
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en" class="no-js">
<head>
<title>Hurricane Harvey sparks renewed push for underground water storage in Texas | The Texas Tribune</title>
<meta charset="utf-8"><script type="text/javascript">(window.NREUM||(NREUM={})).loader_config={xpid:"UgMGVFZADAYCUVBR"};window.NREUM||(NREUM={}),__nr_require=function(t,n,e){function r(e){if(!n[e]){var o=n[e]={exports:{}};t[e][0].call(o.exports,function(n){var o=t[e][1][n];return r(o||n)},o,o.exports)}return n[e].exports}if("function"==typeof __nr_require)return __nr_require;for(var o=0;o<e.length;o++)r(e[o]);return r}({1:[function(t,n,e){function r(t){try{s.console&&console.log(t)}catch(n){}}var o,i=t("ee"),a=t(15),s={};try{o=localStorage.getItem("__nr_flags").split(","),console&&"function"==typeof console.log&&(s.console=!0,o.indexOf("dev")!==-1&&(s.dev=!0),o.indexOf("nr_dev")!==-1&&(s.nrDev=!0))}catch(c){}s.nrDev&&i.on("internal-error",function(t){r(t.stack)}),s.dev&&i.on("fn-err",function(t,n,e){r(e.stack)}),s.dev&&(r("NR AGENT IN DEVELOPMENT MODE"),r("flags: "+a(s,function(t,n){return t}).join(", ")))},{}],2:[function(t,n,e){function r(t,n,e,r,s){try{p?p-=1:o(s||new UncaughtException(t,n,e),!0)}catch(f){try{i("ierr",[f,c.now(),!0])}catch(d){}}return"function"==typeof u&&u.apply(this,a(arguments))}function UncaughtException(t,n,e){this.message=t||"Uncaught error with no additional information",this.sourceURL=n,this.line=e}function o(t,n){var e=n?null:c.now();i("err",[t,e])}var i=t("handle"),a=t(16),s=t("ee"),c=t("loader"),f=t("gos"),u=window.onerror,d=!1,l="nr@seenError",p=0;c.features.err=!0,t(1),window.onerror=r;try{throw new Error}catch(h){"stack"in h&&(t(8),t(7),"addEventListener"in window&&t(5),c.xhrWrappable&&t(9),d=!0)}s.on("fn-start",function(t,n,e){d&&(p+=1)}),s.on("fn-err",function(t,n,e){d&&!e[l]&&(f(e,l,function(){return!0}),this.thrown=!0,o(e))}),s.on("fn-end",function(){d&&!this.thrown&&p>0&&(p-=1)}),s.on("internal-error",function(t){i("ierr",[t,c.now(),!0])})},{}],3:[function(t,n,e){t("loader").features.ins=!0},{}],4:[function(t,n,e){function r(t){}if(window.performance&&window.performance.timing&&window.performance.getEntriesByType){var o=t("ee"),i=t("handle"),a=t(8),s=t(7),c="learResourceTimings",f="addEventListener",u="resourcetimingbufferfull",d="bstResource",l="resource",p="-start",h="-end",m="fn"+p,w="fn"+h,v="bstTimer",y="pushState",g=t("loader");g.features.stn=!0,t(6);var b=NREUM.o.EV;o.on(m,function(t,n){var e=t[0];e instanceof b&&(this.bstStart=g.now())}),o.on(w,function(t,n){var e=t[0];e instanceof b&&i("bst",[e,n,this.bstStart,g.now()])}),a.on(m,function(t,n,e){this.bstStart=g.now(),this.bstType=e}),a.on(w,function(t,n){i(v,[n,this.bstStart,g.now(),this.bstType])}),s.on(m,function(){this.bstStart=g.now()}),s.on(w,function(t,n){i(v,[n,this.bstStart,g.now(),"requestAnimationFrame"])}),o.on(y+p,function(t){this.time=g.now(),this.startPath=location.pathname+location.hash}),o.on(y+h,function(t){i("bstHist",[location.pathname+location.hash,this.startPath,this.time])}),f in window.performance&&(window.performance["c"+c]?window.performance[f](u,function(t){i(d,[window.performance.getEntriesByType(l)]),window.performance["c"+c]()},!1):window.performance[f]("webkit"+u,function(t){i(d,[window.performance.getEntriesByType(l)]),window.performance["webkitC"+c]()},!1)),document[f]("scroll",r,{passive:!0}),document[f]("keypress",r,!1),document[f]("click",r,!1)}},{}],5:[function(t,n,e){function r(t){for(var n=t;n&&!n.hasOwnProperty(u);)n=Object.getPrototypeOf(n);n&&o(n)}function o(t){s.inPlace(t,[u,d],"-",i)}function i(t,n){return t[1]}var a=t("ee").get("events"),s=t(18)(a,!0),c=t("gos"),f=XMLHttpRequest,u="addEventListener",d="removeEventListener";n.exports=a,"getPrototypeOf"in Object?(r(document),r(window),r(f.prototype)):f.prototype.hasOwnProperty(u)&&(o(window),o(f.prototype)),a.on(u+"-start",function(t,n){var e=t[1],r=c(e,"nr@wrapped",function(){function t(){if("function"==typeof e.handleEvent)return e.handleEvent.apply(e,arguments)}var n={object:t,"function":e}[typeof e];return n?s(n,"fn-",null,n.name||"anonymous"):e});this.wrapped=t[1]=r}),a.on(d+"-start",function(t){t[1]=this.wrapped||t[1]})},{}],6:[function(t,n,e){var r=t("ee").get("history"),o=t(18)(r);n.exports=r,o.inPlace(window.history,["pushState","replaceState"],"-")},{}],7:[function(t,n,e){var r=t("ee").get("raf"),o=t(18)(r),i="equestAnimationFrame";n.exports=r,o.inPlace(window,["r"+i,"mozR"+i,"webkitR"+i,"msR"+i],"raf-"),r.on("raf-start",function(t){t[0]=o(t[0],"fn-")})},{}],8:[function(t,n,e){function r(t,n,e){t[0]=a(t[0],"fn-",null,e)}function o(t,n,e){this.method=e,this.timerDuration=isNaN(t[1])?0:+t[1],t[0]=a(t[0],"fn-",this,e)}var i=t("ee").get("timer"),a=t(18)(i),s="setTimeout",c="setInterval",f="clearTimeout",u="-start",d="-";n.exports=i,a.inPlace(window,[s,"setImmediate"],s+d),a.inPlace(window,[c],c+d),a.inPlace(window,[f,"clearImmediate"],f+d),i.on(c+u,r),i.on(s+u,o)},{}],9:[function(t,n,e){function r(t,n){d.inPlace(n,["onreadystatechange"],"fn-",s)}function o(){var t=this,n=u.context(t);t.readyState>3&&!n.resolved&&(n.resolved=!0,u.emit("xhr-resolved",[],t)),d.inPlace(t,y,"fn-",s)}function i(t){g.push(t),h&&(x?x.then(a):w?w(a):(E=-E,O.data=E))}function a(){for(var t=0;t<g.length;t++)r([],g[t]);g.length&&(g=[])}function s(t,n){return n}function c(t,n){for(var e in t)n[e]=t[e];return n}t(5);var f=t("ee"),u=f.get("xhr"),d=t(18)(u),l=NREUM.o,p=l.XHR,h=l.MO,m=l.PR,w=l.SI,v="readystatechange",y=["onload","onerror","onabort","onloadstart","onloadend","onprogress","ontimeout"],g=[];n.exports=u;var b=window.XMLHttpRequest=function(t){var n=new p(t);try{u.emit("new-xhr",[n],n),n.addEventListener(v,o,!1)}catch(e){try{u.emit("internal-error",[e])}catch(r){}}return n};if(c(p,b),b.prototype=p.prototype,d.inPlace(b.prototype,["open","send"],"-xhr-",s),u.on("send-xhr-start",function(t,n){r(t,n),i(n)}),u.on("open-xhr-start",r),h){var x=m&&m.resolve();if(!w&&!m){var E=1,O=document.createTextNode(E);new h(a).observe(O,{characterData:!0})}}else f.on("fn-end",function(t){t[0]&&t[0].type===v||a()})},{}],10:[function(t,n,e){function r(t){var n=this.params,e=this.metrics;if(!this.ended){this.ended=!0;for(var r=0;r<d;r++)t.removeEventListener(u[r],this.listener,!1);if(!n.aborted){if(e.duration=a.now()-this.startTime,4===t.readyState){n.status=t.status;var i=o(t,this.lastSize);if(i&&(e.rxSize=i),this.sameOrigin){var c=t.getResponseHeader("X-NewRelic-App-Data");c&&(n.cat=c.split(", ").pop())}}else n.status=0;e.cbTime=this.cbTime,f.emit("xhr-done",[t],t),s("xhr",[n,e,this.startTime])}}}function o(t,n){var e=t.responseType;if("json"===e&&null!==n)return n;var r="arraybuffer"===e||"blob"===e||"json"===e?t.response:t.responseText;return h(r)}function i(t,n){var e=c(n),r=t.params;r.host=e.hostname+":"+e.port,r.pathname=e.pathname,t.sameOrigin=e.sameOrigin}var a=t("loader");if(a.xhrWrappable){var s=t("handle"),c=t(11),f=t("ee"),u=["load","error","abort","timeout"],d=u.length,l=t("id"),p=t(14),h=t(13),m=window.XMLHttpRequest;a.features.xhr=!0,t(9),f.on("new-xhr",function(t){var n=this;n.totalCbs=0,n.called=0,n.cbTime=0,n.end=r,n.ended=!1,n.xhrGuids={},n.lastSize=null,p&&(p>34||p<10)||window.opera||t.addEventListener("progress",function(t){n.lastSize=t.loaded},!1)}),f.on("open-xhr-start",function(t){this.params={method:t[0]},i(this,t[1]),this.metrics={}}),f.on("open-xhr-end",function(t,n){"loader_config"in NREUM&&"xpid"in NREUM.loader_config&&this.sameOrigin&&n.setRequestHeader("X-NewRelic-ID",NREUM.loader_config.xpid)}),f.on("send-xhr-start",function(t,n){var e=this.metrics,r=t[0],o=this;if(e&&r){var i=h(r);i&&(e.txSize=i)}this.startTime=a.now(),this.listener=function(t){try{"abort"===t.type&&(o.params.aborted=!0),("load"!==t.type||o.called===o.totalCbs&&(o.onloadCalled||"function"!=typeof n.onload))&&o.end(n)}catch(e){try{f.emit("internal-error",[e])}catch(r){}}};for(var s=0;s<d;s++)n.addEventListener(u[s],this.listener,!1)}),f.on("xhr-cb-time",function(t,n,e){this.cbTime+=t,n?this.onloadCalled=!0:this.called+=1,this.called!==this.totalCbs||!this.onloadCalled&&"function"==typeof e.onload||this.end(e)}),f.on("xhr-load-added",function(t,n){var e=""+l(t)+!!n;this.xhrGuids&&!this.xhrGuids[e]&&(this.xhrGuids[e]=!0,this.totalCbs+=1)}),f.on("xhr-load-removed",function(t,n){var e=""+l(t)+!!n;this.xhrGuids&&this.xhrGuids[e]&&(delete this.xhrGuids[e],this.totalCbs-=1)}),f.on("addEventListener-end",function(t,n){n instanceof m&&"load"===t[0]&&f.emit("xhr-load-added",[t[1],t[2]],n)}),f.on("removeEventListener-end",function(t,n){n instanceof m&&"load"===t[0]&&f.emit("xhr-load-removed",[t[1],t[2]],n)}),f.on("fn-start",function(t,n,e){n instanceof m&&("onload"===e&&(this.onload=!0),("load"===(t[0]&&t[0].type)||this.onload)&&(this.xhrCbStart=a.now()))}),f.on("fn-end",function(t,n){this.xhrCbStart&&f.emit("xhr-cb-time",[a.now()-this.xhrCbStart,this.onload,n],n)})}},{}],11:[function(t,n,e){n.exports=function(t){var n=document.createElement("a"),e=window.location,r={};n.href=t,r.port=n.port;var o=n.href.split("://");!r.port&&o[1]&&(r.port=o[1].split("/")[0].split("@").pop().split(":")[1]),r.port&&"0"!