- State regulators and energy companies are on high alert after being made aware of increased cyber threats by Russian hackers to energy infrastructure. While it is not unusual to detect hackers probing networks for weak points, the frequency of hackers probing energy-related facilities in Texas has increased since the invasion of Ukraine began in February.
- This month, Dallas has joined many other cities across the U.S. in testing wastewater for COVID-19. Wastewater samples are being collected twice a week at Dallas’ Central Wastewater Treatment Plant and the city’s data will be available to the public through the CDC’s wastewater surveillance program.
- The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University has received a grant of $1.7 million to continue efforts keeping coastal waters clean. The funding will go toward stormwater management, reducing non-point source pollution, increasing resilience to disasters, and promoting green infrastructure in new development.
- Austin may soon return to ‘Stage One Drought Response’ for the first time since September 2018 as the extreme drought persists. This stage begins when the combined storage of Lake Buchanan and Travis reaches or drops below 1.4 million acre-feet, and the storage is currently at 1.53 million acre-feet of water.
- This week's TWDB Drought Watch shows little change from last week as precipitation was well below normal for March, creating the worst drought conditions Texas has experienced at the end of March since 2011.