Running Out: Texas’ water crisis — and the path forward
A growing population, leaking pipes and changing climate threaten the state’s water supply. Texas lawmakers hope a $20 billion investment will help. Full Story
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![Jay Ornelas, El Paso County Water Improvement District Manager (left) and Ramon Tirres (right) in Clint, Texas on march 5, 2025.]()
Credit: Justin Hamel for The Texas Tribune -
Join us Oct. 8 in Longview to discuss Texas’ water crisis and proposed solutions across the state
Ahead of the constitutional amendment election, we’ll hear from experts and lawmakers on what can be done to boost and protect the state’s water supply Full Story
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Lawmakers fail to pass a bill to end massive water exports from East Texas
The House refused Senate changes allowing exports to continue while the state studies its underground water supply. Lawmakers left the Capitol without reaching a compromise. Full Story
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![The Houston County Lake in Houston Co. on Nov. 30, 2022.]()
Credit: Emil Lippe for The Texas Tribune -
Corpus Christi’s water supply is uncertain after City Council ends water treatment plans
Years of blundering and project delays have pushed the South Texas city to the brink of crisis as drought bears down and industrial water use grows. Full Story
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![Corpus Christi Ship Channel on April 17, 2022.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang/The Texas Tribune -
TribCast: Did lawmakers improve Texas’ infrastructure?
Will Texas be able to keep the lights on and water flowing til the next legislative session? Full Story
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![A crew worker attempts to extinguish a leakage as they work to upgrade pipes and valves at a North Alamo Water Supply Corporation water plant in Donna on July 18, 2024.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Lawmakers near deal to spend $20 billion over two decades on water crisis
The deal allocates $1 billion a year to water projects for 20 years, which some groups estimate is a fraction of what Texas needs to save its water supply. Full Story
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![The SAWS’ Steven M. Clouse Water Recycling Center in San Antonio on Aug. 23, 2024.]()
Credit: Chris Stokes for The Texas Tribune -
Water bills face deadline threat as Texas lawmakers negotiate spending priorities
Gov. Greg Abbott and other leaders have called for a major investment to save the state’s water supply. How to spend the money has caused friction at the Capitol. Full Story
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![Workers conduct maintenance on the Fred Hervey Water Reclamation Plant El Paso, Texas on March 5, 2025.]()
Credit: Justin Hamel for The Texas Tribune -
In booming Central Texas, wastewater is polluting rivers and streams
A bill in the Legislature would protect the last 21 pristine watersheds in Texas. But for years, previous attempts have been defeated by powerful homebuilders. Full Story
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![Margo Denke, co-founder of the group Friends of Hondo Canyon, surveys a stretch of Commissioners Creek on her ranch in Bandera County.]()
Credit: Dylan Baddour/Inside Climate News -
Sweeping water bill gets Texas Senate approval
Senate Bill 7, which won unanimous approval, is among legislation that seeks to avert a looming water crisis as the state’s population booms. Full Story
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![An irrigation system on a farm field near the High Plains town of Ralls, about 30 miles east of Lubbock, on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. Like much of Texas, the High Plains and Panhandle are facing drought conditions and extraordinary heat.]()
Credit: Trace Thomas for The Texas Tribune -
Lawmakers push to spend billions of dollars for water projects and debate which ones to prioritize
Gov. Greg Abbott has made water a priority for this legislative session. Lawmakers will debate whether to invest more into new water supplies or repairing old, leaking pipes around Texas. Full Story
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![Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, during a Senate meeting on March 11, 2025.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers will debate saving the state’s water supply after key legislation is introduced
The state House and Senate have similar proposals to solve the state's water crisis, but there are stark differences on how to invest billions of dollars to resolve. Full Story
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![A water tower in Starr County near the Falcon Dam on Aug. 18, 2022.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Housing, transportation solutions debated at Texas Tribune event on future of cities
Despite its history as a “frontier state,” Texans largely live in metropolitan areas that are seeing exponential growth. Full Story
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TribCast: Is a water crisis looming in Texas?
In this week’s episode, we talk about state House politics, proposals for the budget and the condition of water infrastructure in the state. Full Story
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![Thomas Skinner collects sediment in a strainer to identify the type of rock their rig is drilling through while drilling a water well on Thursday, March 14, 2024, outside of Alpine.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Corpus Christi pushes new water projects to boost supply
The coastal city also has been trying for years to develop a seawater desalination plant, but its efforts have lagged as big, thirsty industries continue to locate nearby and a five-year drought persists. Full Story
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![Corpus Christi Bay in 2022.]()
Credit: Dylan Baddour/Inside Climate News -
Texas has a big water problem. This state lawmaker hopes he has the solution.
Texas’ population is booming and there is not enough water for everyone. State Sen. Charles Perry hopes to fix that. Full Story
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![State Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, on the Senate floor on May 15, 2019.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa/The Texas Tribune -
The Texas Legislature is back. Here’s what we’re watching.
From debating school vouchers and improving the state’s water supply to reining in property taxes, the GOP-led body will look to pass its conservative priorities amid fighting within the party. Full Story
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![State Representatives and their families gather on the House floor on the opening day of the 88th Legislative Session at the state Capitol in Austin on Jan. 10, 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
“We have a problem here”: Sen. Charles Perry outlines his plans to save Texas’ water supply
The Lubbock Republican has been working for years to develop a new statewide approach to managing water and hopes voters will devote $1 billion a year to the problem. Full Story
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Texas’ citrus industry — once an agricultural powerhouse — is on the brink of disaster
A hurricane and winter freeze devastated the South Texas industry. A lack of water is preventing a full recovery. Full Story
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![Grapefruit trees at Lone Star Citrus Growers groves in Mission on Dec. 16, 2024.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Texas regulators report more than 250 new cases of groundwater contamination
An annual report documents 2,870 active cases of groundwater contamination around the state. Groundwater provides more than half of the state’s water supply. Full Story
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![Wells pump up groundwater at the North Alamo Water Supply Corporation water treatment facility in Edinburg, on Tuesday, July 16, 2024.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Despite back-to-back deals on water from Mexico, relief for South Texas farmers is far from certain
Texas agreed to take 120,000 acre-feet of water from Mexico this month, only after the U.S. and Mexico agreed to an updated treaty. Full Story
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![The Rio Grande river is seen where it meets with the San Juan River in Rio Grande City, Texas on Dec. 19, 2020.]()
Credit: Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune/ProPublica