Water

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.

Gov. Greg Abbott has made water a priority for this legislative session. Lawmakers will debate whether to invest more into new water supplies or repairing old, leaking pipes around Texas.

A longstanding dispute over water-sharing between the U.S. and Mexico is raising concerns for farmers in South Texas. The Texas Newsroom’s Lucio Vasquez reports the U.S. government has now denied Mexico’s latest request for water, citing ongoing shortfalls in Mexico’s required deliveries. Hockley County, Garza County, and Hale County have joined the list of Texas counties reporting measles cases connected with the ongoing outbreak in the region.

The state House and Senate have similar proposals to solve the state's water crisis, but there are stark differences on how to invest billions of dollars to resolve.