Travel & Outdoors
October 6, 2023
Stopping to Smell the Moonflower, One of Texas’s Most Tenacious (and Poisonous) Plants
Unfazed by extreme weather, this dangerous beauty blooms only at night.
Drought
Politics & Policy
August 28, 2023
Who’s Killing Jacob’s Well?
For the second year in a row, the iconic spring-fed swimming hole has stopped flowing, the consequence of drought and overpumping.
Politics & Policy
August 16, 2023
Dam It?
An oil executive wants to block the South Llano River for private recreational purposes. Hill Country residents are outraged.
The Texanist
December 13, 2022
The Texanist: Will We Get Relief From the Drought Anytime Soon?
A Johnson City man is worried that life is starting to resemble Elmer Kelton’s ‘The Time It Never Rained’ once again.
Travel & Outdoors
October 25, 2022
Texas Is Looking Colorful. Here’s Where To See Fall Foliage Around The State.
Fall foliage might be harder to come by in Texas this year, but there’s still hope for some colorful leaves.
Politics & Policy
September 1, 2022
An Iconic Texas Spring Was Dry for Months. Is Mother Nature or Man to Blame?
Plans were underway to revive tourism at Fort Clark Springs in southwest Texas. But then, in a scenario increasingly common across the state, the water stopped flowing.
Travel & Outdoors
July 19, 2022
Paradise Lost: Where You Can’t (or Shouldn’t) Swim Right Now in Texas
The drought is taking a toll on our swimming holes, although a few favorites are still in good enough shape to help us handle the record heat.
News & Politics
July 5, 2022
Lots of Texans Celebrated the Fourth of July by Accidentally Setting Off Wildfires
Amid worst-in-a-decade drought conditions, fireworks displays from Lubbock to Fort Worth to Houston sparked flames.
The Texanist
May 26, 2021
The Texanist: What Should I Do About My Rain-Hating Boyfriend?
A Brady woman isn't sure her new relationship will survive a fundamental disagreement about the weather.
News & Politics
March 22, 2019
Could a Tug-of-War Between Two Central Texas Counties Leave Residents Without Drinking Water?
In the tug-of-war over groundwater between two Central Texas counties, he who pumps the most, wins. At least until everyone loses.
Texas History
May 7, 2015
A Mighty Wind
In drought-ravaged West Texas, cotton farmers find good omens in unlikely places.
Business
March 18, 2015
Lucrative When Wet
In an era of drought, tight finances, and a shrinking water park market, how does Schlitterbahn keep getting bigger?
The Culture
October 15, 2014
We Love That Dirty Water
No rain, more gain for Wichita Falls water haulers.
Music
October 14, 2013
Winners And Losers From The First Two-Weekend ACL Festival
For the first time in its history, the Austin City Limits Music Festival stretched over two weeks, a format that worked out well for some—and not so well for others.
Business
September 20, 2013
Drought Kills Lakeside Business
When Lake Travis drops below 660 feet, visitor spending drops by up to $33.8 million, resulting in lost jobs and shuttered businesses. Carlos’n Charlie’s, a 500-plus-seat Mexican restaurant, is the latest casualty.
Politics & Policy
February 13, 2013
Egypt Looks to El Paso for Water Wisdom
The city's massive inland desalination plant is drawing admirers from near and far.
Politics & Policy
February 11, 2013
The Never-Ending Drought and What Texas Plans to Do About It
Remember the 2012 Water Plan? Now it's being discussed in legislature. We'll bring you up to speed.
January 21, 2013
Cleaner Beaches Thanks to the Drought?
Were cleaner beaches in 2011 an unexpected upside to the drought?
January 21, 2013
Cyanide-Producing Grass Kills Cattle, Fuels GMO Debate
Did a genetically modified grass kill a herd of Texas cattle, or were they just another casualty of the ongoing drought?
Energy
January 21, 2013
What Does the Drought Mean for the Texas Miracle?
As much as anything, the economic boom in Texas depends on water. So what will industry do as the state gets drier? The Texas Tribune's Kate Galbraith explains.
January 21, 2013
Hot Enough For Ya? It’s Worse in Oklahoma
Last summer’s average temperatures in Texas set a record for the hottest summer ever, but new data finds Oklahoma was more scorched.
January 21, 2013
Texas Farmers are Nation’s Second-Most Aged
Many Texas farmers are on the cusp of retirement, but young people don't seem eager to replace them.
January 21, 2013
Even With Recent Rains, Drought Worries Persist
After the driest year on record, state policymakers and scientists convened at the Texas Water Summit to address the state's water supply problem.
January 21, 2013
West Texas Wildfires Burn Again
One year after the Rock House fire, more than 20,000 acres in Jeff Davis County are aflame.
January 21, 2013
Thirsty Texas Fights Water War on Two Borders
At the same time Texas is fighting to get water from Oklahoma, state officials want to block Mexico from pumping water out of the Rio Grande.
January 21, 2013
Part of Texas Still in “Exceptional Drought”
Recent rains may have some fooled, but the costliest drought in the state's history still grips Texas.
