Water

Texas lawmakers convened in a rapidly growing part of West Texas to sign new legislation aimed at addressing a looming water crisis across the state.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott came to Lubbock yesterday to sign legislation investing in the state’s water infrastructure. Our reporter Brad Burt says the pair of bills will put $20 billion dollars into the Texas Water Fund over the next two decades. Lubbock Public Health has confirmed the West Nile virus is in Lubbock. The public can report mosquito activity at the mosquito hotline: 806-775-3110.

Dallas and Tarrant counties have confirmed their first mosquito samples positive for West Nile virus this year. KERA’s Katherine Hobbs has tips for Texans to avoid the disease this summer. Experts say Texas could be down to the last minute for getting ahead of a statewide water crisis, and the response from Texas lawmakers has passed just as the legislative session draws to a close.

Gov. Greg Abbott and other leaders have called for a major investment to save the state’s water supply. How to spend the money has caused friction at the Capitol.

Western Kansas is running out of the water needed to fuel irrigated agriculture. Why is it so hard for farmers to switch to alternative crops?

The Volunteer Center of Lubbock is celebrating national volunteer week by putting on its first 806 ServeFest tomorrow, a city wide day of service to the community. You can sign up to serve and find more information on the Volunteer Center of Lubbock's website. The Texas Newsroom’s Lucio Vasquez reports the latest in an ongoing water-sharing dispute between the U.S. and Mexico. Tonight, Congressman Jodey Arrington will be hosting a telephone town hall. The event starts at 7 P.M. with a livestream on the representative's website. You can sign up to ask questions before 1 P.M. here.

The City of Lubbock Water Utilities identified customers with galvanized steel pipes as part of its service line inventory. Our Samantha Larned reports that these pipes can increase the likelihood of lead entering the water supply. Texas lawmakers heard testimony yesterday from ranchers affected by last year’s historic wildfire in the Panhandle as they consider a proposal placing more requirements on oil and gas operators to reduce wildfire risk.

Lubbock Sen. Charles Perry's bill to address water scarcity across Texas passed through the state Senate unanimously this week. The City of Lubbock's health department is expected to be impacted by cuts to the CDC; Texas Public Radio's David Martin Davies reports on how this could affect response to the ongoing measles outbreak.

Yesterday, the Texas House passed a set of bills as part of the state's response to last year's panhandle wildfires, designed to improve emergency response and fire prevention. As spring starts with the hope of April showers in Lubbock, the city has issued its seasonal watering guidelines. Our Samantha Larned explains that residents are asked not to irrigate between 10 A.M. and 6 P.M. and are assigned two days a week.

A power outage at Texas Tech University yesterday delayed the return to classes for some students coming back after Spring Break. Our Samantha Larned reports the university says the outage is separate from those across campus earlier this month. Water is a top priority for Texas legislators this session and Lubbock's Senator Charles Perry is spearheading infrastructure efforts with his proposed bill, Senate Bill 7.