==r.port||(r.port="https"===o[0]?"443":"80"),r.hostname=n.hostname||e.hostname,r.pathname=n.pathname,r.protocol=o[0],"/"!==r.pathname.charAt(0)&&(r.pathname="/"+r.pathname);var i=!n.protocol||":"===n.protocol||n.protocol===e.protocol,a=n.hostname===document.domain&&n.port===e.port;return r.sameOrigin=i&&(!n.hostname||a),r}},{}],12:[function(t,n,e){function r(){}function o(t,n,e){return function(){return i(t,[f.now()].concat(s(arguments)),n?null:this,e),n?void 0:this}}var i=t("handle"),a=t(15),s=t(16),c=t("ee").get("tracer"),f=t("loader"),u=NREUM;"undefined"==typeof window.newrelic&&(newrelic=u);var d=["setPageViewName","setCustomAttribute","setErrorHandler","finished","addToTrace","inlineHit","addRelease"],l="api-",p=l+"ixn-";a(d,function(t,n){u[n]=o(l+n,!0,"api")}),u.addPageAction=o(l+"addPageAction",!0),u.setCurrentRouteName=o(l+"routeName",!0),n.exports=newrelic,u.interaction=function(){return(new r).get()};var h=r.prototype={createTracer:function(t,n){var e={},r=this,o="function"==typeof n;return i(p+"tracer",[f.now(),t,e],r),function(){if(c.emit((o?"":"no-")+"fn-start",[f.now(),r,o],e),o)try{return n.apply(this,arguments)}catch(t){throw c.emit("fn-err",[arguments,this,t],e),t}finally{c.emit("fn-end",[f.now()],e)}}}};a("setName,setAttribute,save,ignore,onEnd,getContext,end,get".split(","),function(t,n){h[n]=o(p+n)}),newrelic.noticeError=function(t){"string"==typeof t&&(t=new Error(t)),i("err",[t,f.now()])}},{}],13:[function(t,n,e){n.exports=function(t){if("string"==typeof t&&t.length)return t.length;if("object"==typeof t){if("undefined"!=typeof ArrayBuffer&&t instanceof ArrayBuffer&&t.byteLength)return t.byteLength;if("undefined"!=typeof Blob&&t instanceof Blob&&t.size)return t.size;if(!("undefined"!=typeof FormData&&t instanceof FormData))try{return JSON.stringify(t).length}catch(n){return}}}},{}],14:[function(t,n,e){var r=0,o=navigator.userAgent.match(/Firefox[\/\s](\d+\.\d+)/);o&&(r=+o[1]),n.exports=r},{}],15:[function(t,n,e){function r(t,n){var e=[],r="",i=0;for(r in t)o.call(t,r)&&(e[i]=n(r,t[r]),i+=1);return e}var o=Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty;n.exports=r},{}],16:[function(t,n,e){function r(t,n,e){n||(n=0),"undefined"==typeof e&&(e=t?t.length:0);for(var r=-1,o=e-n||0,i=Array(o<0?0:o);++r<o;)i[r]=t[n+r];return i}n.exports=r},{}],17:[function(t,n,e){n.exports={exists:"undefined"!=typeof window.performance&&window.performance.timing&&"undefined"!=typeof window.performance.timing.navigationStart}},{}],18:[function(t,n,e){function r(t){return!(t&&t instanceof Function&&t.apply&&!t[a])}var o=t("ee"),i=t(16),a="nr@original",s=Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty,c=!1;n.exports=function(t,n){function e(t,n,e,o){function nrWrapper(){var r,a,s,c;try{a=this,r=i(arguments),s="function"==typeof e?e(r,a):e||{}}catch(f){l([f,"",[r,a,o],s])}u(n+"start",[r,a,o],s);try{return c=t.apply(a,r)}catch(d){throw u(n+"err",[r,a,d],s),d}finally{u(n+"end",[r,a,c],s)}}return r(t)?t:(n||(n=""),nrWrapper[a]=t,d(t,nrWrapper),nrWrapper)}function f(t,n,o,i){o||(o="");var a,s,c,f="-"===o.charAt(0);for(c=0;c<n.length;c++)s=n[c],a=t[s],r(a)||(t[s]=e(a,f?s+o:o,i,s))}function u(e,r,o){if(!c||n){var i=c;c=!0;try{t.emit(e,r,o,n)}catch(a){l([a,e,r,o])}c=i}}function d(t,n){if(Object.defineProperty&&Object.keys)try{var e=Object.keys(t);return e.forEach(function(e){Object.defineProperty(n,e,{get:function(){return t[e]},set:function(n){return t[e]=n,n}})}),n}catch(r){l([r])}for(var o in t)s.call(t,o)&&(n[o]=t[o]);return n}function l(n){try{t.emit("internal-error",n)}catch(e){}}return t||(t=o),e.inPlace=f,e.flag=a,e}},{}],ee:[function(t,n,e){function r(){}function o(t){function n(t){return t&&t instanceof r?t:t?c(t,s,i):i()}function e(e,r,o,i){if(!l.aborted||i){t&&t(e,r,o);for(var a=n(o),s=h(e),c=s.length,f=0;f<c;f++)s[f].apply(a,r);var d=u[y[e]];return d&&d.push([g,e,r,a]),a}}function p(t,n){v[t]=h(t).concat(n)}function h(t){return v[t]||[]}function m(t){return d[t]=d[t]||o(e)}function w(t,n){f(t,function(t,e){n=n||"feature",y[e]=n,n in u||(u[n]=[])})}var v={},y={},g={on:p,emit:e,get:m,listeners:h,context:n,buffer:w,abort:a,aborted:!1};return g}function i(){return new r}function a(){(u.api||u.feature)&&(l.aborted=!0,u=l.backlog={})}var s="nr@context",c=t("gos"),f=t(15),u={},d={},l=n.exports=o();l.backlog=u},{}],gos:[function(t,n,e){function r(t,n,e){if(o.call(t,n))return t[n];var r=e();if(Object.defineProperty&&Object.keys)try{return Object.defineProperty(t,n,{value:r,writable:!0,enumerable:!1}),r}catch(i){}return t[n]=r,r}var o=Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty;n.exports=r},{}],handle:[function(t,n,e){function r(t,n,e,r){o.buffer([t],r),o.emit(t,n,e)}var o=t("ee").get("handle");n.exports=r,r.ee=o},{}],id:[function(t,n,e){function r(t){var n=typeof t;return!t||"object"!==n&&"function"!==n?-1:t===window?0:a(t,i,function(){return o++})}var o=1,i="nr@id",a=t("gos");n.exports=r},{}],loader:[function(t,n,e){function r(){if(!x++){var t=b.info=NREUM.info,n=l.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];if(setTimeout(u.abort,3e4),!(t&&t.licenseKey&&t.applicationID&&n))return u.abort();f(y,function(n,e){t[n]||(t[n]=e)}),c("mark",["onload",a()+b.offset],null,"api");var e=l.createElement("script");e.src="https://"+t.agent,n.parentNode.insertBefore(e,n)}}function o(){"complete"===l.readyState&&i()}function i(){c("mark",["domContent",a()+b.offset],null,"api")}function a(){return E.exists&&performance.now?Math.round(performance.now()):(s=Math.max((new Date).getTime(),s))-b.offset}var s=(new Date).getTime(),c=t("handle"),f=t(15),u=t("ee"),d=window,l=d.document,p="addEventListener",h="attachEvent",m=d.XMLHttpRequest,w=m&&m.prototype;NREUM.o={ST:setTimeout,SI:d.setImmediate,CT:clearTimeout,XHR:m,REQ:d.Request,EV:d.Event,PR:d.Promise,MO:d.MutationObserver};var v=""+location,y={beacon:"bam.nr-data.net",errorBeacon:"bam.nr-data.net",agent:"js-agent.newrelic.com/nr-1071.min.js"},g=m&&w&&w[p]&&!/CriOS/.test(navigator.userAgent),b=n.exports={offset:s,now:a,origin:v,features:{},xhrWrappable:g};t(12),l[p]?(l[p]("DOMContentLoaded",i,!1),d[p]("load",r,!1)):(l[h]("onreadystatechange",o),d[h]("onload",r)),c("mark",["firstbyte",s],null,"api");var x=0,E=t(17)},{}]},{},["loader",2,10,4,3]);</script><script type="text/javascript">window.NREUM||(NREUM={});NREUM.info={"beacon":"bam.nr-data.net","queueTime":0,"licenseKey":"8636ab2091","agent":"","transactionName":"ZwZWZ0NWD0VRAE1YCV5MckZfVBVfXw0WUgleF1FdRRkSQl8RUFQVHhVdVkZEW3VfDU1UCEQnUUdQXg0YVwZN","applicationID":"452513","errorBeacon":"bam.nr-data.net","applicationTime":76}</script>
<link href="//cdnjs.cloudflare.com" rel="dns-prefetch">
<link href="//cdn.texastribune.org" rel="dns-prefetch">
<link href="//static.texastribune.org" rel="dns-prefetch">
<link href="//www.googletagmanager.com" rel="dns-prefetch">
<link href="//www.googletagservices.com" rel="dns-prefetch">
<link href="//ajax.googleapis.com" rel="dns-prefetch">
<link rel="shortcut icon" type="image/x-icon" href="/static/images/favicon.ico">
<link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/static/images/TT-Apple-Touch-icon120x120.e2a478f6e062.jpg">
<link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="152x152" href="/static/images/TT-Apple-Touch-icon152x152.cab17cc714d0.jpg">
<link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="/static/images/TT-Apple-Touch-icon180x180.861146488a95.jpg">
<link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="167x167" href="/static/images/TT-Apple-Touch-icon167x167.d14faa539773.jpg">
<link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="128x128" href="/static/images/TT-Android-icon128x128.fa0d7b4ffb46.jpg">
<link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="192x192" href="/static/images/TT-Android-icon192x192.6476f55cfc99.jpg">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<link rel="canonical" href="https://www.texastribune.org/2017/10/18/extreme-weather-events-texas-renew-push-underground-water-storage/">
<script type="application/ld+json">
  {
    "@type": "NewsArticle",
    "headline": "Hurricane Harvey sparks renewed push for underground water storage projects",
    "image": {
      "@type": "ImageObject",
      