January 21, 2013
How the Drought is Impacting Rice Farmers and Hot Tub Owners
The drought leaves nothing untouched. This week the drought impacts the state’s rice farmers, migratory bird populations, and hot tub owners.
January 21, 2013
New LCRA Water Plan Approved
The Lower Colorado River Authority approved a new water management plan Wednesday, giving it more tools to deal with extreme drought.
Politics & Policy
January 21, 2013
Did Rick Perry Just Kick Off His 2014 Campaign?
Perry conducted a Kardashian-level of media courtship at the Capitol, where he told reporters he won't rule out another run for governor or president.
January 21, 2013
What Town Will Run Out of Water Next?
Spicewood Beach needs water trucked in every couple of hours, the recent rains haven't made an impact, and it's been "the poorest year" for the state's cotton farmers.
January 21, 2013
Dust Bowl Texas: The Drought is Not Over
Don't let the recent rains fool you: ninety percent of Texas remains in a drought.
January 21, 2013
Texas Sees Largest Drop in Cattle Numbers in State History
And it will affect the steak-loving citizens of the state, as beef prices could jump up to ten percent this year.
January 21, 2013
TM Informer: What Is Wildfire Season?
The Texas Forest Service recently announced that the state’s current “wildfire season” may not end. The TM Informer answers the question, When does it usually start and finish?
Listen
January 21, 2013
Life by the Drop: A Special Report on Drought, Water, and the Future of Texas
TEXAS MONTHLY partnered with StateImpact Texas and KUT News to take a close look at how the state can manage a growing population amid a shrinking water supply. Listen to reports from NPR’s John Burnett, Texas state photographer Wyman Meinzer, and more audio and online reports.
Technology
January 21, 2013
Industrial Evolution
As much as anything, the Texas economic miracle depends on water. Lots of water. So what are all those power plants, refineries, and factories going to do as the state gets drier and drier and drier?
Politics & Policy
January 21, 2013
Drawing Straws
The future is likely going to require us to move large amounts of water from wet but sparsely populated places (a.k.a. East Texas) to thirsty, booming cities. Good thing there’s a plan for that. There is a plan, right?
Texas History
January 21, 2013
When the Sky Ran Dry
Bad as the current drought is, it has yet to match the most arid spell in Texas history. Nearly two dozen survivors of the fifties drought remember the time it never rained.
Editor's Letter
January 21, 2013
The Truth About Texas: Water = Life
As last year’s historic drought reminded us, Texas has always lived life by the drop, just a few dry years away from a serious crisis. With our population expected to nearly double over the next fifty years, this situation is about to become more, not less, challenging. This month we
Editor's Letter
January 21, 2013
Dry, the Beloved Country
The first serious coverage of water in TEXAS MONTHLY came just a couple months shy of our two-year anniversary, in a story by Greg Curtis entitled “Disaster, Part I. Lubbock is running out of water.” (A companion piece, “Disaster, Part II,” argued that Houston was sinking into
News & Politics
January 21, 2013
Disaster, Part One: Lubbock
West Texans are going to have to figure out what they’re going to do when the well runs dry.
Leaving
January 20, 2013
Walking the Ground
Austin
September 27, 2012
Texas Trees Hit Hard By Drought In 2011
More than 300 million trees died in Texas in 2011 due to extreme drought conditions
June 25, 2012
Life By the Drop: How to Report on the Drought
KUT's Terrence Henry and Mose Buchele discuss the stories behind their research and reporting on the drought.
April 10, 2012
My, What a Big Bass You Have
Lake levels are down, but things just might be looking up for fishermen. Two thirteen-pounders were snagged from a depleted reservoir, and officials say there's more where they came from.
Letter from Matagorda County
March 31, 2012
A Grain of Doubt
For more than 75 years, rice farmers in Matagorda County and elsewhere along the Gulf have shared the waters of the Colorado River with urban residents in the Hill Country. But with city centers booming and an almost-certain drought ahead, the state is being forced to choose between a water-intensive
Business
December 19, 2011
The Cattle Industry Could be Forever Changed
Texas shed roughly 600,000 cattle in 2011, record drop that threatens to reshape the industry.
December 7, 2011
Dust Bowl Texas: The Drought’s Impact on Groundwater, State Parks, and Horses
The drought leaves nothing untouched. This week the ongoing drought impacts the state’s groundwater, state parks, and horses.
Oral History
December 1, 2011
Trial by Fire
It will be remembered as the year of smoke and devastation, as drought-fueled flames wreaked unprecedented havoc across Texas, from Bastrop County to Possum Kingdom. A photographic and oral history of the 2011 wildfires.
November 28, 2011
Dust Bowl Texas: Drought’s Impact on Christmas Trees, Grapes, and Quail
The drought leaves nothing untouched. This week the ongoing drought impacts the state’s Christmas tree production, grapes, quail, and peanut butter sandwiches.
November 7, 2011
Dust Bowl Texas: The Latest Drought News
Summer's over, but the drought may never be, and it's affecting everything from tourism to pecan pie to horse welfare.