Tag Archives: water

Texas and Oklahoma peacefully settle their border dispute

Posted on November 13, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Well, at least one thing went well this past week. Texas just altered its border with Oklahoma. Well, a small sliver of it, anyway. And, no, Texas didn’t become any bigger. After years of dispute over how the boundary between … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Can we get some help with these water repairs?

Posted on September 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t hurt to ask. Houston officials are seeking assistance from state lawmakers to help pay for some of the $4.93 billion in water utility improvements needed to prevent people from suffering widespread boil water notices and mass water loss, should … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Can we get some help with these water repairs?

Water, water, everywhere

Posted on September 2, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

All due to leaks. Texas’ most populous cities lost roughly 88 billion gallons of water last year because of aging water infrastructure and extreme heat, costing them millions of dollars and straining the state’s water supply, according to self-reported water … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

When you’re hoping for a hurricane

Posted on July 1, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Doesn’t seem like a great position to be in. South Texas was prepared for a deluge. City officials distributed sandbags and planned road closures. Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster before Tropical Storm Alberto, which was projected to … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Here’s your state flood plan

Posted on June 2, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We have a lot of people living in flood-prone areas. That’s not going away. More than 5 million Texans, or one in six people in the state, live or work in an area susceptible to flooding, according to a draft … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Here’s your state flood plan

Hope we have enough water this summer

Posted on March 26, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Not looking great for some parts of the state right now. Two consecutive summers of brutal heat and drought have left some parts of Texas with notably low water supplies going into 2024. A wet year or a well-placed hurricane … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Hope we have enough water this summer

Mayor proposes his water bill fix ordinance

Posted on December 5, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This sure got a lot of late momentum. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner is adding water bill reform to his to-do list as he approaches the end of his eight years in office. Turner announced at a Monday news conference nine … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Prop A gets its first customers

Posted on November 26, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

First there was this: Council Members Carolyn Evans-Shabazz (District D) and Mary Nan Huffman (District G) joined Council Member Amy Peck (District A) to submit notice to the City’s Agenda Office to place an item on the City Council Agenda. … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Drought 2023

Posted on October 18, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It’s bad. Any questions? A lingering drought affecting more than 80% of Texas is causing wildfires, hurting agriculture and drying up water supplies throughout the state. This year’s drought comes less than a year after Texas experienced one of its … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Drought Contingency Plan Stage Two

Posted on August 25, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: The City of Houston will enter Stage Two of the City’s Drought Contingency Plan, effective August 27, 2023. The Drought Contingency Plan calls for Stage Two mandatory water conservation measures when the significant drop in annual rainfall … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

EPA asked to investigate TCEQ’s water permitting process

Posted on February 5, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Need to keep an eye on this. The Environmental Protection Agency says an informal investigation is underway after more than two dozen environmental advocacy groups submitted a petition against the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The petition alleges that state … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on EPA asked to investigate TCEQ’s water permitting process

Houston to spend more fixing water pipes

Posted on December 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like a good idea. The city is poised to at least double its annual spending on water line repairs, citing two years of pipe breaks and leaks driven in part by ongoing drought conditions. Houston lost nearly 20 billion … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The boil notice

Posted on November 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Yeah, it’s a pain. And now schools are closed again, which my daughter appreciates but probably most grownups do not. Also a thing many grownups did not appreciate was how long it took for the boil notices to go out. … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Corpus Christi desalination plant fight

Posted on October 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. Texas regulators issued an environmental permit Thursday for the Port of Corpus Christi to build what could become the state’s first seawater desalination plant — but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency may refuse to accept … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Corpus Christi desalination plant fight

Yes, it’s been an especially hot summer

Posted on August 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Record-breaking, in fact. Average high temperatures in Houston so far this summer have outpaced previous historically hot summers on record, according to the National Weather Service. In the months of May, June and July, temperatures in the city averaged 95.1 … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Yes, it’s been an especially hot summer

The West Texas earthquake problem

Posted on July 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We’re number one! Earthquakes were never anything people in West Texas thought much about. Years would pass in between tremors that anybody felt. Even after the shale revolution arrived in force a decade ago and oil crews started drilling frantically in the region’s … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re in a drought

Posted on June 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

And by “we”, I mean most of the state. About 80% of Texas is currently experiencing some level of drought conditions, ranging from “moderate” to “exceptional.” The drought, which caused wildfires across the state earlier this year and prompted burn bans, is now … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re in a drought

