Abandoned “dry hole” oil wells are polluting Texas farms, ranches and groundwater. The state won’t fix them.

Schuyler Wight is a fourth-generation rancher who has raised longhorn cattle outside Midland for decades. Wight is no geologist, but over the years, he’s had to familiarize himself with what lies underground. Scattered across his sprawling 20,000-acre ranch are more...

‘The Olympics of astronomy’: Travis County gears up for 2024 solar eclipse

Travis County officials are gearing up for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in 2024, as a total solar eclipse is expected to pass over the Central Texas region. A total solar eclipse will pass over the Hill Country region on April 8, 2024, from 1:32-1:41 p.m. The...
Commentary: Drought, growth and the future of the Hill Country

Commentary: Drought, growth and the future of the Hill Country

On Thursday, June 9, the North Llano River stopped flowing. On August 4, the U.S. Drought Monitor showed 80 percent of the Texas Hill Country in exceptional drought. The Pedernales, Guadalupe and Frio Rivers are dry, and many other Texas rivers are heading toward zero...

U.S. spares Western states from Colorado River water cuts – for now

The U.S. government spared seven Western states from mandatory Colorado River water cutbacks for now but warned on Tuesday that drastic conservation was needed to protect dwindling reservoirs from overuse and severe drought exacerbated by climate change. Read more...

Is Texas preparing for the right drought?

Texas’ strategy of planning for a repeat of the 1950s drought is no longer enough. While historic evidence identifies droughts that were longer and more severe than the Drought of Record, contemporary data points to a likely future of increasing drought severity....