Aguilar on an environmental battle in South Texas, Galbraith on the impact of the drought, Grissom on the latest in the Michael Morton case, Hamilton and Theobald on plans for greater scrutiny of faculty performance, Murphy on Rick Perry’s campaign donors and expenditures, Ramsey on where we stand on redistricting, Ramshaw on the intense interest in stem cell rules, Root on a congressman’s controversial pipeline holdings, M. Smith on the backlash against student testing and Tan on the fight for a new medical school in Austin: The best of our best content from February 6-10, 2012.
water supply
Posted in
Energy
What if There’s a Mega-Drought? Comptroller Considers Impact
A report released Wednesday by the Texas comptroller’s office looks at the impact of the current drought and other scenarios.
Posted in
Energy
BP Spill Money for Texas: $100M — and Counting
Unlike other Gulf states, Texas beaches did not get soaked with oil after the BP spill two years ago. Nonetheless, $100 million — and possibly far more, depending on the courts and Congress — is about to start flowing to Texas from BP for coastal restoration.
Posted in
Energy
Spicewood Beach Days Away From Running Out of Water
The community of Spicewood Beach, about 40 miles northwest of Austin, is just days away from running out of water. As Andy Uhler of KUT News reports, the owner of Spicewood’s water system is preparing to truck in water to meet residents’ needs.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Root on the end of Rick Perry’s presidential campaign, Murphy on what happens to his campaign cash, Ramsey on his next act, Ramshaw, Aaronson, Murphy, Chang and Seger interactively chart the rise and fall of his run, Aguilar talks Juárez violence with a documentary filmmaker, Galbraith on the tug-of-war over surface water, Grissom and Murphy on three decades of capital punishment in Texas, Hamilton and Aaronson on our workforce needs in 2018 and Tan on the state’s much-reduced list of women’s health clinics: The best of our best content from January 16-20, 2012.
Posted in
Energy
With Surface Water, It’s First Come, First Served
The long-lasting Texas drought has sparked an unprecedented tug of war for surface water, between those whose rights date back centuries and those who only secured water rights in the 20th century. The system may sound weird, but it is slowly changing.
Posted in
Energy
Fracking Disclosures to Include Water Totals
Starting Feb. 1, drillers will have to report many of the chemicals they use in hydraulic fracturing. But a less-publicized part of the regulation is what some water experts are most interested in: the mandatory disclosure of the amount of water needed to “frack” each well.
Posted in
Energy
At Senate Hearing, Warnings of Drought and Power
At a committee hearing Tuesday about the impact of drought on power generation, state senators voiced concerns that a lack of adequate water could harm Texas’ long-term growth.
Posted in
Energy
Despite Drought, Trinity River Still Flowing
In a curious development amid the year’s record-setting drought, the Trinity River — which runs south from Dallas and empties into the Gulf just east of Houston — has kept on flowing. Dave Fehling of KUHF News reports on where all the water is coming from.
Posted in
Energy
Tree Ring Study Warns of Long Droughts
A new study of tree rings indicates droughts are typically a once-a-decade phenomon in Texas and that the state has had several “mega-droughts” lasting 15 to 30 years over the centuries.
