Tag Archives: drought

Conservation is still the best water plan

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The state of Texas needs to do better at it. As Texas recovers from the severe drought of the last two years, water experts say that conservation is the easiest way to ensure that the state will have enough of … Continue reading →

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Recycling water

Posted on June 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib continues its look at the present and future of water use in Texas with a story about reclaiming wastewater. “Reclaimed water,” the term for cleaned-up wastewater that gets reused, currently provides a little less than 3 percent of … Continue reading →

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Lake businesses hoping for a good summer

Posted on June 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Sure must be tough being so dependent on factors beyond your control. Central Texas lake-area businesses dependent on customers being in, on or near water want you to know three things heading into Memorial Day weekend: Last summer wasn’t as … Continue reading →

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It sure would be nice if The Lege would do something about the drought

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t count on it, though. Most of Texas has emerged from its driest year on record, but the turn in weather likely will dampen legislative interest in the state’s water supply. Water planners, policy experts and scientists said Monday at … Continue reading →

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Assessing the risk of wildfires

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

While one hopes that it won’t be a problem this year, the Harris County Fire Marshall has come up with a plan to protect vulnerable areas from wildfires. Four months ago, Harris County became the most populated county in the … Continue reading →

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Re-Plant Houston

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Memorial Park is about to get some needed attention. As last year’s drought killed thousands of trees in Memorial Park, caretakers realized it was time to speed the pace of a long-planned reforestation. On Friday, Mayor Annise Parker announced that … Continue reading →

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The bees are back

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

And that’s a very good thing. The bees were hungry. Months of sweltering heat with little rain blanched the landscape. Flowers withered, if they bloomed at all. The drought, a death rattle to so many farmers and ranchers in Texas, … Continue reading →

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There’s still a drought out there

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Despite the rain, the state of Texas is still mostly in drought conditions, and the threat will remain for the next several years. Most of Central and East Texas beat long odds with heavy rains this winter, but experts warned … Continue reading →

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Houston may finally be drought-free

Posted on March 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This was from a week ago. The rain brings the city’s official precipitation total for the year to 15.78 inches, twice the normal level, and a tally Houston didn’t reach in 2011 until early November. On Sunday, for the second … Continue reading →

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Less drought, more mosquitos

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Tough choice, isn’t it? This story is about the prospects in Central Texas for rain and the buzzing vermin we all hate, but it could just as easily be written for Houston or any other part of the state. This … Continue reading →

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Dry, not drought

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Yippie! It’s official: According to the latest iteration of the U.S. Drought Monitor just released, the drought is over for most of eastern Harris County. Here’s the picture: Compare that to where we were at the beginning of the year … Continue reading →

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More than five million trees lost in the cities

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

More depressing numbers from the drought. It was a sight more common than usual this past summer: a tree too thirsty to live became another casualty to the drought. City workers would either remove the tree, or, if they were … Continue reading →

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Keep that rain coming

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The recent rain has been great for mitigating the drought, but we still have a long way to go. During the last week an arc of Texas beset by a historic drought for a year – stretching from San Antonio … Continue reading →

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The state of water in Texas

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Statesman has a long story about the state of water in Texas and its outlook for the future. Short summary: We’re going to need more than what we’re capable of getting now, and it’s going to cost a lot … Continue reading →

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Our drought is no longer “exceptional”

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The good news is that for the first time since last March, no part of Harris County is in an “exceptional” drought. The bad news is that now we’re either in an “extreme” drought or a “severe” drought, depending on … Continue reading →

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“When all the ships come sailing into the arbor”

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Want to do something for Houston? Plant a tree. Houston’s battle against the relentless drought, thus far characterized by felling, dismembering and mulching dead trees, entered a new phase Friday as parks officials announced plans for an Arbor Day 2012 … Continue reading →

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How dry we were

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We were drier than ever last year. Federal scientists confirmed Friday that Texas had its driest year on record in 2011. The statewide average rainfall for the year totaled just 14.88 inches, according to the National Climatic Data Center, beating … Continue reading →

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Fix those leaks

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We lost a lot of water this year, which seems like an especially undesirable thing during a record drought. At the peak of this year’s record drought, the city of Houston lost more than 18 billion gallons of water through … Continue reading →

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How small does good news have to be before it’s not considered good news any more?