City passes its budget

Posted on June 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Not too much drama. Houston’s $5.7 billion budget for the next fiscal year includes a big jump in revenue from water bills, raises for all city employees and the largest unspent reserves in years. City Council voted 15-2 to adopt … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on City passes its budget

“The Dead Sea of West Texas”

Posted on February 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Not a vacation spot. About twenty-five miles north of Fort Stockton sits what looks, at first blush, like an oasis amid the West Texas desert. When I recently visited what might be Texas’s newest sizable body of water, its color … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on “The Dead Sea of West Texas”

Houston’s preparations for the next freeze

Posted on February 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We learned from the experience, which I hope will serve us well for the next time. The grid’s near collapse last February had drastic consequences for local governments, none more acute than the challenge water systems confronted in trying to … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Houston’s preparations for the next freeze

A broader look at the Houston project to track COVID in wastewater

Posted on December 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The DMN tells me things I did not know about my current favorite public works project. The [Houston] health department is conducting the wastewater surveillance for COVID-19 in partnership with researchers at Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine. Wastewater … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Yes, omicron was found in the wastewater

Posted on December 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

In case you missed it. Houston has detected the omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 in eight of its wastewater treatment facilities, confirming the new strain is spreading in the city. A Harris County resident was the first … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Yes, omicron was found in the wastewater

Our wastewater treatment plant is ready for omicron

Posted on December 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

One small bit of reassurance in these uncertain times. The Houston Health Department is testing the city’s wastewater for the new COVID variant, omicron, which experts say could soon be found in the U.S. The department tests the city’s wastewater weekly for COVID strains. … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Climate change is bad for Texas

Posted on October 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

In case you were wondering. Climate change has made the Texas heat worse, with less relief as nighttime temperatures warm, a report from the state’s climatologist published Thursday found. Climate data also show that the state is experiencing extreme rainfall … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Yes, the wastewater is also pointing to a COVID surge

Posted on August 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

In case you were wondering. There is more COVID-19 in the city’s wastewater system now than at any time in the pandemic, city officials said Wednesday, the latest warning that the virus is spreading at an unprecedented rate. Dr. David … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

City victory in water rights lawsuit upheld

Posted on July 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news. A split Texas appeals court ruled Wednesday that a state law that would have stripped Houston of its interest in an unbuilt water reservoir was unconstitutionally retroactive, siding with a lower court that protected the city’s interests. … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The COVID wastewater tracking project has been a big success

Posted on May 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This has been one of the best things to come out of this interminable and miserable COVID experience. Lauren Stadler’s environmental engineering students always pose the same question at the beginning of a semester: “What happens to water in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The COVID wastewater tracking project has been a big success

How our water systems failed during the freeze

Posted on April 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good analysis of something that has received far less attention than the blackouts that resulted during the freeze. Which is interesting because the blackouts were the main cause of the water outages and resulting boil notices. And the fix here … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Consent decree to fix sewers finalized

Posted on March 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

All done. A federal judge on Wednesday signed off on a deal between Houston and federal regulators that will require the city to spend an estimated $2 billion over the next 15 years to upgrade its troubled sanitary sewer system. … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Consent decree to fix sewers finalized

On informing the public during an emergency

Posted on February 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Another thing the state didn’t do well. As millions of Texans fought to survive brutal winter weather without power and water, Gov. Greg Abbott told residents Wednesday to search for emergency warming shelters on Google and to call 311 for … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

HISD schools closed Monday and Tuesday

Posted on February 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

More effects of the storm. Houston ISD plans to remain closed Monday and Tuesday, then hold online-only classes for the last three days of next week, as the district manages the fallout from water and power issues caused by freezing … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on HISD schools closed Monday and Tuesday

We also have to worry about water

Posted on February 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Hopefully not for too much longer. On Friday, as the ice melted and lights flickered back on in homes and businesses across the state, Texans were melting snow into their toilet tanks and mopping up water from busted pipes. The … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The “public service” part of being a public servant

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not that hard, though obviously some people make it look easier than others. New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez [flew] to Houston [Friday] with more than $2 million to help Texas recover from a week of catastrophic blackouts and water … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Winter storm/blackout/boil water situation, Day 439

Posted on February 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I may be a bit off in my counting of the days, but it’s close enough. Between my house and my in-laws’ house, I have had power for maybe 14 hours total since Monday morning, with a bit more time … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 28 Comments