Vol 3, Issue 15

For the first time in more than five years, Texas no longer is in a drought. While less than 3 percent of the state remains “abnormally dry,” according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, drought has disappeared from every other part of Texas.

UPDATED: From transmission pipelines to desalination plants, the Texas Water Development Board approved funding on Thursday for dozens of water supply projects from Marfa to Houston, including a handful to promote conservation. 

A sharp increase in heat-related deaths and storm-related losses. A decrease in worker productivity and crop yields. A new climate change study paints a bleak picture for Texas over the coming decades — if nothing is done to address the much-debated warming trend.

In this week's Q&A, we interview Sheila Olmstead, an environmental economist and associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin's LBJ School of Public Affairs.

The 4th Annual Texas Groundwater Summit, with presentations on groundwater management issues, will be held in San Marcos from Aug. 25 to 27.

The Texas Water Development Board has details on the 21 applicants receiving money from the first round of funding for water projects approved by voters in 2013.

A University of Illinois study examined the impact of depleting three major U.S. aquifers, finding that the aquifers' draining could lead to food insecurity and water shortages in cities.

A brain-eating amoeba that causes an often fatal disease has been found in the water supply of St. Bernard Parish, which is close to New Orleans.

A new desalination plant being built in Carlsbad, California, has brought the long-simmering controversy over the technology and its troubled history in the U.S. to the forefront.

West Nile Virus has been found in mosquitoes in New York City, prompting authorities to take measures to prevent its spread to humans and ensure there aren't any cases this year.

Using data from the Texas Water Development Board's reservoir status tracker, our auto-updating map visualizes the current state of Texas reservoirs.