Every month during the 89th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature, Dr. Todd Votteler provides an update on water-related legislation.

This month, Dr. Robert E. Mace explores academic publications covering quantifying land-use change in the Rio Grande Basin, using a systems approach to address groundwater sustainability with ecosystems, and observing the Brazos River Corridor's water, energy, and carbon cycles at different spatial and time scales

Drought conditions (D1–D4) decreased slightly to 42% of the state from 44% four weeks ago; statewide reservoir storage increased slightly to 75% full, about 5 percentage points below normal for this time of year. La Niña is here, with a 60% chance of a return to neutral conditions by May. Drought is expected to remain and expand in the southern half of the state.

In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Principal of Collaborative Water Resolution and Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, explores the importance of communication in addressing Western water issues with Daniel Rothberg, a writer who focuses on research regarding water, public land, mining, and energy.

This month, Dr. Robert E. Mace explores several chapters of a new open-access book from Springer’s “Estuaries of the World" series, focusing on environmental flows to the state’s bays and estuaries.