America’s second-fastest-growing city has been hit by a major water supply problem as its residents live in scorching heat every day.
During the pandemic, homebuyers have flocked to Kyle, Texas, where an aquifer — a source of underground water — is currently shrinking, leaving more than 67,000 residents struggling to get water.
Before summer began, temperatures reached nearly 100 degrees in the city, which is 20 minutes from Austin, as nearby streams and waterholes dried up due to the city’s extensive drought.
Hays County, where the popular city is located, will likely experience extreme droughts at least a quarter of every year by 2040, according to ICE Sustainable Finance.
The situation has become so dire that last summer residents were banned from washing their cars at home and using local water for construction projects, while municipalities had to limit the use of sprinklers and hoses.
In Kyle, Texas, about 20 minutes from Austin, the aquifer, a source of underground water, is currently shrinking, leaving more than 67,000 people struggling to get water.
City officials are currently working on a new pipeline (pictured) that is set to be completed in February 2025.
Many, if not all, residents rely on hoses to moisten the foundation of their homes and prevent cracking and sinking due to heat.
Stephanie McDonald, 62, who bought a home in Kyle in 2015, said The Wall Street Journal He often worries about his foundations because water has become scarce.
At a city council meeting in the spring, McDonald argued that there was not enough water for all the new homes that authorities continue to build in Kyle.
Last year, Kyle homes and businesses needed 4,382 more gallons of water per minute during peak usage hours, compared to just 571 gallons in 2021, according to a city engineering report.
While water sources in the city have been at an all-time low, utility bills have burdened the city and its residents.
From 2021 to 2022, Kyle’s minimum household water bill increased by an average of 6.8 percent annually, according to city budget reports.
While water sources in the city have been at an all-time low, utility bills have burdened the city and its residents.
“Right now, we’re looking to expand our water portfolio due to the rapid growth of our city,” said Mayor Travis Mitchell (pictured).
In April, the city purchased water rights from nearby San Marcos, drawing water from the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer.
Mayor Travis Mitchell has continually addressed the water issue in Kyle and said the restrictions have already helped the city save money.
“Right now, we are trying to expand our water portfolio due to the rapid growth of our city,” Mitchell said. KXAN.
In addition to rapid growth and a lack of water, the city has been plagued by dangerously high heat that has led residents to go out only early or late in the day.
In addition to the high temperatures, Kyle also suffers from extreme humidity that makes it difficult for his body to cool down.
Last year, the heat in Austin reached a scorching 118 degrees, and this year it only dipped to 115 degrees.
In May of this year, emergency personnel responded to 125 heat-related calls, more than double the number from the previous year.
“There were people working in factories or in an Amazon warehouse who were taking precautions and coming to work with a big jug of water and still ended up with kidney failure,” John Tuners said. medical director of four urgent and emergency care centers in the area, recalled.
The new pipeline should not only provide water to Kyle, but also to San Marcos and Buda for at least 50 years.
Mike Murphy (pictured), Kyle’s water services director, estimated that by 2027 the $250 million pipeline will provide the city with 2 million gallons of water.
Many people suffered kidney failure due to extreme dehydration, while others suffered from rhabdomyolysis, a near-fatal disease that causes the breakdown of muscle tissue.
A new oil pipeline is currently under construction in the city and is scheduled for completion in February 2025.
“Our current water supply is about 5.7 million gallons a day. (The pipeline) will add another 1.7 million to that amount,” Mike Murphy, Kyle’s director of water services, told the outlet.
Bob Gregory (pictured) has already begun desalinating, or removing salts and minerals, from the brackish water for eventual sale next year.
Murphy estimated that by 2027 the $250 million pipeline will provide the city with 2 million gallons of water.
The new pipeline should supply water not only to Kyle, but also to San Marcos and Buda for at least 50 years.
Robert Mace, executive director of the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University, believes we will run out of water much sooner.
Mace has predicted the pipeline will likely run out of water after 10 to 20 years as other suburbs in San Antonio and Austin prepare to tap the supply.
The city is also looking into recycling wastewater for commercial and agricultural use, while requiring new homes to install landscaping that requires very little water, Mitchell said.
“We can’t choose between moderate growth or slow growth,” Mitchell told The Wall Street Journal.
Under Texas law, municipalities are restricted from stopping construction, Mitchell said.
The mayor added that because of this, the city attracts developers before negotiating with them about sustainability in Kyle.
According to Mitchell, under Texas law, municipalities are restricted from stopping construction. He added that for this reason, the city attracts developers before negotiating with them about sustainability in Kyle. (Pictured: New homes under construction in Kyle)
Some residents have taken matters into their own hands. Bob Gregory has already begun desalinating, or removing salts and minerals, from the brackish water for sale next year.
“It’s just a matter of time before the price of water goes up to offset the price I pay for desalination,” said Gregory, the owner of Texas Disposal Systems.
A new 308,000-square-foot Amazon fulfillment center recently opened in Kyle, along with a nearby Tesla megafactory.
An Amazon spokesperson said the new facility has an average internal temperature of 74 degrees and that no employees have suffered any heat-related illnesses between 2023 and 2024.
A Sprouts farmers market and a series of dollar stores are set to open in Kyle, while XCharge Technologies, an electric vehicle charging company, recently opened a flagship shop there.
While city revenue has quadrupled to $65 million thanks to an increase in residents and businesses, some people have grown frustrated by the large population.
Local construction crews working to build new homes have been severely affected by the treacherous heat.
“I’ve seen people completely lose consciousness. I’ve lost consciousness myself,” said Alex Stockton, who oversees construction crews in Kyle.
His team is allotted one 30-minute break during their shifts, but Stockton makes sure to keep a close eye on his workers and allows them to sit down if they need to.
‘Many companies don’t like that style.
“They come up to me and say, ‘Why is he sitting there?’ And I say, ‘I don’t know. So he won’t die?'” Stockton said.
Bill Curran, who moved into a newly built home in Kyle in 2022, fled to Austin after experiencing the heat and crowding in the city.
Curran said her 45-minute commute had increased to an hour and she could only exercise early in the morning for obvious safety reasons.
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