Water

The City of Childress, about two hours northeast of Lubbock, issued a local disaster declaration on Friday due to the impact of extreme heat and drought conditions on the municipal water system. Meanwhile, the Texas Department of State Health Services is asking lawmakers for millions of dollars to support local health departments and disaster relief. KERA’s Abigail Ruhman reports Texas doesn’t have a dedicated fund to cover the costs of public health disaster response.

Data center development has picked up in the Austin area, and residents have voiced concerns about water and energy resources related to the construction. But experts say they can use those concerns to get the companies to build more sustainably.

As oil and gas companies run out of places to dispose of their wastewater, Texas regulators are drafting permits to treat and reuse it outside the oilfields.

Activists gathered nearly 13,000 signatures on a petition to levy fees on chemical plants and refineries during drought.

City officials are asking residents in Canyon to limit “nonessential” water usage, making it the latest Texas Panhandle city to enact drought condition, ahead of what experts worry will be a dry and dangerous month for the region. Construction has begun on Lubbock Lake Landmark's Wildflower Trail, which was damaged by vandalism last year. Our Riley Wilson reports the Landmark is seeking $35,000 in donations to help with the repairs. You can donate to the fundraiser here or in person at 2401 Landmark Dr.

As more and more data center developers submit proposals to build in Texas, questions about how they will impact Texas' grid and contribute to drought conditions across the state are widespread.

As a heatwave approaches Lubbock, The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center warns about the risk of dehydration. Our Riley Wilson reports on what to look out for. People who claim the popular weedkiller Roundup caused their cancer now have fewer legal options after the Supreme Court sided with the product’s manufacturer last month. Harvest Public Media’s Jess Savage explains the ruling overturns an earlier decision from a Missouri court.

Lake Meredith, near Amarillo is a municipal water source for eleven cities, including Lubbock. Last month it was designated by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department as “fully infested” with invasive zebra mussels. Our Samantha Larned reports the mussels are known to impact infrastructure, such as pipes used for water treatment.

Lake Meredith, near Amarillo, was recently designated as “fully infested” with invasive zebra mussels. The mussels have been spreading across Texas for more than 15 years and Lake Meredith is the north-most body of water in the state to be infected. TPWD says the mussels have the potential to damage treatment equipment in what is a municipal water source for the region, but water officials with the lake say they're prepared.

In some parts of Kansas, groundwater is polluted with enough nitrates that it can fulfill some of the fertilizing needs for farmers.