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever that threshold is, this has got to be pretty close to it. Christmas came a little early for a small slice of Texas this year. We can now say that part of Texas is no longer in drought. A … Continue reading →

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Half a billion trees

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Damn. The current Texas drought has killed as many as 500 million trees 10 percent of the state’s forest cover and the end is not in sight, according to the Texas Forest Service. Some of the hardest-hit areas are in … Continue reading →

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Yet another effect of the drought

Posted on December 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Bacteria. One expert used simple rhyme to explain the reason behind high levels of bacteria in Texas waterways. “The solution to pollution is dilution.” Increased bacteria levels in rivers and streams due to decreased flow that typically dilutes runoff pollution … Continue reading →

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It’s hard out here on a Christmas tree

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Another victim of the drought: Texas’ Christmas tree farms. [T]he Texas Christmas Tree Growers Association estimates that less than half the owners of the state’s 100 Christmas tree farms had watering systems. Those with the foresight to irrigate saved their … Continue reading →

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Still more drought may be coming

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Just what you wanted to hear, right? There is at least the chance of some good news, however. The drought that has plagued Texas is virtually certain to continue at least until early summer, climate experts said on Tuesday at … Continue reading →

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Two water stories

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The future of Texas’ water supply sure is a hot topic in the papers these days. I hope that continues after we start getting normal rainfall again. Story One is about desalinization: For El Paso and a growing number of … Continue reading →

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Farmers really worried about the drought

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise, and there’s not really much that can be done right now, but if this year was bad for farmers, next year could well be worse. Texas needs rain — and needs it quickly — to keep farmers and … Continue reading →

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When the waters recede

Posted on November 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Another effect of the drought: Treasure unburies itself. All across Texas, the bones of history lie in watery graves. From the ribs of sunken ships to the grave sites of prehistoric Texans, uncounted treasures abound beneath the surface of rivers … Continue reading →

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Assessing the wildfire damage

Posted on October 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This will be grim work. A multiagency environmental response task force will soon issue a report assessing the environmental and ecological damage of the wildfires. “It’s almost complete,” said Roxanne Hernandez, administrator for the county’s Lost Pines Habitat Conservation Plan … Continue reading →

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City’s water use down

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t think there’s anything mysterious about this. Water usage has dropped nearly 20 percent since citywide restrictions were ordered in mid-August, possibly because residents have reluctantly complied and temperatures are dropping. Houston was pumping 647 million gallons a day … Continue reading →

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Recycling water

Posted on October 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There’s more than one way to conserve water. The city of San Antonio recycles theirs to get the most out of what they have. “During wet seasons, the river functions like any other river would,” says Steve Clouse, the chief … Continue reading →

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This drought could last a long time

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

In case you needed some gloomy news. Texas’ historic and lingering drought has already worn out its welcome, but it could easily stay around for years and there is a chance it might last another five years or even until … Continue reading →

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Our long term water plan

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We’re in deep trouble if things continue as they are. Every five years, the Texas Water Development Board publishes a water plan for the state. The 295-page draft of the 2012 plan, published last week in the midst of the … Continue reading →

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There will be no Great Pumpkin this year

Posted on October 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Another bad effect of the drought. Pumpkin production in Texas has been sliced nearly in half by the drought; and while retailers might find enough pumpkin substitutes in other states, the price could be higher and the size of the … Continue reading →

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Texas gators hanging in there

Posted on October 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There’s good news despite the bad news for Texas’ alligators. This year’s admittedly inexact estimate of the gator population in their prime habitat zone – the wetlands along the arc of the Texas coast – indicates there are a lot … Continue reading →

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Trouble with the trees

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The drought gets more expensive for the city of Houston. The drought is about to claim yet more of Houston’s green – this time $4.5 million in tax dollars to remove trees that have died of thirst. Houston’s driest year … Continue reading →

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