        
          "url": "https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/J8qRzeIu60YPA6Ax2VVru-tPOeQ=/1200x804/smart/filters:quality(95)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/09/02/Aquifers-Map.jpg",
        
      
      "width": 1200,
      "height": 804
     },
    "mainEntityOfPage": {
      "@type": "WebPage",
      "@id": "https://www.texastribune.org/2017/10/18/extreme-weather-events-texas-renew-push-underground-water-storage/"
    },
    "@context": "http://schema.org",
    "dateCreated": "2017-10-18T05:01:00+00:00",
    "datePublished": "2017-10-18T05:01:00+00:00",

    
      "dateModified": "2017-10-18T05:01:00+00:00",
    

    
      
        "author": {
          "@type": "Person",
          "name": "Katie Riordan"
        },
        "creator": {
          "@type": "Person",
          "name": "Katie Riordan"
        },
      
    

    "publisher": {
      "@type": "Organization",
      "name": "Texas Tribune",
      "logo": {
        "@type": "ImageObject",
        "url": "https://www.texastribune.org/static/images/amp-carousel.114a9bc257b2.png",
        "width": 600,
        "height": 60
      }
    },
    "description": "Some state lawmakers have described the monster storm as a missed opportunity to\u0026nbsp\u003Bprepare for the next drought.",
    "inLanguage":"en_US",
    "url": "https://www.texastribune.org/2017/10/18/extreme-weather-events-texas-renew-push-underground-water-storage/",
    "keywords": [
      "texas news",
      "texas politics",
      "texas policy",
      "texas government",
      
        "environment",
      
        "water supply",
      
        "Hurricane Harvey",
      
        "Groundwater"
      
