If you’ve been near Austin’s Lady Bird Lake lately, you might have noticed a little less water is visible. Parts of the lake, especially along the shores and inlets, are covered in mats of green vegetation. It can look goopy, maybe even dangerous, given the presence of toxic blue-green algae in local waterways. But most of […]
Mose Buchele, KUT
Posted inEnvironment
Far fewer monarch butterflies are migrating through Texas this spring
Lee esta historia en español It’s the time of year when monarch butterflies pass through Texas on their annual migration. But you might not see as many as last spring. One reason? The number of monarchs that spent the winter in Mexico dropped significantly. Migrating Eastern monarchs spend the winter months in forest colonies in […]
Posted inWater
Downstream of Austin, Texas rice farmers face another year without Colorado River water
Lee esta historia en español Talking on the phone from his tractor in Colorado County, Texas, Craig Gutman said he was not surprised to hear water would not be available for rice farmers like him this year. “I was pretty much expecting it. We’ve been watching the lake levels,” he said, referring to the Highland […]
Posted inAustin
The ice storm damaged some kinds of trees more than others
The ice storm did not affect all of Austin equally. While damaged trees and power outages occurred across town, they seemed to concentrate in certain parts of the city, especially on the west side. There are many reasons for this. Ice may have accumulated more in certain places thanks to the weather or local geography. […]
Posted inEnergy
Can ERCOT even be sued? Texas Supreme Court will decide.
The Supreme Court of Texas will hear oral arguments Monday in a case that could decide the future of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. At issue: whether the group that runs the Texas energy grid is, in fact, a part of the state government. The case stems from two lawsuits against ERCOT. One of […]
Posted inAustin
November delivered more rain than usual to Austin, but not enough to shake the drought
It’s been a wet November in Central Texas, with cold, rainy days through the week of the Thanksgiving holiday. That weather might have affected your plans, but was a welcome break from continuing drought. It was also another unusual twist in what has shaped up to be a weird year in local weather. November is […]
Posted inWater
Austin is looking for a place to store massive amounts of water to pull from during droughts
Austin is planning a big underground water storage project that would provide the city with another source of water during droughts. But city planners are not sure exactly where to put it. This week, they’ll meet with residents of Lee, Bastrop and Travis counties, the three counties that may end up playing host to the […]
Posted inEnvironment
Lady Bird Lake has looked kind of junky lately. Here’s why.
It’s hard to think of a location more beloved to the people of Austin than Lady Bird Lake, often called the crown jewel of the city. Thousands of joggers, picnickers and kayakers flock to its shores every day to commune with the outdoors. Lately, many of them have been saying the same thing: The lake […]
Posted inParks
With new lakeside access, Lady Bird Lake trail is ‘finally fully complete’
The city of Austin has officially opened a new section of the hike and bike trail along Lady Bird Lake. The quarter-mile stretch of trail connects what officials said was the last remaining gap in the 10-mile lakeside loop. Before Wednesday, the trail along the lake’s northeast shore turned away from the water near the […]
Posted inEnergy
Here’s what it would take for ERCOT to start rolling blackouts
Texans woke up Monday morning to a familiar fear, worried that the state’s electric grid may not provide enough energy to see them through the day. While the anxiety is understandable, a shortfall of energy reserves on the system does not automatically mean the grid operator will order rolling blackouts. If you, like millions of […]
Posted inEnergy
Extreme heat in June offers a test and a warning for the Texas grid
The weather forecasted for much of Texas this week would be considered extreme in the month of August … but it’s still spring. The heat will likely drive energy use to new highs and test the resilience of the state’s electric grid ahead of what’s expected to be a scorching summer. Current forecasts have Dallas […]
Posted inEnergy
Texas Railroad Commission takes a step toward safeguarding some energy infrastructure
On Tuesday, one day before a state-mandated deadline, regulators at the Railroad Commission of Texas approved a rule outlining which Texas natural gas suppliers need to be ready to operate during energy emergencies. The vote begins to address a weak point in the state’s energy system that contributed to February’s deadly blackouts, though experts say […]