Every month during the 86th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature Dr. Robert Mace and Dr. Todd Votteler will provide an update on water-related legislation. The key water committees are Water and Rural Affairs in the Senate, and Natural Resources in the House of Representatives. Both committees have held hearings since our last update in January. Thus far the hearings have been informational featuring invited testimony from key agencies and other organizations that have a
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outlook+water: February 2019
SUMMARY: El Niño is here! El Niño is here! Abnormally dry conditions have spread across much of West, Far West, and South Texas. Precipitation in the headwaters of the Rio Grande on Colorado continues to remain at 25 to 50 percent of normal. The weather sure has been schizophrenic this past month. Austin started last week with freezing temperatures and ended with a record high of 91. Before that, we learned about graupel (when supercooled
q&a+water: John Balliew
President & CEO, El Paso Water Utilities In this issue’s Q&A, Texas+Water Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Todd Votteler, interviews John Balliew, President and CEO of El Paso Water Utilities. Balliew leads all aspects of water, wastewater, reclaimed water and stormwater services for El Paso Water. Balliew is a 30-year veteran of the utility, starting his career at the laboratory in 1983 and holding various positions of increasing responsibility. Before becoming President and CEO in 2013, he was vice president
talk+water: Darren Thompson, Director of Water Resources – San Antonio Water System
Texas+Water Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Todd Votteler, talks with Darren Thompson, who is the Director of Water Resources at the San Antonio Water System (SAWS). Thompson has spent the past twenty-two years of his career at SAWS in various roles within the company. He began his career with SAWS as an intern in the Water Resources Department and now serves as Director, where he is responsible for the oversight of San Antonio’s long-term water supply. His work
Read More >> talk+water: Darren Thompson, Director of Water Resources – San Antonio Water System
outlook+water: January 2019
SUMMARY: Drought conditions increased to affect 2.5 percent of the state. Statewide reservoir storage is at 90 percent. The Pacific remains warm enough for El Niño, but has not yet linked with the atmosphere; the chance of El Niño conditions has decreased to ~65 percent. It was a heck of a water year in Texas with rainfalls reaching more than 100 inches in the south-east to a healthy 10 inches in Trans-Texas with blotches of