    ]
  }
</script>
<link rel="amphtml" href="https://www.texastribune.org/2017/10/18/extreme-weather-events-texas-renew-push-underground-water-storage/amp/">
<meta name="author" content="Katie Riordan" />
<meta name="copyright" content="&copy; The Texas Tribune" />
<meta name="publisher" content="The Texas Tribune" />
<link href="https://plus.google.com/+texastribune/" rel="publisher" />
<meta name="robots" content="index,follow" />
<meta name="siteinfo" content="http://www.texastribune.org/robots.txt" />
<link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/static/images/apple-touch-icon.2984da3fd3e8.png" />
<meta name="google-site-verification" content="2RECdeH7aeA9-RQoGzkfTpP5i_3Qz4rtBIR-CdCtvus" />
<meta name="google-site-verification" content="3EMut9KLnb_7fohrI_bDaR4py76QIWAt4uPidjagbzI" />
<meta name="y_key" content="36169ff9ee60f3ab" />
<meta name="msvalidate.01" content="DB22C31255557D1E219990CA92192CBB" />
<meta property="fb:app_id" content="154122474650943">
<meta property="fb:pages" content="124434790836" />
<meta property="og:site_name" content="The Texas Tribune" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://www.texastribune.org/2017/10/18/extreme-weather-events-texas-renew-push-underground-water-storage/">
<meta name="description" content="Some state lawmakers have described the monster storm as a missed opportunity to&amp;nbsp;prepare for the next drought." />
<meta name="keywords" content="texas news, texas politics, texas policy, texas government, environment, water supply, Hurricane Harvey, Groundwater" />
<meta name="news_keywords" content="texas news, texas politics, texas policy, texas government, environment, water supply, Hurricane Harvey, Groundwater" />
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" />
<meta name="twitter:site" content="@TexasTribune" />
<meta name="twitter:creator" content="@riordankt">
<meta name="twitter:title" content="Hurricane Harvey sparks renewed push for underground water storage ..." />
<meta name="twitter:description" content="Some state lawmakers have described the monster storm as a missed opportunity to&amp;nbsp;prepare for the next drought." />
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/J8qRzeIu60YPA6Ax2VVru-tPOeQ=/1200x804/smart/filters:quality(95)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/09/02/Aquifers-Map.jpg">
<meta property="og:title" content="Hurricane Harvey sparks renewed push for underground water storage projects" />
<meta property="og:type" content="article" />
<meta property="og:description" content="Some state lawmakers have described the monster storm as a missed opportunity to&amp;nbsp;prepare for the next drought." />
<meta property="og:image" content="https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/J8qRzeIu60YPA6Ax2VVru-tPOeQ=/1200x804/smart/filters:quality(95)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/09/02/Aquifers-Map.jpg" />
<meta property="article:publisher" content="https://www.facebook.com/texastribune/" />
<meta property="article:published_time" content="2017-10-18T05:01:00+00:00" />
<meta name="parsely-type" content="post" />
<meta name="parsely-title" content="Hurricane Harvey sparks renewed push for underground water storage projects" />
<meta name="parsely-link" content="https://www.texastribune.org/2017/10/18/extreme-weather-events-texas-renew-push-underground-water-storage/" />
<meta name="parsely-pub-date" content="2017-10-18T05:01:00+00:00" />
<meta name="parsely-author" content="Katie Riordan" />
<meta name="parsely-tags" content="environment,water supply,Hurricane Harvey,Groundwater" />
<meta name="parsely-image-url" content="https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/J8qRzeIu60YPA6Ax2VVru-tPOeQ=/1200x804/smart/filters:quality(95)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/09/02/Aquifers-Map.jpg">
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/static/css/tt_styles.ac0d100fa053.css">
<script>
  /**
    Promises
    https://github.com/bramstein/fontfaceobserver
  */
  (function(){'use strict';var f,g=[];function l(a){g.push(a);1==g.length&&f()}function m(){for(;g.length;)g[0](),g.shift()}f=function(){setTimeout(m)};function n(a){this.a=p;this.b=void 0;this.f=[];var b=this;try{a(function(a){q(b,a)},function(a){r(b,a)})}catch(c){r(b,c)}}var p=2;function t(a){return new n(function(b,c){c(a)})}function u(a){return new n(function(b){b(a)})}function q(a,b){if(a.a==p){if(b==a)throw new TypeError;var c=!1;try{var d=b&&b.then;if(null!=b&&"object"==typeof b&&"function"==typeof d){d.call(b,function(b){c||q(a,b);c=!0},function(b){c||r(a,b);c=!0});return}}catch(e){c||r(a,e);return}a.a=0;a.b=b;v(a)}}
  function r(a,b){if(a.a==p){if(b==a)throw new TypeError;a.a=1;a.b=b;v(a)}}function v(a){l(function(){if(a.a!=p)for(;a.f.length;){var b=a.f.shift(),c=b[0],d=b[1],e=b[2],b=b[3];try{0==a.a?"function"==typeof c?e(c.call(void 0,a.b)):e(a.b):1==a.a&&("function"==typeof d?e(d.call(void 0,a.b)):b(a.b))}catch(h){b(h)}}})}n.prototype.g=function(a){return this.c(void 0,a)};n.prototype.c=function(a,b){var c=this;return new n(function(d,e){c.f.push([a,b,d,e]);v(c)})};
  function w(a){return new n(function(b,c){function d(c){return function(d){h[c]=d;e+=1;e==a.length&&b(h)}}var e=0,h=[];0==a.length&&b(h);for(var k=0;k<a.length;k+=1)u(a[k]).c(d(k),c)})}function x(a){return new n(function(b,c){for(var d=0;d<a.length;d+=1)u(a[d]).c(b,c)})};window.Promise||(window.Promise=n,window.Promise.resolve=u,window.Promise.reject=t,window.Promise.race=x,window.Promise.all=w,window.Promise.prototype.then=n.prototype.c,window.Promise.prototype["catch"]=n.prototype.g);}());
</script>
<script>
  (function() {
    if (sessionStorage && sessionStorage.criticalFontsLoaded) {
      document.documentElement.className += ' fonts-loaded';
      return;
    }

    /**
      Font Face Observer v2.0.13 - © Bram Stein
      License: BSD-3-Clause - https://github.com/bramstein/fontfaceobserver/blob/master/LICENSE
      Repository https://github.com/bramstein/fontfaceobserver
    */
    (function(){function l(a,b){document.addEventListener?a.addEventListener("scroll",b,!1):a.attachEvent("scroll",b)}function m(a){document.body?a():document.addEventListener?document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function c(){document.removeEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",c);a()}):document.attachEvent("onreadystatechange",function k(){if("interactive"==document.readyState||"complete"==document.readyState)document.detachEvent("onreadystatechange",k),a()})};function r(a){this.a=document.createElement("div");this.a.setAttribute("aria-hidden","true");this.a.appendChild(document.createTextNode(a));this.b=document.createElement("span");this.c=document.createElement("span");this.h=document.createElement("span");this.f=document.createElement("span");this.g=-1;this.b.style.cssText="max-width:none;display:inline-block;position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;overflow:scroll;font-size:16px;";this.c.style.cssText="max-width:none;display:inline-block;position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;overflow:scroll;font-size:16px;";
    this.f.style.cssText="max-width:none;display:inline-block;position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;overflow:scroll;font-size:16px;";this.h.style.cssText="display:inline-block;width:200%;height:200%;font-size:16px;max-width:none;";this.b.appendChild(this.h);this.c.appendChild(this.f);this.a.appendChild(this.b);this.a.appendChild(this.c)}
    function t(a,b){a.a.style.cssText="max-width:none;min-width:20px;min-height:20px;display:inline-block;overflow:hidden;position:absolute;width:auto;margin:0;padding:0;top:-999px;white-space:nowrap;font-synthesis:none;font:"+b+";"}function y(a){var b=a.a.offsetWidth,c=b+100;a.f.style.width=c+"px";a.c.scrollLeft=c;a.b.scrollLeft=a.b.scrollWidth+100;return a.g!==b?(a.g=b,!0):!1}function z(a,b){function c(){var a=k;y(a)&&a.a.parentNode&&b(a.g)}var k=a;l(a.b,c);l(a.c,c);y(a)};function A(a,b){var c=b||{};this.family=a;this.style=c.style||"normal";this.weight=c.weight||"normal";this.stretch=c.stretch||"normal"}var B=null,C=null,E=null,F=null;function G(){if(null===C)if(J()&&/Apple/.test(window.navigator.vendor)){var a=/AppleWebKit\/([0-9]+)(?:\.([0-9]+))(?:\.([0-9]+))/.exec(window.navigator.userAgent);C=!!a&&603>parseInt(a[1],10)}else C=!1;return C}function J(){null===F&&(F=!!document.fonts);return F}
    function K(){if(null===E){var a=document.createElement("div");try{a.style.font="condensed 100px sans-serif"}catch(b){}E=""!==a.style.font}return E}function L(a,b){return[a.style,a.weight,K()?a.stretch:"","100px",b].join(" ")}
    A.prototype.load=function(a,b){var c=this,k=a||"BESbswy",q=0,D=b||3E3,H=(new Date).getTime();return new Promise(function(a,b){if(J()&&!G()){var M=new Promise(function(a,b){function e(){(new Date).getTime()-H>=D?b():document.fonts.load(L(c,'"'+c.family+'"'),k).then(function(c){1<=c.length?a():setTimeout(e,25)},function(){b()})}e()}),N=new Promise(function(a,c){q=setTimeout(c,D)});Promise.race([N,M]).then(function(){clearTimeout(q);a(c)},function(){b(c)})}else m(function(){function u(){var b;if(b=-1!=
    f&&-1!=g||-1!=f&&-1!=h||-1!=g&&-1!=h)(b=f!=g&&f!=h&&g!=h)||(null===B&&(b=/AppleWebKit\/([0-9]+)(?:\.([0-9]+))/.exec(window.navigator.userAgent),B=!!b&&(536>parseInt(b[1],10)||536===parseInt(b[1],10)&&11>=parseInt(b[2],10))),b=B&&(f==v&&g==v&&h==v||f==w&&g==w&&h==w||f==x&&g==x&&h==x)),b=!b;b&&(d.parentNode&&d.parentNode.removeChild(d),clearTimeout(q),a(c))}function I(){if((new Date).getTime()-H>=D)d.parentNode&&d.parentNode.removeChild(d),b(c);else{var a=document.hidden;if(!0===a||void 0===a)f=e.a.offsetWidth,
    g=n.a.offsetWidth,h=p.a.offsetWidth,u();q=setTimeout(I,50)}}var e=new r(k),n=new r(k),p=new r(k),f=-1,g=-1,h=-1,v=-1,w=-1,x=-1,d=document.createElement("div");d.dir="ltr";t(e,L(c,"sans-serif"));t(n,L(c,"serif"));t(p,L(c,"monospace"));d.appendChild(e.a);d.appendChild(n.a);d.appendChild(p.a);document.body.appendChild(d);v=e.a.offsetWidth;w=n.a.offsetWidth;x=p.a.offsetWidth;I();z(e,function(a){f=a;u()});t(e,L(c,'"'+c.family+'",sans-serif'));z(n,function(a){g=a;u()});t(n,L(c,'"'+c.family+'",serif'));
    z(p,function(a){h=a;u()});t(p,L(c,'"'+c.family+'",monospace'))})})};"object"===typeof module?module.exports=A:(window.FontFaceObserver=A,window.FontFaceObserver.prototype.load=A.prototype.load);}());

