Drought conditions declined slightly to 25% of the state (D1–D4); statewide reservoir storage rose slightly to 77.6% full but is still about 7 percentage points below normal for this time of year. La Nada is here with a 65% chance of La Niña arriving in July-August-September. Drought is expected to remain and expand in the western half of the state, including most of the Hill Country.
Author: Robert Mace
Robert Mace is the Executive Director and Chief Water Policy Officer at The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment and a Professor of Practice in the Department of Geography at Texas State University. Robert has over 30 years of experience in hydrology, hydrogeology, stakeholder processes, and water policy, mostly in Texas.
think+water: Water reuse in the Hill Country, Texas water markets, and frack water from the Wilcox
This month, Dr. Robert E. Mace explores academic publications on the topics of the potential for water reuse in Comal County, the characteristics of water market transactions in Texas, and the impacts of producing groundwater from the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer to produce oil from the Eagle Ford Shale.
think+water: Vista Ridge, aquifer storage and recovery in New Braunfels, and a rollercoaster of land deformation in the Delaware Basin of West Texas
This month, Dr. Robert E. Mace explores academic publications on the topics of analyzing the impact of the Vista Ridge project on water levels in Lee County, identifying water quality issues for aquifer storage and recovery projects, and examining how oil production and wastewater injection in the Delaware Basin lead to significant ground surface changes, including uplift, subsidence, and faulting.
outlook+water: Drought slightly decreases but expected to persist and expand, El Niño fading, and active hurricane season predicted
Drought conditions declined to 26% of the state (D1–D4); statewide reservoir storage rose to 77.5% full but still about seven percentage points below normal for this time of year. La Nada has an ~80% chance of arriving in April-May-June, with a 70% chance of La Niña in July-August-September. Drought is expected to remain and expand in the western half of the state, including most of the Hill Country.
outlook+water: Drought expands, reservoirs fuller, drought expected to expand in West Texas
Drought conditions expanded to 27% of the state (D1–D4); statewide reservoir storage rose to 75.1% full but still about ten percentage points below normal for this time of year. El Niño has a 95% chance of extending through the March-April-May season, with La Niña favored in June-July-August and through at least November-December-January. Drought is expected to remain and expand in West and Far West Texas and improve in parts of the Hill Country.