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Texas Tribune: “Ike Dike” coastal barrier project could cost $57 billion with inflation, Army Corps says
Inflation could push the cost of Texas’ coastal barrier project — already expected to be the largest civil engineering project in U.S. history — to $57 billion, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said. That’s 68% higher than the Corps’ most

As Record Heat and Drought Gripped Texas This Summer, Our Water Systems Struggle
It’s official: This year, Texas experienced its second hottest summer on record. Between June and August, the average temperature in the state hovered around 85 degrees. In 2011, the hottest year on record that also set the state’s drought of

Texas Observer: Lessons for the future of Texas water from the Medina and San Antonio rivers
“During busy summer days, more than 200 recreational boats launch from Red Cove Cafe & Marina in the unincorporated community of Mico. But on a Wednesday morning this May, only two boaters’ cars sat in the parking lot on the

Inside Climate News: Dry Springs in Central Texas Warn of Water Shortage Ahead
“Almost every other day, Charlie Flatten gets a call about another local water well gone dry. Last week, he tried to help one woman find a water truck to fill her home cistern. But all the hauling companies had suspended

Use Hill Country landscape to mitigate water risks
This article is by Jennifer Walker, National Wildlife Federation and Vanessa Puig-Williams, Environmental Defense Fund. It originally appeared in the San Antonio Express News on Aug 7, 2023. There’s a deep red bull’s-eye hovering over the Hill Country in the Texas

Texas Observer: Dow’s River
“As with most Texas rivers, the water flowing between the Brazos’ banks is already spoken for. In the late 1800s, Texas began selling off surface water rights to the first bidder—creating a “first in time, first in right,” system. On

Water Wins & Losses: Key Takeaways from the 88th Legislative Session
Texas Living Waters partner organizations were hard at work this session aiming to protect our water resources and to ensure healthy, safe, reliable water infrastructure for all Texans. Prior to session, our team laid the groundwork for impactful water legislation

Texas Tribune: Texas lawmakers allocated more than $2 billion to increase the state’s water supply and reduce flooding
“During this year’s legislative session, Texas lawmakers allocated part of the state’s historic $32.7 billion surplus toward better protecting the state against droughts and floods — an investment that followed one of the hottest summers on record and the worst
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The Ike Dike could cost $57 billion over a 20-year period due to inflation and rising costs. That puts a much bigger burden on five coastal counties to raise the nearly $20 billion needed for local cost share, notes our policy specialist @DanielleGoshen.
"To strike oil in America, you need water. Plenty of it."
A fascinating deep dive into how water supplies in Texas are threatened by "monster fracks" that pump aquifers and other vulnerable sources:
A very serious and costly reminder of the importance of maintaining freshwater inflows. They are not just for the health of bay and estuary ecosystems — but for the proper functioning of drinking water systems as well.
"A Rio Grande photo expedition shows the beauty and perils along 470 miles of New Mexico’s prize waterway."
Nadav Soroker/@SearchlightNM