A Texan tragedy: ample oil, no water. Beverly McGuire saw the warning signs before the town well went dry: sand in the toilet bowl, the sputter of air in the tap, a pump working overtime to no effect.
But it still did not prepare her for the night last month when she turned on the tap and discovered the tiny town where she had made her home for 35 years was out of water. "The day that we ran out of water I turned on my faucet and nothing was there and at that moment I knew the whole of Barnhart was down the tubes," she said, blinking back tears. "I went: 'dear God help us. Austin Drought. June 2013 Drought End Predictions. (NPR) – Sno Cone stands are open, school’s almost out, and thermostats across the state are getting closer and closer to reading a hundred, if they haven’t already.
As another summer approaches, Texans are wondering what kind of season is in store. If the forecasts of meteorologist Chris Coleman turn out to be correct, this summer may well be a hot one, though not as bad as the record-breaking summer of 2011.
Texas Drought: HOAs. Tx Drought: March 2013/Whooping Cranes. Tx Drought: April 2013. Texas Drought 2012. Dec 2011 Nearly 500M trees claimed by Texas drought. Racing the drought to protect endangered species. NEW BRAUNFELS — Sitting on a submerged cradle of steel beams in the middle of the Comal River, an excavator the size of a small house dug into an island packed with invasive plants.
Texas Drought Project. Q - Other than worrying about my lawn, why should I be concerned about drought in Texas?
A - Perpetual drought in Texas translates to losses for everyone--losses to the agricultural economy, which means higher prices for you at the grocery store. And Texas, which comes in second to California in agricultural product, would suffer overall economic loss if farmers and ranchers can't count on rain for their crops and herds. Drought Summary. The majority of Texas is currently experiencing drought.
Most of the state has been under drought conditions for over three years. State Climatologist John-Nielsen Gammon has warned that Texas’ could be in the midst of a drought worse than the drought of record in the 1950s. 2011 was the driest year ever for Texas, with an average of only 14.8 inches of rain. 2011 also set new lows for rainfall for March through May, and again from June through August. The high summer temperatures increased evaporation, further lowering river and lake levels. Why So Many Dams In Texas Are in Bad Condition. Photo from TCEQ This picture of a dam that over-topped is used in dam safety workshops presented by the TCEQ.
This is part one of a StateImpact Texas series devoted to looking at the infrastructure of dams in Texas, and what can be done to improve it. Aug 2013 Medina Co drought claims wells. Photo By TOM REEL/San Antonio Express-News Water levels sink to near the bottom of the river channel at Medina Lake on August 28, 2013.
The lake currently is 4.5 percent full. Mike Ivey's house, which was once on the lakefront, can be seen high on a hill. Photo By TOM REEL Water levels sink to near the bottom of the river channel at Medina Lake on August 28, 2013. Photo By TOM REEL Garden plants and grass wither in dry conditions as Mike Ivey checks his water well and storage tank which have gone dry due to drought conditions at his home near Medina Lake on August 28, 2013.
Aug 2013 ample oil, no water. Nov 2011 Texas water supply uncertain. First in a series DALLAS - Texas has a powerful thirst, one that won't be quenched any time soon given projections that the state's population will double to 46 million over the next half-century.
In the past, Texans - particularly those in the most populated areas - found water for all those extra showers, sprinklers and toilets by heading to where the water was and grabbing it. They did this with big reservoirs, deep wells and long pipelines. Whatever it took. But the days of cheap and abundant water are coming to an end, and where the additional supply will come from is not clear. After Rice Farmers Cut Off Last Year, Water Use Cut in Half in Central Texas. Charts by LCRA Without most rice farming, municipal use made up a much greater share of LCRA water in 2012.
Environmentalists Clobber Texas by Murray N. Rothbard. By Murray N.
Rothbard In April 1993, Murray Rothbard wrote on the Texas water problem, explaining how the government policy was on a disastrous course that could lead to massive drought. That day has finally arrived. Overton dam becomes latest environmental challenge - Longview News-Journal: Local News. OVERTON — A structurally imperiled dam on Overton Lake is just the latest trickle from a flood of water fines and state environmental actions that apparently were ignored by city leaders until guess-what-broke. “It took me 16 months to fix this,” Overton City Administrator Joe Cantu said, referring to $96.000 in Texas Commission on Environmental Quality fines from two enforcement orders on water and one on wastewater that were ongoing when he arrived in September 2012.
“The last letter we got said we have met all terms in the agreed order and are out of the woods, so to speak.” Previous letters weren’t as comforting. Two months after taking the city’s reins, Cantu got one from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality drawing his attention to the dam at Overton Lake. “I was notified on Nov. 7, 2012, that the city had not done anything after having been contacted many times,” he said. Cantu produced letters from the state environmental agency dating to January 2002. Bluegrass blues.
The Edwards Aquifer Water Wars: The Final Chapter? The Edwards Aquifer Water Wars: The Final Chapter? Robert L. Gulley, Ph.D., Jenna B. Cantwell Abstract On December 28, 2011, the Edwards Aquifer Authority’s Board of Directors approved the recommendations of the Edwards Aquifer Recovery Implementation Program with respect to a historic Habitat Conservation Plan. Keywords : Edwards Aquifer, groundwater, Endangered Species Act, Habitat Conservation Plan Full Text: PDF. Texas Water Journal. Announcements Vol 5, No 1 (2014) Lake Buchanan, Burnet County. © 2014. Mark Lee, Lower Colorado River Authority. The Texas Water Journal is an online, peer-reviewed journal devoted to the timely consideration of Texas water resources management and policy issues from a multidisciplinary perspective that integrates science, engineering, law, planning, and other disciplines.
It also provides updates on key state legislation and policy changes by Texas administrative agencies. Don't pump rural Texas dry for cities. In Uvalde, we have experienced the drought as much as anybody; as mayor of that community and owner of a family farming operation, I have learned more about water politics and the cost of water than I bargained for. We have seen our monitoring well drop over 30 feet in a two-year time period, and it continues to drop. Last week the Edwards Aquifer Authority enacted Stage 5 restrictions, and the economic effects will be steep; everyone will feel them. The city ratepayers and the agricultural community will feel them first, but it won't stop there.
As the economic activity decreases for one of our region's largest industries and rates climb for water, it will mean fewer dollars spent at the local grocery stores, fewer cars bought, and harder times for all local businesses.