Southeast U.S. Water Goes to Power Plants, Report Says

Water and Watts, the third report in a three-part series about energy issues in the region, notes that approximately two out of every three gallons of freshwater withdrawn in the Southeast United States are sent to thermoelectric power plants, which are mostly coal-fired and nuclear.

These plants require about 40 billion gallons of freshwater each day — nearly equal to the total daily freshwater withdrawals required to meet public supply needs for the entire nation.

Heading to Texas, Hudson’s Toxic Mud Stirs Town

EUNICE, N.M. — There are not many towns in America that would welcome the 2.5 million cubic yards of toxic sludge being dredged from the bottom of the Hudson River in New York, but to hear Mayor Matt White tell it, Eunice is one of them.

Storing waste nobody else wants means more jobs, Mr. White said, and the oil workers here are used to living with hazards. After all, there are several oil wells in the town itself. One of them is a block from City Hall.

Freshwater research also warns of danger

The recent rains were a wonderful respite from what is becoming one of our region’s worst droughts. But we are still far short of the rainfall needed to make this an “average year.”

And let’s not forget that during the record 1950s drought, there were 408,000 San Antonians while today, there are 1.4 million of us.

San Antonio and Austin, and the burgs around the two, continue to be among the nation’s fastest-growing cities, with no slowing of growth in sight.

So if we must now limit our water consumption, we are likely to face even greater shortages in the near future.

Will Water War Drain Area Supply?

As an urban guzzler battles for rights to lower Colorado River basin water, many in the Crossroads worry stalled talks may hurt this region’s supply.

The San Antonio Water System on Tuesday declared the Lower Colorado River Authority in breach of contract for pulling out of a water supply project the two considered for years.

The Lower Colorado River Supply Project, proposed in 2001, was estimated to create up to 330,000 acre-feet of water for both agencies, including 150,000 acre-feet for San Antonio.

Bird Study Linked to Water Debate

The marshes along San Antonio Bay produce enough food — even when little water is flowing from the Guadalupe River — to sustain the flock of endangered whooping cranes that winter there, according to a new study that could play a key role the state’s ongoing debate over water rights.

Board questions water pipeline

FANNIN - A Coleto Creek Power manager and water district board members questioned the need for a pipeline from a proposed nuclear plant to the site of coal-fired operations in Goliad County.