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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.

Latest Posts

Exploring the Gap Between Water Supply and Energy Development

A growing shortage of freshwater is transforming into a commonplace global experience. Australia, Northern Africa, the Middle East, India, North East China, Argentina, portions of Brazil, and even Southern Europe are witnessing declines in freshwater availability. In the U.S., states that don’t normally experience drought conditions such as Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Washington are now […]

Why Climate Change May Increase Water Demands

Climate change has entered the discussion on water availability once again. “The same amount of water won’t go as far as it used to,” says John Nielsen-Gammon, the Texas State Climatologist at Texas A&M University. Nielsen-Gammon shed some light on the relationship between climate change and water availability at the 2012 Texas Water Summit held […]

How the Drought Exposed Texas’ Water Insecurity

The drought of 2011 may have been the canary in the coal mine of water security for Texas. That was the consensus of a panel of specialists at the 2012 Texas Water Summit hosted by the University of Texas at Austin’s Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science on Monday. While the recent drought was no […]

Going ‘Native’ in Texas With Less Water

Landscape worker Janna George sweats in the midday sun as she thrusts her shovel into the ground. She’s trying to get up all the grass in the backyard of a South Austin home.  As anyone who’s dug into the Central Texas ground and come out with a rock-dented shovel knows, there’s little dirt to dig […]

Measuring the Drought: How New Tools Show Its Impact

Tracking the changes in water availability across the state using a variety of tools is an integral component of predicting and responding to drought. That’s what David R. Maidment of the Center of Research in Water Resources at UT had to say at the Texas Water Summit held Monday. As a member of the innovative […]

The Secrets Behind San Antonio’s Water Conservation Success

San Antonio is something of a poster-child for smarter water use in Texas. The city has reduced its per-capita water usage by 42 percent over the last few decades, despite one of the fastest-growing populations in the country. At the 2012 Texas Water Summit at the University of Texas at Austin’s Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science Monday, Robert Puente, the President and CEO […]

What to Expect at the TAMEST Water Summit Today

Water, water everywhere. Let’s keep some drops to drink. But how? That’s why scientists, politicians, and water utility leaders are meeting up today for the 2012 Texas Water Summit from the University of Texas at Austin’s Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science. It will feature prominent statewide leaders on water issues like state climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon, San Antonio Water […]

Drought-Free and Lovin’ It? Not Quite Yet…

The word Thursday derives from the Old Norse thorsdagr, meaning “Thor’s Day.” But here at StateImpact Texas, Thursday means something else entirely.  It’s the day the U.S. drought monitor releases it’s weekly drought map! Thor was the Norse god of thunder, and parts of Texas saw plenty of storms (and rain) last week, raising hopes […]

How Stressed-Out Plants Are Better Prepared for Drought

Do you remember the last time you were stressed out? You’re not alone. According to a new study, plants are feeling it, too. The report says that plants have a sort of “stress memory,” and it could help them survive drought. Researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have recently confirmed what gardeners have long claimed: after […]

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