Water supply

West Texas detention facility in Sierra Blanca.

West Texas detention facility enacting water conservation measures after depletion of local water tanks

by Julián Aguilar

The Sierra Blanca facility, which houses ICE detainees, shuts down its water supply at 11 p.m. daily to allow its on-site water tanks to replenish overnight.

Contractors hired by Formosa clean up plastic pellets and powder along the bank of Cox Creek. Wilson has said this has been largely uneffective and a waste of resources. Point Comfort, Texas. MArch 20, 2019.

Plastic company set to pay $50 million settlement in water pollution suit brought on by Texas residents

by Stacy Fernández

A judge had ruled that the company illegally dumped billions of plastic pellets and other pollutants into Lavaca Bay and other waterways.

Austin's Ullrich water treatment plant off of Westlake Drive in west Austin on March 2, 2005.

The Texas water industry faces a looming workforce shortage as it struggles to attract new talent

by Carlos Anchondo

As a generation of water and wastewater operators near retirement in Texas, it could become more difficult to provide safe drinking water and to protect state waterways from pollutants, experts say.

Seen is the inside of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant on April 16, 2012. The $87 million facility produces 27.5 million gallons of water per day, making it the largest inland desalination plant in the world.

Amid industrial boom, Corpus Christi officials look to meet growing water demand

by Carlos Anchondo

As more oil and gas facilities come online in the Coastal Bend, the city and port of Corpus — and a handful of private companies — are planning to build a bevy of seawater desalination plants.

Report: Toxic herbicide found in many Texans' drinking water

by Carlos Anchondo

Nearly 500 water utilities across the state tested positive for atrazine — a weed killer — which can lead to harmful health effects, according to a new report. The Environmental Working Group also found that utilities are testing water during times when the herbicide isn't being used as much — and that they may be lowballing the results.

Austin's Ullrich water treatment plant off of Westlake Drive in west Austin on March 2, 2005.

Austin lifts city-wide boil water notice

by Carlos Anchondo

After seven days of boiling their water, Austin Water customers are once again allowed to consume water directly from the tap.

Record rainfall in Llano and Burnet counties in the Texas Hill Country cause major flooding in Marble Falls on Oct. 16, 2018.

Austin issues city-wide boil water notice; calls for action "to avoid running out of water"

by Carlos Anchondo

As Austin Water works to stabilize the water treatment system, customers are being asked to boil water for at least three minutes before drinking it.

Record rainfall in Llano and Burnet counties in the Texas Hill Country cause major flooding in Marble Falls on Oct. 16, 2018.

After historic Texas flooding, officials will likely open more floodgates on Central Texas dam

by Carlos Anchondo

After the wettest September in Texas history, multiple Central Texas reservoirs are completely full. That has forced officials to consider releasing a historic amount of water down the Colorado River.

The Rio Grande at the New Mexico-Texas border on Monday, Dec. 9, 2013, in El Paso.

State lawmaker to Trump: Don't overlook Mexican water treaty

by Natalia Alamdari

Allowing Mexico to fall short on its water deliveries is "rewarding bad behavior," state Rep. Lyle Larson said. But the commission that monitors the treaty says Mexico is currently ahead with its water obligations.

The shelves in the bottled water section of a Walmart in Corpus Christi were nearly empty on the morning of Dec. 15, 2016. Nearly two years after the city's water ban, the area's water now has a clean bill of health.

Corpus Christi water tests clean after years of problems

by Natalia Alamdari

City officials credit the improvement to a change in how water is treated.

Hays County residents Ann Arendarczyk, left, and Leigh Peterson look at water resource maps during a public meeting on June 18 at the Wimberley Community Center, where concerned residents learned about Electro Purification's proposed permit to pump up to 2.5 million gallons of water daily from the Trinity Aquifer.

Hays County residents fear the fight to protect their water was all for nothing

by Natalia Alamdari

Hays County well owners thought they won the water fight against Houston-based Electro Purification three years ago. Now, regulators are left trying to balance residential priorities with business interests.

The Rio Grande has been the lifeblood of the valleys and civilizations it flowed through for more than 3,000 years. As cities and farms suck it dry and a warming climate makes it evaporate faster, the river's future has never been more uncertain.

Texas-New Mexico water fight could be impacted by SCOTUS ruling

by Natalia Alamdari

The high court's decision lowers the burden of proof for states locked in similar water battles with upstream neighbors.

Seen is the inside of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant on April 16, 2012. The $87 million facility produces 27.5 million gallons of water per day, making it the largest inland desalination plant in the world. In Corpus Christi, a seawater desalination plant has been proposed, which would be one of the first in the state.

Seawater desalination plant proposed for Corpus Christi area

by Paul Cobler

The proposed plant would be constructed in the city of Gregory and would be one of the first in Texas to use only seawater.

A truck is washed at All American Super Car Wash in Wichita Falls. Business owner Larry Ayers almost had to shut down in 2015 due to a devastating drought and tightened water restrictions.

As drought returns, experts say Texas cities aren't conserving enough water

by Paul Cobler

Three years after one of the worst droughts in Wichita Falls history, life is returning to normal. But as Texas creeps back into a drought, water experts say residents in the city and around the state can do more to conserve water and prepare for the next shortage, which is always on the horizon.

The Rio Grande at the New Mexico-Texas border on Monday, December 9, 2013 in El Paso.

Federal government may fight alongside Texas in water dispute, U.S. Supreme Court rules

by Emma Platoff

The ruling is an apparent victory for Texas in a legal battle that has dragged on for more than five years. The states are bickering over the distribution of water from the Rio Grande. Those allocations are laid out in the 1938 Rio Grande Compact.

Harold "Thump" Witcher Jr., a Fannin County native, and his wife, Patty, live on 485 acres of farmland that sits in an area slated to be flooded to create the Bois d'Arc Creek Reservoir. The reservoir will provide water for parts of North Texas.

Texas close to gaining first reservoir in 20 years

by Paul Cobler

The Bois d'Arc Creek Reservoir was recently approved for its second $500 million loan as the project nears the beginning of construction in North Texas. The dam and accompanying man-made lake will be Texas' first new major reservoir in almost two decades.

A sign certifying water quality in Buda.

Why are Texas' smaller utilities not cleaning up drinking water?

by Paul Cobler

Dozens of small and rural utilities in the state have for years provided water that contains illegal levels of radiation, lead and arsenic. Lack of resources is largely to blame — but there's more to it than that.

This map shows all nine major aquifers in Texas. The Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer is shown in red.

Hurricane Harvey sparks renewed push for underground water storage projects

by Katie Riordan

Some state lawmakers have described the monster storm as a missed opportunity to prepare for the next drought.

Temporary pumps are installed at a city facility in Beaumont as the city struggles to get fresh water in the aftermath of Harvey, on Sept. 5, 2017.

EPA approves expedited loan funding for Harvey-related water projects

by Katie Riordan

The Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to expedite a low-interest loan program to serve as a financial bridge for local governments rebuilding their water and wastewater systems damaged by Hurricane Harvey.

Chris Ginter, center, tries to convince a resident of a flooded neighborhood near Buffalo Bayou in Houston to evacuate in his monster truck on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017.

In post-Harvey Houston, extent of water contamination unknown

by Katie Riordan

Government agencies and scientists are still trying to get a handle on what exactly is percolating in lingering floodwaters — and who might be most impacted.