A few weeks ago I turned in the final draft of a book I wrote on groundwater sustainability to the publisher. Editors will now have their way with it and, hopefully, it will come out by the end of the year. It was a neat, but challenging, experience, something that the pandemic allowed me to … Continue reading how much groundwater is OK to take? →

"San Marcos biologists have backup plan to protect endangered species in Edwards Aquifer" "Water watchdogs sound drought alarm" "Edwards Aquifer the lowest it’s been in four years" "Removing the mystery of groundwater" "How Wells & Aquifers Actually Work" "What residents, officials are saying about Burnet County being in a drought" "When a Quarry Closes, Can … Continue reading recent groundwater news →

A local television station interviewed me today about a study led by Daniel Scott at the University of Waterloo showing that, under the high-emission scenario, only 1 of the previous 21 host cities of the Winter Olympics would be climate-reliable enough to host again at the end of the century (hello, Sapporo!). Yikes! However, most … Continue reading groundwater snow at the olympics? →

This post will only be up for a day or two. Short Course description PDF of slides (6 per page) PDF of slides (2 per page) PDF of "So Secret, Occult, and Concealed" paper link to surface-water paper

For the most part, the federal government has stayed out of groundwater quantity questions except indirectly where groundwater production has impacted interstate surface-water allocations (for example, see Texas v. New Mexico on the Pecos River [and now on the Rio Grande] and Kansas v. Colorado on the Arkansas River). The federal government doesn't have an … Continue reading mississippi v. tennessee →

Much of West Texas is webbed with concrete-lined dreams of now-abandoned irrigation works that aimed to turn the Pecos River Valley into a Garden of Eden. Unfortunately, whether due to robbing-Peter-to-pump-Paul well drilling, the inherent saltiness of water in these parts, or a river already rustled across the state line, all that is left are … Continue reading imperial forces →

Let's say, hypothetically, you want to sample Comanche Springs. Here are some quick thoughts about that endeavor. As the name suggests, Comanche Springs is series of springs that run up Comanche Creek: After going dry in the late 50s and early 60s, the springs have seasonally returned here and there since the mid-1980s. Over the … Continue reading so you wanna sample Comanche Springs? →

I've always loved art by the ancients, whether its petroglyphs (etchings in stone) or pictographs (paint on rock). I went to college amongst the rock art of New Mexico, and the drawings in the caves of Lescaux, France, made some 16,000 years ago, brought a tear to my eye when I visited them a couple … Continue reading groundwater and the white shaman →

A number of years ago when I worked for the Texas Water Development Board, I was at an all-day meeting with the Corps of Engineers near Denison, Texas, to discuss this and that related to water. At the end of the day, I, along with my co-workers, were invited to eat BBQ somewhere nearby. "No … Continue reading where the sun rises on mr east →

"You may say I'm a dreamer." Looking downstream from the pedestrian bridge. I traveled out to Fort Stockton to check in on Comanche Springs (and talk with the county about flood control) in mid-January. The springs started flowing again on Christmas Day and are now chugging at about 10 cubic feet per second, which is … Continue reading back to the comanche! →