Close Menu
Technology Mag

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    How to Travel to the Most Remote Office on Earth

    July 6, 2025

    With RFK Jr. in Charge, Insurers Aren’t Saying If They’ll Cover Vaccines for Kids If Government Stops Recommending Them

    July 5, 2025

    I’m an Outdoor Writer. I’m Shopping These 55 Deals From REI’s 4th of July Sale

    July 5, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Subscribe
    Technology Mag
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    • Home
    • News
    • Business
    • Games
    • Gear
    • Reviews
    • Science
    • Security
    • Trending
    • Press Release
    Technology Mag
    Home » Texas Is Already Running Out of Water
    Science

    Texas Is Already Running Out of Water

    News RoomBy News RoomFebruary 8, 20243 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp Email

    “However, if a system is permanently impaired it is also possible that recovery will not reach former levels,” Montagna said.

    Studies suggest that systems around Corpus Christi may already be “permanently impaired,” Montagna said, largely due to a sustained lack of fresh water.

    Similar problems span the lower Texas coast. The Rio Grande hasn’t flowed consistently into the Gulf of Mexico since the early 2000s. On the Colorado River, which runs through Austin, authorities have kept water releases to the coastal wetlands at a bare minimum in recent years. Jennifer Walker, director of the National Wildlife Foundation’s Texas Coast and Water Program, called it “critical life support.”

    “Water to meet environmental needs is frequently the first to be negotiated away,” Walker said. “Our bays and estuaries are a hugely important part of Texas and they’re not something that would be easy to go back and fix.”

    In Corpus Christi, a major refining and export hub for Texas shale oil and gas, city authorities have imposed water use restrictions on residents, with more to come if reservoir levels fall below 30 percent. But the region’s largest industrial water consumers operate unabated, thanks to a purchasable exemption from drought restrictions for industrial users—$0.25 per 1,000 gallons—passed by the city council in 2018.

    That includes users like ExxonMobil’s massive new plastics plant, which is authorized to use up to 25 million gallons of water per day—a quarter of the regional summertime water demand.

    “Industry can continue full bore through all of these drought stages and the estuary gets cut off early,” said a water resource consultant from Corpus Christi who requested anonymity to preserve his business relationship with the city. “I think it’s a looming disaster. They are still trying to recruit all these water-intensive industries along the coast.”

    Proceeds from the exemption program were supposed to fund development of seawater desalination plants that would expand the regional water supply and meet demands of a booming industrial buildout. The first plant was initially planned to begin operations early last year, but it remains mired in challenges and years away from breaking ground. Meanwhile, the industrial buildout continues.

    Illustration: Paul Horn/Inside Climate News

    Central Texas: People and Grass

    Two hundred miles inland, the five-county region surrounding Austin, Texas’ high-tech capital city, has grown faster than any US metro area for 12 straight years. Its water supplies haven’t.

    In 2022, less water flowed into City of Austin reservoirs than ever before, city staff said at a public water task force meeting on Tuesday. Last year was only slightly better. The largest reservoir serving Austin, Lake Travis, fell from about 80 percent full in January 2022 to 38 percent full at the start of this year.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleJBL Authentics 300 smart speaker review: two assistants at once
    Next Article Cowboy expands at-home e-bike services to more riders

    Related Posts

    How to Travel to the Most Remote Office on Earth

    July 6, 2025

    With RFK Jr. in Charge, Insurers Aren’t Saying If They’ll Cover Vaccines for Kids If Government Stops Recommending Them

    July 5, 2025

    Feeling Hoarse? You Might Have the New ‘Stratus’ Covid Variant

    July 4, 2025

    A European Startup’s Spacecraft Made It to Orbit. Now It’s Lost at Sea

    July 3, 2025

    The Next Acetaminophen Tablet You Take Could Be Made From PET

    July 2, 2025

    How Much Energy Does AI Use? The People Who Know Aren’t Saying

    July 2, 2025
    Our Picks

    With RFK Jr. in Charge, Insurers Aren’t Saying If They’ll Cover Vaccines for Kids If Government Stops Recommending Them

    July 5, 2025

    I’m an Outdoor Writer. I’m Shopping These 55 Deals From REI’s 4th of July Sale

    July 5, 2025

    Samsung is about to find out if Ultra is enough

    July 5, 2025

    Everything You Can Do in the Photoshop Mobile App

    July 5, 2025
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Vimeo
    Don't Miss
    Security

    The Promise and Peril of Digital Security in the Age of Dictatorship

    By News RoomJuly 5, 2025

    Rodríguez and his collective received digital security training from Amate, another LGBTIQ+ organization that advocates…

    The Ploopy Knob is an open-source control dial for your PC

    July 4, 2025

    Laid-off workers should use AI to manage their emotions, says Xbox exec

    July 4, 2025

    Despite Protests, Elon Musk Secures Air Permit for xAI

    July 4, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of use
    • Advertise
    • Contact
    © 2025 Technology Mag. All Rights Reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.