Vol 3, Issue 11

A bill designed to protect western Hays County residents' water wells in light of a massive groundwater pumping project is headed to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk — following an emotional week of political drama over the issue. 

Climate change is taking a toll on Texas, and the devastating floods across the state are some of the best evidence yet of that phenomenon, state climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon said. But efforts to consider climate change policy in Texas have fallen flat.

When Wimberley residents woke up Sunday to flooding, the surprise was palpable: The area had been going through a drought. But months earlier, local officials had voiced concerns about the rapidly growing region's vulnerability to flooding.

In this week’s Q&A we interview, Bridget Scanlon, a senior research scientist at the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin's Jackson School of Geosciences.

In this week's Bookshelf, our content partner Kirkus Reviews highlights Future Arctic.

The 8th Annual Texas Water Symposium featuring regional water experts discussing the state’s water planning process and the need for public participation will be held in Fredericksburg on June 18.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will hold a June 25 hearing for stakeholders at its Austin headquarters on environmental flow standards it has adopted for river basins and bay systems.

A 2007 study of the Blanco River watershed predicted that the basin's urbanization would create a higher likelihood of flooding.

Experts from the Texas A&M Forest Service are warning that quick removal of the cypress trees felled by the Blanco River flood will cause further harm, as the roots may still have life in them.

Opponents of the EPA's finalized Clean Water Rule announced last week a push for legislation to block the rule and are preparing lawsuits to challenge it.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army have finalized a Clean Water Rule providing clarity in defining and protecting tributaries that impact the health of downstream waters.

A bill passed by the Legislature will move the Texas Farm and Ranch Lands Conservation Program to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, where supporters say the program will be better served.

Developers have announced plans for an Austin surf park, essentially a "wave pool on steroids," as one writer called it, to be called NLand Surf Park.

After years of drought, heavy rain across the state has finally refilled many Texas reservoirs. Check out the Tribune's Reservoir App to see where the drought has receded, and which Texas communities' reservoirs are still parched.