    var openSans = new FontFaceObserver('Open Sans', { weight: 400 }),
        openSansBold = new FontFaceObserver('Open Sans', { weight: 700 }),
        ptSerif = new FontFaceObserver('PT Serif', { weight: 400 }),
        ptSerifBold = new FontFaceObserver('PT Serif', { weight: 700 });

    Promise.all([
      ptSerif.load(null, 5000),
      ptSerifBold.load(null, 5000),
      openSans.load(null, 5000),
      openSansBold.load(null, 5000)
    ]).then(function() {
      document.documentElement.className += ' fonts-loaded';
      sessionStorage.criticalFontsLoaded = true;
    });
  })();
</script>
<script async src="/static/js/autotrack.6c409f89b8d3.js"></script>
<script>
  (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
  (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
  m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
  })(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');

  ga('create', 'UA-9827490-1', 'texastribune.org', {'allowLinker': true});
  ga('require', 'GTM-TVMQLX7'); // Require Optimize
  ga('require', 'cleanUrlTracker', {
    stripQuery: true,
    queryDimensionIndex: 1,
    indexFilename: 'index.html'
  });
  ga('require', 'linker');
  ga('linker:autoLink', ['checkout.texastribune.org', 'support.texastribune.org']);
  ga('require', 'eventTracker');
  ga('require', 'displayfeatures');
ga('set', 'dimension4', '117652'); // Unique Content ID
  
  
  ga('set', 'dimension5', "In Harvey&#39;s Wake"); // Series Name
  // hack for Facebook Instant
  if (window.ttFBIA != undefined) {
    // create and send data to the Luna property before the OG one.
    // our site does this automagically, but FBIA needs it
    ga('create', 'UA-9827490-10', 'texastribune.org', 'lunaTracker');
    ga('lunaTracker.set', window.ttFBIA);
    ga('lunaTracker.send', 'pageview');
    ga('set', window.ttFBIA);
  }
  ga('send', 'pageview');
</script>

<script type="text/javascript">
  // DO NOT deviate from this instantiation/push pattern when using the Data Layer.
  // Deviations inevitably produce hard-to-debug errors.
  var dataLayer = window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];

  dataLayer.push({
    'publishDate': '10-18-2017',
    
    
    'contentID': '117652',
    
    
    'contentSeries' : 'In Harvey&#39;s Wake',
    
    'contentType' : 'Story',
    'contentCategory' : 'News'
  });
</script>

<script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':
new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],
j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src=
'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);
})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-P5L2Z5Z');</script>


<script>
  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;
  n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,
  document,'script','https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js');

  fbq('init', '1570461443220689');
  fbq('track', "PageView");
  fbq('track', 'ViewContent');
  fbq('track', 'Search');
</script>
<noscript>
  <img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=1570461443220689&ev=PageView&noscript=1"/>
</noscript>

<script src="https://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js" async></script>
<script>
        document
          .documentElement
          .classList
          .remove('no-js');
      </script>
</head>
<body class="tt_body">

<noscript>
        <iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-P5L2Z5Z" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe>
      </noscript>

<div id="ad_interstitial" class="hidden"></div>
<div id="interstitial-attach"></div>
<div class="grid grid_separator">
<div class="navbar col col_omega">
<nav class="grid_container grid_padded">
<div class="grid_row grid_wrap--l">
<div class="navbar__logo grid_row col_omega">
<div class="col_inline">
<a href="/" class="navbar__logo--link">
<img src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,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" alt="The Texas Tribune logo" class="navbar__logo--img" />
</a>
</div>
<ul class="col_inline">
<li class="navbar__link hide_from--l">
<button id="menu-open" class="navbar__item"><i class="fa fa-bars" aria-hidden="true"></i>&nbsp;MENU</button>
<button id="menu-close" class="navbar__item hidden"><i class="fa fa-close" aria-hidden="true"></i>&nbsp;CLOSE</button></li>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul class="navbar__right thin col_omega">
<ul id="mobile-dropdown" class="navbar__list grid col col_omega hide_until--l">
<li class="navbar__col navbar__link navbar__col--halfsize hide-on-search"><a class="navbar__item" href="/our-picks/">Our Picks</a></li>
<li class="navbar__col navbar__link navbar__col--halfsize hide-on-search"><a class="navbar__item" href="/data" ga-on="click">Data</a></li>
<li class="navbar__col navbar__link navbar__col--halfsize hide-on-search"><a class="navbar__item" href="/events/">Events</a></li>
<li class="navbar__col navbar__link navbar__col--halfsize hide-on-search"><a class="navbar__item" href="/video/">Video</a></li>
<li class="navbar__col navbar__link hide-on-search"><a class="navbar__item" href="https://support.texastribune.org/">Donate</a></li>
<li id="greeting-attach"></li>
<ul class="navbar__col navbar__search thin grid_row">
<li id="menu-search-open" class="navbar__link col_12" ga-on="click" ga-event-category="Frontpage" ga-event-action="navigation" ga-event-label="search-open"><button class="navbar__search--btn navbar__item"><i class="fa fa-search" aria-hidden="true" title="Submit search"></i>&nbsp;<span class="hide_from--l">Search</span></button></li>
<li id="menu-search-form" class="navbar__search--form thin navbar__link col col_omega grid_row hidden">
<form class="header_search grid_row col_11" method="get" action="/search/">
<button class="navbar__item col_inline" type="submit" aria-label="Submit" ga-on="click" ga-event-category="Frontpage" ga-event-action="navigation" ga-event-label="search-submit"><i class="fa fa-search" aria-hidden="true" title="Submit search"></i></button>
<input id="site-search-q" class="navbar__search--input col" name="q" type="text" value="" placeholder="What are you looking for?" for="header_search">
</form>
<div id="menu-search-close" class="navbar__link col_inline hidden hide_until--l"><button class="navbar__search--btn navbar__item" ga-on="click" ga-event-category="Frontpage" ga-event-action="navigation" ga-event-label="search-close"><i class="fa fa-close" aria-hidden="true"></i>&nbsp;</button></div>
</li>
</ul>

