The myriad issues of water and drought in Texas are often confusing. There’s the hundreds of pages in the Texas Water Plan, numerous surface water districts, and then the completely different set of rules that applies to water underground. Trying to sort through that confusion is Dr. Jay Famiglietti, a professor at UC Irvine. He […]
The face of the rural Texas water provider is changing. Jim Boyle, a lawyer with the group Texas Rate Payers United, says years ago most water companies were mom and pop operations, owned by families within the communities they served. Then the great roll-up began. “We have three or four companies that have come into […]
Texas irrigation is a big deal. The state is home to more than 10 percent of the irrigated acres in the country. Texas A&M’s AgriLife Extension looked into Texas’ agricultural water use in a recent report. It examines Texas’ economic dependence on irrigation, improvements in state-wide irrigation efficiency, and problems the state faces as water reserves dwindle. Urban […]
After being cut off for the first time this year, rice farmers may get water next year, which has some Texans up in arms.
No one likes turning forty, but today the Clean Water Act is celebrating its birthday. On October 18, 1972 the act was signed into law by Congress. Before the Clean Water Act, two-thirds of waterways were deemed unsafe for fishing and swimming, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In a look back at the act […]
As Texas moves away from coal and towards natural gas for its power plants, it stands to save billions of gallons of water in the process, according to a new study by the University of Texas at Austin’s Webber Energy Group. And in planning for the future, switching to gas will save even more. You can […]
Our story on how the drought killed over 300 million trees in Texas got picked up by the social news site Reddit today. And it didn’t take long for one commenter to pose the question: Maybe Texas was asking for it? “Couldn’t happen to a more deserving state,” Reddit user quelar wrote. “Perhaps this may […]
He’s not exactly new to the job, as he’s been serving as interim general manager for a while, but Thursday the Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) officially selected Roland Ruiz as their new general manager. Ruiz, who used to run communications at the Authority, stepped in as general manager in June, after Karl Dreher was abruptly […]
If you’re in Austin this weekend, there are going to be some engaging conversations on energy and environmental issues at the Texas Tribune Festival, an annual confab of some of the big names and thinkers in the states. Our very own Mose Buchele will be moderating a panel on issues of eminent domain and landowner […]
It’s a battle that has gotten ugly at times. Residents, businesses and recreational enthusiasts lament low levels in the Highland Lakes of Travis and Buchanan in Central Texas, as each year massive amounts of water are sent downstream to rice farmers in Southeast Texas. When lake levels go down, business on the lake suffers, home […]
StateImpact seeks to inform and engage local communities with broadcast and online news focused on how state government decisions affect your lives.
Learn More »