Tag Archives: water

Water infrastructure bill passes

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This is good. The Texas House on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to create a revolving, low-interest loan program to help finance a new round of reservoirs, pipelines and other water-supply projects for the drought-stricken state. Lawmakers approved House Bill 4 on … Continue reading →

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The drought is back

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

And we’re gonna be in trouble if it doesn’t rain soon. Since the middle of August, the city has gotten just a foot of rain over a time period when it should get twice that. We also have recorded six … Continue reading →

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Adventures in water marketing

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The headline on this story is about Texans’ increasing interest in recycling water. That sounds nice, doesn’t it? But there’s another way of describing it that maybe isn’t so appealing. Experts say recycled wastewater will play a key role in … Continue reading →

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Meet SWIFT

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

SWIFT is the State Water Infrastructure Fund for Texas, which would be created by the big water bills of the session, HB4 and SB4. Basically, this is a plan to create a water infrastructure bank, to finance various water projects … Continue reading →

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That drought we’re having? It’s still bad

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

So says our state climatologist in testimony before the Lege. John Nielsen-Gammon, the state climatologist, said that during the past two years Texas received only 68 percent of its typical rainfall, making it the third driest period on record. If … Continue reading →

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Who gets the water?

Posted on January 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This will be worth watching. A simple idea has guided appropriations of Texas water for decades: First come, first served. Now, with drought conditions returning to almost the entire state, the principle is being put to the test by a … Continue reading →

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We’re still looking at a drought here

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I know we just got a lot of rain this week, but that doesn’t mean that drought conditions are over. The latest seasonal drought outlook from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows that for much of Texas and … Continue reading →

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A look ahead to the 2013 Lege

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib previews the biennial hijinks of the 2013 Texas Legislature. The last time Texas lawmakers convened in Austin, they were absorbed with numbers and boundaries: how to make ends meet with a deflated state budget and draw new district … Continue reading →

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Finally a focus on water

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The good news is that the 2013 Lege does seem to be serious about water issues. House Speaker Joe Straus recently said Texas’ water needs will be a high priority, while Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who presides over the Senate, … Continue reading →

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When is a surplus not a surplus?

Posted on December 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

When any extra money you might have is already accounted for, due to unaddressed needs, accounting shenanigans, and shortsighted cuts. Some lawmakers and budget experts expect to have as much as $8 billion to $9 billion more in general revenue … Continue reading →

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Dude, I’m serious!

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

House Speaker Joe Straus is ready to have a “serious” legislative session. You know, totally unlike the last one. Despite organized efforts to unseat him, Texas House Speaker Joe Straus said Wednesday he is confident his colleagues will re-elect him … Continue reading →

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We need infrastructure, yes we do

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

But paying for it is often a problem. That doesn’t work very well for a chant, I’m afraid. The American Society of Civil Engineers Houston branch assessed the structural and economic viability of roads, transit, solid waste, wastewater and drinking … Continue reading →

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Fee for all

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Fees are part of the answer for Texas’ pressing infrastructure needs, but they aren’t and cannot be the whole solution. To help keep the Texas business climate robust, lawmakers should double state fees on motor vehicle registrations and impose a … Continue reading →

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The Lege is going to have to spend some money

Posted on October 21, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Whether they want to or not, there are a lot of issues that will be demanding attention and money from the Legislature when they convene in January. For example, there’s water. House Speaker Joe Straus said Friday the state’s water … Continue reading →

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Who gets to use the water?