</ul>
</ul>
</div>
</nav>
</div>
</div>
<div class="grid_container hide_until--l">
<div class="site_ad--header">
<div class="adunit" id="ad_roofline"></div>
</div>
</div>
<article class="grid_container">
<header>
<div class="grid_row grid_padded grid_separator">
<div class="col">
<h1 data-url="/2017/10/18/extreme-weather-events-texas-renew-push-underground-water-storage/" itemprop="headline" class="headline grid_separator">Hurricane Harvey sparks renewed push for underground water storage projects</h1>
<div class="border--yellow_notch hide_from--s"></div>
<p class="story_summary grid_separator">Some state lawmakers have described the monster storm as a missed opportunity to&nbsp;prepare for the next drought.</p>
<p id="byline" class="byline grid_separator"><span class="byline--item">by Katie Riordan</span>
<time class="byline--item" datetime="Wed, 18 Oct 2017 00:01:00 -0500" title="2017-10-18 00:01">Oct. 18, 2017</time>
<time class="byline--item" datetime="Wed, 18 Oct 2017 00:01:00 -0500" title="2017-10-18 00:01">12 AM</time>
</p>
<div id="share_button_row" class="grid_row hide_until--s" ga-tracker="social_shares">
<div class="col">
<a class="button button--share_inline button--fb" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.texastribune.org/2017/10/18/extreme-weather-events-texas-renew-push-underground-water-storage/%3Futm_campaign%3Dtrib-social-buttons%26utm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_medium%3Dsocial" target="_blank" aria-label="Share on Facebook" ga-on="click" ga-event-category="Share" ga-event-action="facebook-intent" ga-event-label="Share Button Row">
<i class="fa fa-facebook" aria-hidden="true" title="Share on Facebook"></i>
</a>
</div>
<div class="col">
<a class="button button--share_inline button--twitter" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.texastribune.org/2017/10/18/extreme-weather-events-texas-renew-push-underground-water-storage/%3Futm_campaign%3Dtrib-social-buttons%26utm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dsocial&amp;text=Hurricane%20Harvey%20sparks%20renewed%20push%20for%20underground%20water%20storage%20projects&amp;via=TexasTribune&amp;related=TexasTribune,TribTalkTX,TXTribuneEvents,TribData" target="_blank" aria-label="Share on Twitter" ga-on="click" ga-event-category="Share" ga-event-action="twitter-intent" ga-event-label="Share Button Row">
<i class="fa fa-twitter" aria-hidden="true" title="Share on Twitter"></i>
</a>
</div>
<div class="col">
<a class="button button--share_inline button--email" href="mailto:?subject=Hurricane%20Harvey%20sparks%20renewed%20push%20for%20underground%20water%20storage%20projects&body=https://www.texastribune.org/2017/10/18/extreme-weather-events-texas-renew-push-underground-water-storage/" aria-label="Share this story by email" ga-on="click" ga-event-category="Share" ga-event-action="email-intent" ga-event-label="Share Button Row">
<i class="fa fa-envelope" aria-hidden="true" title="Share this story by email"></i>
</a>
</div>
<div class="col story_share--wrapper">
<a class="button button--share_inline button--comments" href="#story_bottom" aria-label="View comments" ga-on="click" ga-event-category="Comment" ga-event-action="comment-intent" ga-event-label="Share Button Row">
<i class="fa fa-comments" aria-hidden="true" title="View comments"></i>
3
</a>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="col_adunit300x250 hide_until--l">&nbsp;</div>
</div>
<div class="grid_row grid_padded--temp grid_wrap--l grid_separator">
<div class="col">
<figure itemprop="lead_art" class="image_default">
<picture>
<source media="(min-width: 1px)" srcset="https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/WV1IXLMSsIWv70AswsER9lA1mCM=/1250x838/smart/filters:quality(80)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/09/02/Aquifers-Map.jpg 1250w,
                    https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/GoTSeGXi_NJ-E1KG7cDjgTZI3JE=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(80)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/09/02/Aquifers-Map.jpg 850w,
                    https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/zI-XmpE9DJnFXYIm2CNO9aBJR24=/650x436/smart/filters:quality(80)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/09/02/Aquifers-Map.jpg 650w,
                    https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/8aunBQiIX9ENTND8xTjN65HfzcA=/400x268/smart/filters:quality(80)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/09/02/Aquifers-Map.jpg 400w" sizes="(min-width: 52.8025em) calc(100vw - 310px),
                   (min-width: 60em) 597px,
                   (min-width: 67.5em) 632px,
                   100vw">
<img alt="This map shows all nine major aquifers in Texas. The Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer is shown in red." src="https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/GoTSeGXi_NJ-E1KG7cDjgTZI3JE=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(80)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/09/02/Aquifers-Map.jpg" srcset="https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/WV1IXLMSsIWv70AswsER9lA1mCM=/1250x838/smart/filters:quality(80)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/09/02/Aquifers-Map.jpg 1250w,
                    https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/GoTSeGXi_NJ-E1KG7cDjgTZI3JE=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(80)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/09/02/Aquifers-Map.jpg 850w,
                    https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/zI-XmpE9DJnFXYIm2CNO9aBJR24=/650x436/smart/filters:quality(80)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/09/02/Aquifers-Map.jpg 650w,
                    https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/8aunBQiIX9ENTND8xTjN65HfzcA=/400x268/smart/filters:quality(80)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/09/02/Aquifers-Map.jpg 400w" sizes="(min-width: 52.8025em) calc(100vw - 310px),
                   (min-width: 60em) 597px,
                   (min-width: 67.5em) 632px,
                   100vw">
</picture>
<figcaption class="image_default--caption">
<p>
This map shows all nine major aquifers in Texas. The Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer is shown in red.
<cite><i class="fa fa-camera"></i> Texas Water Development Board / Todd Wiseman</cite>
</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div class="col_adunit300x250 hide_until--l">
<div class="site_ad--gray grid_separator">
<span class="site_ad--label">The Texas Tribune thanks its sponsors.</span>
<div class="site_ad--wrapper">
<div class="adunit" id="default_300x250_1"></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</header>
<div class="grid_row grid_wrap--l grid_padded">
<main class="col " role="main">
<div class="series_header grid_separator">
<figure>
<img src="https://static.texastribune.org/media/series/TT-InHarveysWake-logo-horizontal001.png" alt="In Harvey&#39;s Wake" />
</figure>
<p>The devastation was swift, and the recovery is far from over. <a title="Sign up for The Brief" href="https://texastribune.typeform.com/to/nRbPm8">Sign up</a>&nbsp;for our ongoing coverage of Hurricane Harvey's aftermath. You can help by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2017/09/19/how-were-covering-aftermath-hurricane-harvey/#share" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">sharing your story here</a>&nbsp;or sending a tip to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:harvey@texastribune.org" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">harvey@texastribune.org</a>.</p>&nbsp;<span class="full_story"><a class="unlink" href="/series/in-harveys-wake/">More in this series&nbsp;<i class="fa fa-long-arrow-right"></i></a></span>
</div>
<div class="story_body grid_separator">
<p>For state Rep. <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/directory/lyle-larson/">Lyle Larson</a>, Hurricane Harvey was not only a tragedy but also a wasted opportunity. The San Antonio Republican, who chairs the House Natural Resources Committee, estimates that the amount of rain the storm dropped on the state could meet all its water needs &mdash; household, agricultural and otherwise &mdash; for at least eight years.</p>
<p>Instead, he said, those 34 trillion gallons ended up in a place where they didn't do a bit of good: the Gulf of Mexico.</p>
<p>"You could capture a good percentage of that water and start storing it," he said in a recent interview.</p>
<p>In Harvey's wake, Larson and other lawmakers are re-upping calls for state support of "aquifer storage and recovery" projects in which water is pumped into underground reservoirs and stored for future use. Larson authored several related bills earlier this year &mdash; most of them passed, but were later vetoed by Gov. <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/directory/greg-abbott/">Greg Abbott</a> &mdash; that would've earmarked state funding for such projects and directed the state's water planning agency to study the best places to put them.</p>
<div class="site_ad--wrapper instory">
<p class="site_ad--label">The Texas Tribune thanks its sponsors. <a href="https://mediakit.texastribune.org/" ga-on="click" ga-event-category="Sponsorship" ga-event-action="sponsorship-intent" ga-event-label="Hum">Become one</a>.</p>
<div class="site_ad--instory">
<div class="adunit tablet mobile standard" id="premium_468x60_1"></div>
