Austin loses an estimated 21 gallons of water per person every day, mostly through leaks in the city’s water distribution system. Last year that totaled 8.6 billion gallons lost. Those leaks waste more than water; they drain energy and cost money. But there could be a small silver lining to the big problem of leaks: […]
Mose Buchele, KUT
Posted inWater
Austin Water sends conservation plan to City Council without support of key task force
Proposals to overhaul Austin’s drought response rules and update long-term conservation goals will go to City Council for a vote this week without the support of a city advisory panel charged with vetting water policy. When Austin Water released its new plans earlier this month, members of the city’s Integrated Water Resource Planning Community Task Force were […]
Posted inEnvironment
Austin area has dangerously high levels of air pollution, according to new EPA standards
The Environmental Protection Agency has announced long-awaited updates to air quality standards for fine particulate matter, also known as “soot,” pollution. The new, tighter limits mean some places that previously had acceptable levels of pollution are no longer meeting health standards. Austin and its surroundings are among those places. Before this month’s rule change, regions were […]
Posted inEnergy
U.S. Rep. Greg Casar files bill to connect Texas grid to rest of the country
Of the numerous vulnerabilities exposed by the deadly 2021 Texas blackouts, one caught people’s attention more than the rest: Texas exists as an energy island. Unlike any other power grid in the continental U.S., the energy system that serves 90 percent of Texans cannot share much electricity with neighboring grids. That means when the Electric Reliability Council […]
Posted inEnergy
ERCOT asks Texans to conserve electricity again Tuesday morning amid freezing temperatures
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas is asking people to conserve electricity Tuesday morning, the second such request issued by the grid operator this week as freezing weather continues to grip the state. In a media release Monday, ERCOT asked people to conserve between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. Tuesday. The grid operator said it […]
Posted inEnergy
Worried about the Texas power grid? Here’s what to expect from the incoming arctic blast.
It’s almost mid-January, and there are tomatoes growing in my backyard in Austin. That might seem like a strange way to start an article on the Texas power grid. But as the state faces its first big freeze this winter, it’s worth noting how historically warm it’s been so far. “It was our sixth-warmest December […]
Posted inEnergy
Energy officials warn of winter blackout risk in Texas and beyond
Outside of the Sand Hill natural gas power plant, near Austin, workers have installed a windbreak in case a big winter storm hits again. The sturdy plastic shrink wrap is stretched tight across scaffolding at the bottom of the plant, designed to stop cold wind from blowing through and freezing the pipes inside. “We’ve not […]
Posted inEnvironment
Bald eagle sightings appear to be on the rise in Austin
A slew of bald eagle sightings in Austin has excited birders and nonbirders alike. The iconic raptors are not particularly common in the area, but, according to reports by citizen scientists, their numbers appear to be on the rise. The first well-publicized recent sighting took place over Lake Austin in the Tarrytown neighborhood late last […]
Posted inWater
Austin declared new drought restrictions in August. Water use stayed the same.
Lee esta historia en español On Aug. 15, Austin was 39 days into its longest triple-digit heat wave ever recorded. The extreme heat had created a “climate feedback loop,” locking in the worst drought the city has seen in 113 years. By mid-August, reservoirs on the Colorado River – which provide the city with water […]
Posted inWater
Austin announces new water restrictions on everything from lawns to dining out
With water levels continuing to drop in the Highland Lakes reservoirs that supply Austin, the city announced Stage 2 water restrictions to take effect Tuesday. Even if you don’t have a lawn or don’t bother watering the lawn you have, you could notice the new rules affecting daily life in Austin. Here are some of […]
Posted inEnvironment
A ‘climate feedback loop’: Why Austin is locked in one of its hottest summers ever
This summer has been among the hottest and hardest in memory. Austin broke an all-time heat index record in June when the “feels like” temperature topped off at 118 degrees. Then, we had our hottest July ever recorded. This week, only halfway through August, it looks like we’ll surpass 40 days straight of triple-digit heat. This could end up […]
Posted inEnvironment
Austin just had its hottest July ever. Could this summer break an all-time record?
It’s now official: This July was the hottest ever recorded for the Austin area – and the city’s second-hottest month ever, behind August 2011. And this heat is probably not done breaking records. With August still ahead, there’s a chance this could become the hottest summer in Austin’s recorded history. By any measure, July was […]