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a lot more demand for an increasingly limited supply. More than miles separate the rice farms of the Texas coast and the Highland Lakes, where the outward march of Austin is marked by each new house, strip mall and … Continue reading →

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Water conservation task force

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Parker has put together a water conservation task force. “This task force will be forward-thinking in its approaches to addressing water conservation and water supply diversification,” Parker said, “taking into consideration Houston’s climate, existing water supply and alternative approaches … Continue reading →

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Steve Brown: The Grown-Up’s Platform

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The following is from a series of guest posts that I will be presenting over the next few weeks. Texas Democrats recently adopted a very progressive platform that addresses critical areas of need in our state. It also gives reasonable, … Continue reading →

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Fixing pipes needs to be part of the state water plan

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The idea of conservation is to use less than you are currently using. When a large part of your water usage is due to leaks and losses, any sensible plan for conservation should start with addressing the underlying issues causing … Continue reading →

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Conservation is still the best water plan

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The state of Texas needs to do better at it. As Texas recovers from the severe drought of the last two years, water experts say that conservation is the easiest way to ensure that the state will have enough of … Continue reading →

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Recycling water

Posted on June 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib continues its look at the present and future of water use in Texas with a story about reclaiming wastewater. “Reclaimed water,” the term for cleaned-up wastewater that gets reused, currently provides a little less than 3 percent of … Continue reading →

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Desalinization and power plants

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib has another story about desalinization in Texas, and reading it brings up a point that I don’t think gets enough attention. Interest in desalination surged more than a decade ago, when the technology became more efficient and cost-competitive, … Continue reading →

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It sure would be nice if The Lege would do something about the drought

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t count on it, though. Most of Texas has emerged from its driest year on record, but the turn in weather likely will dampen legislative interest in the state’s water supply. Water planners, policy experts and scientists said Monday at … Continue reading →

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San Antonio going for desalinization

Posted on April 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Another thing we’ll be seeing more of in the near future. The San Antonio Water System is now pumping salt water in southern Bexar County as it looks for new water sources for the city. Tuesday the utility gave a … Continue reading →

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There’s still a drought out there

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Despite the rain, the state of Texas is still mostly in drought conditions, and the threat will remain for the next several years. Most of Central and East Texas beat long odds with heavy rains this winter, but experts warned … Continue reading →

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Houston may finally be drought-free

Posted on March 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This was from a week ago. The rain brings the city’s official precipitation total for the year to 15.78 inches, twice the normal level, and a tally Houston didn’t reach in 2011 until early November. On Sunday, for the second … Continue reading →

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Keep that rain coming

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The recent rain has been great for mitigating the drought, but we still have a long way to go. During the last week an arc of Texas beset by a historic drought for a year – stretching from San Antonio … Continue reading →

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The state of water in Texas

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Statesman has a long story about the state of water in Texas and its outlook for the future. Short summary: We’re going to need more than what we’re capable of getting now, and it’s going to cost a lot … Continue reading →

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Our drought is no longer “exceptional”

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The good news is that for the first time since last March, no part of Harris County is in an “exceptional” drought. The bad news is that now we’re either in an “extreme” drought or a “severe” drought, depending on … Continue reading →

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It’s hard to get beyond coal

Posted on January 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The city of Austin is trying, but there are many obstacles along the way. In Austin politics, it’s almost an article of faith that the city must aggressively curb its contribution to global climate change, regardless of what transpires across … Continue reading →

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How dry we were

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We were drier than ever last year. Federal scientists confirmed Friday that Texas had its driest year on record in 2011. The statewide average rainfall for the year totaled just 14.88 inches, according to the National Climatic Data Center, beating … Continue reading →

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CM Costello on fixing water leaks

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

CM Stephen Costello writes a letter in response to the Chron story about leaks in the city’s water pipes. The article “City lost millions to water leaks” (Page A1, Dec. 30) was a timely discussion of our aging water/sewer system. … Continue reading →

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Fix those leaks

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We lost a lot of water this year, which seems like an especially undesirable thing during a record drought. At the peak of this year’s record drought, the city of Houston lost more than 18 billion gallons of water through … Continue reading →

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Seeking more water for Houston

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know how I feel about this. After decades of fits and starts, Houston is pushing forward with plans to move Trinity water nearly 30 miles to Lake Houston. The reservoir, located on the smaller San Jacinto River, fills … Continue reading →

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Still more drought may be coming

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Just what you wanted to hear, right? There is at least the chance of some good news, however. The drought that has plagued Texas is virtually certain to continue at least until early summer, climate experts said on Tuesday at … Continue reading →

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