</div>
</div>
<p>His counterpart in the Texas Senate, <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/directory/charles-perry/">Charles Perry</a>, appears just as passionate. At a hearing Monday, the Lubbock Republican also called Harvey a missed opportunity and said such projects could help the state better withstand the next, inevitable drought. Both he and Larson represent water-strapped districts.</p>
<p>The practice of capturing water and injecting it into underground aquifers is well established. According to the Texas Water Development Board, there are at least 175 operational aquifer storage and recovery projects throughout the United States, including three in Texas. (The oldest, in New Jersey, came online in 1969.) Several more projects are in the works throughout the state.</p>
<p>None of the projects in Texas involve capturing floodwater, however. And experts say the feasibility of corralling excessive stormwater, cleaning it and injecting it underground is yet to be determined. A study underway in Harris County is exploring what one hydrologist working on the project described as significant technical challenges to the process.</p>
<p>"We are just now seeing the tip of the iceberg as far as potential is concerned," said Bill Mullican, a water project consultant and former Water Development Board administrator. "If you look at the floods of May 2015, the [Tax Day] floods of 2016 and Harvey, what you've seen is a series of rather routine flood events that demonstrate that we have water that we are not capturing for later use during times of drought."</p>
<p>Generally speaking, supporters of aquifer storage and recovery say the approach has many advantages over traditional methods of water storage such as surface reservoirs. For one, water stored underground is not vulnerable to evaporation, which is a major problem in Texas. According to the Water Development Board, Texas on average loses about <a href="http://www.twdb.texas.gov/publications/reports/technical_notes/doc/TechnicalNote15-04.pdf">40 percent of its water demand</a> to evaporation each year &mdash; particularly in hot summer months.</p>
<p>Unlike a traditional surface reservoir, aquifer storage projects also don't require the acquisition of private land and generally are quicker to implement.</p>
<div class="site_ad--wrapper instory">
<p class="site_ad--label">The Texas Tribune thanks its sponsors. <a href="https://mediakit.texastribune.org/" ga-on="click" ga-event-category="Sponsorship" ga-event-action="sponsorship-intent" ga-event-label="Hum">Become one</a>.</p>
<div class="site_ad--instory">
<div class="adunit tablet mobile standard" id="premium_468x60_2"></div>
</div>
</div>
<p>Mullican said the majority of land in Texas suitable for large reservoirs has greatly diminished since the heyday of reservoir construction in the 1960s and '70s.</p>
<p>"The amount of water that we have in storage in our [surface reservoirs and] lakes has been declining over the last 20 years because our population keeps getting bigger and we're not adding anything to our storage [capacity]," he said. He noted that the last major surface reservoir in Texas was built over two decades ago.</p>
<p>The Texas cities that have active aquifer storage and recovery projects are El Paso, Kerrville and San Antonio &mdash; Larson's hometown.</p>
<p>San Antonio's project, which came online in 2004 and cost more than $2 million, is perhaps the most well-known. Its design is distinctive in that it doesn't inject surface water underground but transfers water from one aquifer to another that is better suited to store water for longer periods.</p>
<p>Kerrville's system is more traditional &mdash; it captures water from the Guadalupe River in cooler months when water demand dips. El Paso's system uses treated wastewater.</p>
<p>Still, Larson said the state is some 20 years behind the rest of the country in taking advantage of aquifer storage and recovery technology.</p>
<p>&ldquo;We've got our work cut out," he said, "because in the foreseeable future, you are going to see a pretty substantial drought, and all that water is going to be in the Gulf of Mexico.&rdquo;</p>
<p>One of the bills Larson authored that Abbott later vetoed would have directed the Water Development Board to conduct a statewide assessment of potential sites for aquifer storage and recovery systems, especially in flood-prone areas &mdash; something Abbott said the agency already had the authority to do. Another bill would have earmarked state funds for aquifer storage and recovery projects. (Larson <a href="http://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Rep-Lyle-Larson-No-governor-s-ever-going-11737044.php">attributed</a> the vetoes to "raw politics.")</p>
<div class="site_ad--wrapper instory">
<p class="site_ad--label">The Texas Tribune thanks its sponsors. <a href="https://mediakit.texastribune.org/" ga-on="click" ga-event-category="Sponsorship" ga-event-action="sponsorship-intent" ga-event-label="Hum">Become one</a>.</p>
<div class="site_ad--instory">
<div class="adunit tablet mobile standard" id="premium_468x60_3"></div>
</div>
</div>
<p>Public entities have already been eligible to receive state assistance for such projects in the form of low-interest loans. The city of Bryan, for example, <a href="http://www.twdb.texas.gov/newsmedia/press_releases/2016/07/bryan.asp">secured an $18 million, multiyear loan last year</a> for an aquifer storage and recovery project through the voter-approved <a href="http://www.twdb.texas.gov/financial/programs/swift/index.asp">SWIFT program</a>.</p>
<p>In large part, an increased interest in aquifer storage and recovery projects is a result of one of Larson's past legislative successes, Mullican said. A 2015 bill eliminated some red tape from the permitting process by giving the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality the sole authority to sign off on underground storage projects. Previously, groundwater conservation districts also had to approve them.</p>
<p>While some regulatory hurdles are disappearing and more cities are looking to cache their water resources below ground, no one in the state has yet produced an operable system that is specifically designed to capture and store floodwater.</p>
<p>That's because dealing with water from excessive flood events brings unique challenges, said Gretchen Miller, a Texas A&amp;M University engineer who is studying the feasibility of such a project for Harris County.</p>
<p>The biggest issue is the quality of stormwater, she said. In general, water injected into aquifers has to meet very strict quality standards and stormwater frequently carries a dirty mix of clays and silts that could clog up water pumps designed to move it underground &mdash; not to mention other contaminants such as bacteria.</p>
<p>But water treatment takes time, and there are natural limits on how quickly water can be pumped into the ground, Miller said. If there is a rain event, water treatment may not be able to keep up with how quickly aboveground capture facilities fill up, she said.</p>
<p>Another limiting factor is the scale of rain events. Aquifers have finite storage space, so experts familiar with aquifer storage and recovery are quick to point out &mdash; and Larson agrees &mdash; that an event like Harvey dumped so much rain it would be impossible to capture and store it all.</p>
<p>One Harris County official who pushed for the study Miller is working on says he is &ldquo;cautiously optimistic&rdquo; of the feasibility of such a project.</p>
<p>&ldquo;It really does have a lot of promise," said Harris County Commissioner Jack Cagle. &ldquo;But it&rsquo;s not something that can be implemented quickly."</p>
<p>Some caution that overzealous capture efforts could impact the environmental integrity of surface water supplies.</p>
<p>Kirk Winemiller, a professor of wildlife and fisheries studies at Texas A&amp;M, said he supports the capture and storage of water during massive rain events like Harvey, which dumped so much water on rivers, bayous and lakes that they escaped their banks. But he said after a smaller rain event it could be easy to harvest too much water, which would harm the health of plants and animals.</p>
<p>"Any water that you take out of the natural system is going to have some effect," Winemiller said.</p>
<p>Cagle said another concern for Harris County as it explores the possibility of creating a floodwater storage project of its own is how much it might cost.</p>
<p>Regardless, he said events like Harvey are a reminder to continue to explore creative solutions: "The balance point for whether something is feasible or not on an economic scale may be tilting towards, 'Let&rsquo;s try it.'"</p>
<p><em>Disclosure: Texas A&amp;M University has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors is available <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/support-us/corporate-sponsors/">here</a>.</em></p>
<p><strong>Read related Tribune coverage:</strong></p>
<ul id="readmore-headline">
<li>
