Water

With cold weather arriving today across the region, ERCOT expects grid conditions to be normal. Lubbock's mayor signed a purchasing agreement last week, securing 85% of the land needed for Lake 7. Our reporter Bishop Van Buren has more on the project moving forward. On Friday night, a 5.0 magnitude earthquake struck near the Texas-New Mexico border. Quakes have become more common in the region in recent years.

Lubbock Republican State Senator Charles Perry says he’s planning to file a bill that could dedicate up to $5 billion in funding for water projects across the state. This month, Lubbock police expanded use of an e-citation app. Our reporter Olivia O’Rand has more on developing technology with the department. Enrollment is open for the City of Lubbock citizen education program. The application, syllabus, and more information can be found at mylubbock.us/Lubbock101, the deadline to apply is March 3.

Two years after lawmakers created a $10 million program to address leaking wells in rural counties, none of the money has been distributed.

In Sunday’s State of the State Address, Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared water issues an emergency item that Texas legislators should take on this session. The Texas Newsroom's Blaise Gainey has more on a potential Educations Savings Account program being debated on the Texas Senate floor today.

Nonprofit, public policy organizations including Texas 2036 and the Texas Water Association have made water infrastructure one of their priorities this legislative session.

Local north Texans are still opposed to a proposed reservoir that KERA’s Pablo Arauz Peña reports could supply water to the Dallas-Fort Worth area by 2050. And as President Donald Trump enters the White House with a host of plans, Houston Public Media’s Andrew Schneider says his plans for mass deportations could have dramatic effects on Texans and the Texas economy.

Water conditions and potential infrastructure are expected to be major topics in the upcoming legislative session, as drought conditions span the state. In the New Year, fitness resolutions are popular. Our reporter Bishop Van Buren has more from a local physician on how to stay committed to those goals.

Starting with the new year, some citizens of Lubbock will now be required to pay a deposit to obtain or continue their water services. Requirements can be found at mylubbock.us/waterdeposit. Texas Supreme Court justices reconvene in Austin this month for their first oral arguments of the year -- but without a key figure. KERA's Toluwani Osibamowo reports the court's longest-serving justice is retiring.

Paxton’s office has accused 3M and DuPont of misrepresenting or concealing the health risks of PFAS, which have been sold for decades for use in consumer products.

The Ogallala aquifer is a critical source of water in western Kansas, and it’s running dry. It plays a major role in the daily lives of Kansans, even for people who don’t live on top of it.