Jordan, which is one of the most water-scarce countries in the world, is facing extreme water shortages due to the growing population, climate change, inefficient infrastructure, and geographical challenges. The global water poverty line set by the UN is 500 cubic meters per person per year, and Jordanians have about 80 cubic meters.
The Texas Sunset Advisory Commission, a group of 10 state lawmakers and two members of the public, made recommendations last Thursday to the TCEQ to improve how they hold frequent polluters accountable. They included increasing penalty levels for facilities that were not complying with state regulations from $25,000 to $40,000 and suspending a regulated facility's compliance history rating in the event of death or injury.
Stanford University engineers have discovered that recycled wastewater may be even safer to drink than common tap water sources. "We were surprised that in some cases the quality of the reuse water, particularly the reverse-osmosis-treated waters, was comparable to groundwater, which is traditionally considered the highest quality water."
After a storm, at what point is a river clean of stormwater runoff and safe to enjoy? Read about the life of a stormwater sample from the San Antonio River Authority!
This week's TWDB drought map shows large drought-free areas of East and coastal Texas, with the area of the state impacted by drought reaching its smallest extent since September.