year

New numbers put into perspective just how much water rice farmers in southeast Texas used out of the Highland Lakes for their water-intensive crop compared with city-dwellers in Austin last year. The Highland Lakes consist of two large reservoirs, Lakes Buchanan and Travis, and several pass-through lakes. Buchanan and Travis are still only half-full, despite a […]

With Rain Falling on Texas Cities, Drought Rages on in the Rural West

For many Texans, this past winter was a welcome surprise. But the same can’t be said for the far western point of the state, where the drought persists.

April 13, 2012

Mayors Want Permanent H20 Restrictions

While the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex was the first major population center in Texas to become drought-free this winter, it looks like they’re preparing for more droughts like the one that has baked the state over the last year and half. This week a coalition of four mayors in the region (representing Arlington, Dallas, Fort Worth […]

April 12, 2012

Yes, This is Four Feet of Texas Hail

At first people didn’t believe it, but it really is true. A new photo from the National Weather Service shows a local firefighter standing next to a wall of hail some four feet high.