At first glance, zebra mussels appear harmless, perhaps even cute. But the tiny creatures are anything but cute for Texas lakes. Originally from Eurasia, zebra mussels made their first appearance in North America in the Great Lakes in the early nineties. The mussels have since made their way to Texas, and over the years, this invasive […]
Texans looking for relief from the drought are eagerly anticipating the chances of an El Niño event starting this summer, which could bring much wetter conditions. But the focus should actually be on the near-term, according to Victor Murphy, climate service program manager for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Fort Worth. Murphy says that the […]
The timing could not have been better for filmmakers Matt Stoecker and Ben Knight. Just weeks before their documentary on tearing down dams in the Pacific Northwest premiered at the South by Southwest Film festival, a huge crack was found in the Wanapum Dam in Washington State. The discovery called attention to an often ignored […]
There’s less and less water in the Highland Lakes of Central Texas these days, and the fight over who gets what’s left has laid bare the ugly politics of drought.
State Rep. Bill Callegari (R-Houston), more than many lawmakers, knows water. An engineer, he holds “Class A” certifications in water and wastewater management. During his time in the Texas legislature, much of it spent serving on the House Natural Resources Committee, he authored several major bills on water management and water utilities. His office biography […]
This article originally appeard in the Texas Tribune. More than 600 children in a South Texas border town may be prevented from returning to school on Monday because of a long-standing dispute over water rates, which have skyrocketed in recent years amid attempts to make badly needed upgrades to the town’s water infrastructure. Several attempts […]
The above video was shot inside the Waller Creek tunnel, 70 feet underneath downtown Austin, at the end of August 2013. The tunnel is expected to be finished by the end of 2014. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Waterloo Park, just east of the State Capitol, is a perfect example. […]
A lot of people who walk or drive past Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin probably assume it’s a natural feature. They appreciate the trails and parks that line the lake’s 416 acres, unaware of the series of floodgates on the Longhorn Dam that hold its waters in. But recent flooding along the waterway has […]
Texas is seeing its first real winter storm this weekend, and already parts of the Panhandle are seeing trace amounts of snow. Snow is welcome precipitation for a part of the state that is still struggling with extreme drought. But it takes a lot of snow to have the same effect as just a small […]
Now that Texas voters have given the green light to put serious money towards new water projects in the state, where do we go from here? How will projects get prioritized and funded? Will conservation be a properly-sized piece of the pie? What should we expect from state leaders going forward? Those are just a […]
StateImpact seeks to inform and engage local communities with broadcast and online news focused on how state government decisions affect your lives.
Learn More »