Water

Toyah residents are once again having to boil their water before drinking it. The small town has endured years of water problems.

Tomorrow is Election Day in Texas, with voters deciding on 17 proposed constitutional amendments. Our Brad Burt reports that Lubbock County saw unusually high early voting turnout for this type of election — more than 13,000 ballots cast — though that’s still just 6.7% of registered voters. Statewide turnout remains low, with fewer than a million Texans voting early. The amendments cover issues from tax cuts to a multibillion-dollar state water fund.

Texas Senator Charles Perry talked to a crowd at the Abilene Country Club about the proposals on the November ballot.

If passed, the proposition would dedicate $1 billion a year to water projects.

No new taxes would be collected for the package that would give the state’s water department $1 billion to spend on projects like cleaning salty water, flood control and reservoirs.

Local leaders see data centers, which help power the world’s shift to artificial intelligence, as a way to keep their towns open. Residents worry their way of life — and water — is at stake.

Despite high temperatures this week, the City of Lubbock is reminding residents that fall and winter lawn-watering restrictions are now in effect. Our Bishop Van Buren reports that through March 31, watering is only allowed when temperatures are above 35 degrees Fahrenheit. The city recommends winterizing irrigation before the first freeze. And KTTZ's Sean Ryan has more on the fall medication cleanout event from the Texas Tech Health University Sciences Center. The Medication Cleanout is on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Texas Tech Physicians Medical Pavilion.

A wave of massive data centers is expanding across Texas, prompting warnings from experts who say the new water demands could push the state’s already strained supply to the brink.

Quick-growing blooms of bacteria and algae have long been a hazard in lakes and rivers, because of the toxins they produce. Fueled in part by agricultural runoff, these blooms are also threatening public water systems, making water temporarily unusable, and forcing some cities and towns to take costly preventive measures.

As more and more AI mega data centers are being built in Texas, there's a growing awareness of the water demand of Big Tech. If not addressed, AI data centers could consume a serious portion of the state's water supply.