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Stories by Mose Buchele, KUT

Rite of spring: Dog-killing algae makes an early appearance in Austin waterways

Scientists with Austin’s Watershed Protection Department have spotted clumps of blue-green algae near Red Bud Isle on Lady Bird Lake. This year marks one of the earliest seasonal reports of the algae, also known as cyanobacteria, which can be toxic…

Environment • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Apr 23, 2025

Lady Bird Lake’s water levels dropped (again), raising questions about dam’s integrity

If you went out for a walk along Lady Bird Lake on Tuesday afternoon you might have noticed the water level was lower than usual. Muddy stretches of bank extended farther toward the center of the lake. The smell wasn’t…

Water • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Jan 30, 2025

City Council passes new energy plan through 2035. Here’s what it does.

After nearly two years of study, revision, public outreach and intense debate, the city of Austin finally has a new plan for how it will meet its energy needs over the next 10 years. Austin Energy’s Resource, Generation and Climate…

Energy • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Dec 16, 2024

A malfunction at Longhorn Dam that caused Lady Bird Lake to lose water has been fixed

If you happened to be near Austin’s Lady Bird Lake on Monday, you might have noticed it looked different. The lake level, which usually stays constant year-round, had dropped by about 2 feet, exposing stretches of muddy, sometimes smelly, shoreline.…

Water • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Oct 9, 2024

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Austin said a report on water utility leaks would be final months ago. It's still not public.

Austin has a leaky pipe problem. The city’s water utility estimates it loses about 21 gallons of water per resident per day from leaks and breaks in the system. Last year that added up to over 7 billion gallons of treated…

Water • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Sep 19, 2024

Smog got you down? Here's why air quality in Austin has been so bad this spring.

This spring has been a challenging one in Central Texas weather-wise. There was punishing heat, destructive hail and a thick yellow-gray haze that blanketed the region. But, of these three apocalyptic-feeling weather phenomena, the smog stands out as particularly unique. It’s been worse…

Environment • By Mose Buchele, KUT • May 30, 2024

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Leaking city pipes appear to be drought-proofing some Austin trees

Austin loses an estimated 21 gallons of water per person every day, mostly through leaks in the city’s water distribution system. Last year that totaled 8.6 billion gallons lost. Those leaks waste more than water; they drain energy and cost…

Water • By Mose Buchele, KUT • May 28, 2024

Austin Water sends conservation plan to City Council without support of key task force

Proposals to overhaul Austin’s drought response rules and update long-term conservation goals will go to City Council for a vote this week without the support of a city advisory panel charged with vetting water policy. When Austin Water released its…

Water • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Apr 30, 2024

Austin area has dangerously high levels of air pollution, according to new EPA standards

The Environmental Protection Agency has announced long-awaited updates to air quality standards for fine particulate matter, also known as “soot,” pollution. The new, tighter limits mean some places that previously had acceptable levels of pollution are no longer meeting health…

Environment • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Feb 20, 2024

U.S. Rep. Greg Casar files bill to connect Texas grid to rest of the country

Of the numerous vulnerabilities exposed by the deadly 2021 Texas blackouts, one caught people’s attention more than the rest: Texas exists as an energy island. Unlike any other power grid in the continental U.S., the energy system that serves 90 percent of…

Energy • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Feb 14, 2024

ERCOT asks Texans to conserve electricity again Tuesday morning amid freezing temperatures

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas is asking people to conserve electricity Tuesday morning, the second such request issued by the grid operator this week as freezing weather continues to grip the state. In a media release Monday, ERCOT asked…

Energy • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Jan 16, 2024

Worried about the Texas power grid? Here's what to expect from the incoming arctic blast.

It’s almost mid-January, and there are tomatoes growing in my backyard in Austin. That might seem like a strange way to start an article on the Texas power grid. But as the state faces its first big freeze this winter,…

Energy • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Jan 12, 2024

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