Category: 2020
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Land use and climate changes are throwing estuaries off balance
Article originally written by Chantal Cough-Schulze When Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas and Louisiana in August 2017, it dumped so much rain on the Houston metropolitan area that the National Weather Service had to add two new colors to its precipitation maps, for 20 to 30 inches and greater than 30 inches of rain. Much of…
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Big groundwater issues to be addressed in online conference, coffee breaks
The Permanent Forum of Binational Waters is hosting the U.S.-Mexico Transboundary Groundwater Conference, titled Innovation and Creativity: Strategies for Unprecedented Challenges. The interactive online event will be Oct. 14-15, 2020 via Zoom. Cohosts include Texas A&M University and the Instituto Mexicano de Tecnologia del Agua (IMTA). The forum’s objective in having the conference is to explore and analyze innovative perspectives on…
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New faces on the growing TWRI team
Article originally written by Kerry Halladay The Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) has had a busy summer this year and has added three new members. “It demands that we change how we engage in the scientific enterprise,” Jepson said. “That means not just interdisciplinary teams to address the research questions, but we also need to…
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Meet a scientist: Saurav Kumar
Article originally written by Kerry Halladay Saurav Kumar, Ph.D., always knew he would go into science, engineering and computing. There was no question. “My dad was an electronic engineer/scientist. Seeing him was inspirational, and generally, there was a love for science in my household,” he said. To add to the excitement for a job well…
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Texas Water Journal publishes new article on Texas dams
The Texas Water Journal has published a new article in the Volume 11 issue titled “Dams Are Coming Down, but Not Always by Choice: The Geography of Texas Dams, Dam Failures, and Dam Removals” by Erin D. Dascher and Kimberly Meitzen. The article examines spatial and temporal trends in Texas dams, dam failures and dam removals. Dams were…
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txH2O highlight: Disappearing habitat
The Texas Mid-coast region was once known as one of the best waterfowl hunting destinations in North America. From Corpus Christi to Houston, a strong rice industry produced an ideal wetland habitat for ducks and other waterfowl. In the summer 2015 issue of txH2O, the article Disappearing habitat explains how water and land management changes in Texas…
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How to understand a hurricane forecast
Measuring hurricane risks — and understanding what those risks mean for the public — is complicated. Here’s a place to start. This article was updated on August 26, 2021, to reflect the final results of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. Article was originally written by Chantal Cough-Schulze. The 2020 hurricane season was a busy one.…
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Petronila and San Fernando Creek watershed protection planning effort gets underway
Development of a watershed protection plan to address water quality impairments in Petronila and San Fernando Creeks, two main tributaries of Baffin Bay, will soon get underway. A team led by the Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) that includes the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program, the Nueces River Authority, Texas Sea Grant and the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas…
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Water wells need to be tested after flood
Article originally written by Joel Pigg The Texas Well Owner Network (TWON) is reminding residents that if their water wells become flooded, they should have their well water tested. Diane Boellstorff, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service water resource specialist, College Station, said private water well owners whose wells flood should assume their well water is contaminated until screened.…
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Texas water quality and septic systems
Article originally written by Kerry Halladay August is water quality month and Texans with septic systems can help improve local water quality by making sure it is working properly. Septic systems — known as on-site sewage facilities, or OSSFs — work like mini wastewater treatment facilities for rural or suburban Texans who live too far…