<p><a href="/2015/03/24/legislators-considering-water-related-bills/" ga-on="click" ga-event-category="Related link" ga-event-action="/2015/03/24/legislators-considering-water-related-bills/" ga-event-label="related - ReadMore">Legislators Considering Water-Related Bills</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="/2016/07/12/hro-using-aquifer-storage-and-recovery-to-meet-wat/" ga-on="click" ga-event-category="Related link" ga-event-action="/2016/07/12/hro-using-aquifer-storage-and-recovery-to-meet-wat/" ga-event-label="related - ReadMore">HRO: Using Aquifer Storage and Recovery to Meet Water Needs</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="/2017/10/04/local-officials-we-need-help-paying-flood-control-projects/" ga-on="click" ga-event-category="Related link" ga-event-action="/2017/10/04/local-officials-we-need-help-paying-flood-control-projects/" ga-event-label="related - ReadMore">Harris County officials: We need help paying for flood control projects</a></p>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="grid_separator">
<header class="grid_separator--s">
<h3 class="link--teal smallcaps">Get The Brief</h3>
<span class="sansserif">Never miss a moment in Texas politics with our daily newsletter.</span>
</header>
<form id="mailchimp-form-9eb53e440f" class="form" name="mailchimpSubscribe" ga-event-label="story page">
<ol class="form_list--hidden">
<li>
<input id="9eb53e440f" class="hidden js-mailchimp-interest" type="checkbox" name="9eb53e440f" value="" checked>
</li>
</ol>
<div class="grid_row grid_separator--s js-mailchimp-input">
<input class="form_side--input js-mailchimp-email" type="email" name="email" placeholder="Your email" required>
<input class="button button--yellow form_side--button js-mailchimp-submit" type="submit" value="Subscribe">
</div>
<div class="grid_row loading--xs hidden"></div>
<div class="grid_row grid_separator--s js-mailchimp-response hidden"></div>
</form>
</div>
<div class="story_comments">
<a id="story_bottom" class="story_comments--anchor"></a>
<h3 class="grid_separator">
<a id="comment-show" class="link--teal" href="" ga-on="click" ga-event-category="Comment" ga-event-action="comment-intent" ga-event-label="Hum - Bottom">
<i class="fa fa-comments"></i>
<span id="comment-count"></span>
</a>
<a id="comment-hide" class="link--teal hidden" href="" ga-on="click" ga-event-category="Comment" ga-event-action="comment-hide" ga-event-label="Hum - Bottom">
<i class="fa fa-comments-o"></i>
Hide all comments
</a>
</h3>
<div id="comment-content" class="comment--container hidden">
<div id="comment-policy" class="box_information">
<h5 class="smallcaps grid_separator--s">Comment Policy</h5>
<p class="subtext">The Texas Tribune is pleased to provide the opportunity for you to share your observations about this story. We encourage lively debate on the issues of the day, but we ask that you refrain from using profanity or other offensive speech, engaging in personal attacks or name-calling, posting advertising, or wandering away from the topic at hand. To comment, you must be a registered user of the Tribune, and your real name will be displayed. All comments are shown in Central Time. Thanks for taking time to offer your thoughts.</p>
</div>
<h4 id="comment-anonymous" class="comment--post grid_separator">
<strong>You must be logged in to leave a comment.</strong> | <a href="/accounts/login/?next=/2017/10/18/extreme-weather-events-texas-renew-push-underground-water-storage/" ga-on="click" ga-event-category="Comment" ga-event-action="login-intent" ga-event-label="Hum - Bottom">Login</a> | <a href="/accounts/register/" ga-on="click" ga-event-category="Comment" ga-event-action="signup-intent" ga-event-label="Hum - Bottom">Sign Up</a>
</h4>
<form id="comment-form" action="" method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data">
<h5 class="smallcaps">Your Comment</h5>
<textarea id="comment-entry" cols="40" name="comment" rows="10"></textarea>
<div class="comment--post">
<p id="comment-name-notification"></p>
<input id="comment-submit" class="button button--yellow" type="submit" value="Post Comment" ga-on="click" ga-event-category="Comment" ga-event-action="comment-submit" ga-event-label="Hum - Bottom">
</div>
</form>
<ul id="comment-list" class="story_comments--list"></ul>
<button id="comment-load-more" class="button button--yellow grid_separator hidden">Read More Comments</button>
</div>
</div>
<section class="grid_separator">
<div id="member-image-attach" class="loading--s" aria-hidden="true"></div>
</section>
<div class="print__hide">
<aside id="related-content" class="related__list grid_separator hidden">
<div id="related-content-attach" class="loading--s" aria-live="polite"></div>
</aside>
<aside id="most-read" class="related__list grid_separator">
<div id="most-read-attach" class="loading--s" aria-live="polite"></div>
</aside>
</div>
</main>
<aside class="col_adunit300x250 " role="complementary">
<div class="hide_until--l print__hide">
<div class="grid_separator">
<h3 class="font-serif grid_separator--s"><a class="button button--teal button--s" href="/content/republish/117652/" ga-on="click" ga-event-category="Republish" ga-event-action="republish-intent" ga-event-label="Hum - Siderail">Republish this story</a></h3>
<p class="subtext">Find out how you can <a class="republish" href="/content/republish/117652/" ga-on="click" ga-event-category="Republish" ga-event-action="republish-intent" ga-event-label="Hum - Siderail">put this story on your website</a>.</p>
</div>
<div class="site_ad--gray grid_separator">
<div class="site_ad--wrapper site_ad--promotion">
<h3 class="smallcaps--teal">Be a citizen,<br />not a spectator.</h3>
 <p class="grid_separator">Support independent, fact-based journalism. Donate to our 501(c)(3) <strong>nonprofit newsroom.</strong></p>
<h5 class="smallhead--light">Donate today by visiting:</h5>
<a class="site_ad--promotion_link" href="https://support.texastribune.org/?utm_campaign=trib-marketing&utm_source=site-visitors&utm_medium=website&utm_content=plain-text-ad"><strong>texastribune.org/donate</strong></a>
</div>
<div class="site_ad--wrapper">
<div class="adunit" id="default_300x250_2"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="site_ad--gray grid_separator">
<span class="site_ad--label">The Texas Tribune thanks its sponsors.</span>
<div class="site_ad--wrapper">
<div class="adunit" id="default_300x250_3"></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="grid_separator print__hide">
<script async src="https://modules.wearehearken.com/texas-tribune/embed/21.js"></script>
</div>
</aside>
</div>
</article>
<footer>
<div class="site_ad--wrapper site_ad--footer">
<div id="ad_footer"></div>
</div>
<div id="site_footer" class="site_footer">
<div class="grid_container grid_row">
<div class="col">
<figure class="site_footer--logo">
<img src="/static/images/TxTrib-bug-logo.d96b6a55ca6d.svg" alt="">
</figure>
<ul>
<div class="border--yellow_notch"></div>
<li>
<a href="https://support.texastribune.org/?campaignId=70146000000ppFH&utm_campaign=trib-marketing&utm_source=homepage-footer&utm_medium=website&utm_content=membership-promo " title="Donate" class="donate">Donate</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="mailto:inquiries@texastribune.org" title="Contact Us">Contact Us</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://mediakit.texastribune.org/" title="Advertise" class="advertise">Advertise</a>
</li>
<li><a href="/">&copy; 2018 The Texas Tribune</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div id="footer-sections" class="col hide_until--s">
<h5 class="site_footer--header">Topics</h5>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="/topics/congress/" data-section="congress">Congress</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="/topics/courts/" data-section="courts">Courts</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="/topics/criminal-justice/" data-section="criminal-justice">Criminal justice</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="/topics/demographics/" data-section="demographics">Demographics</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="/topics/economy/" data-section="economy">Economy</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="/topics/energy/" data-section="energy">Energy</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="/topics/environment/" data-section="environment">Environment</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="/topics/health-care/" data-section="health-care">Health care</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="/topics/higher-education/" data-section="higher-education">Higher education</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="/topics/immigration/" data-section="immigration">Immigration</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="/topics/politics/" data-section="politics">Politics</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="/topics/public-education/" data-section="public-education">Public education</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="/topics/state-government/" data-section="state-government">State government</a>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="col">
<h5 class="site_footer--header">Info</h5>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="/about/" title="About Us">About Us</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="/about/staff/">Our Staff</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="/support-us/donors-and-members/" title="Who Funds Us?">Who Funds Us?</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="/republishing-guidelines/" title="Republishing Guidelines">Republishing Guidelines</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="/about/ethics/" title="Code of Ethics">Code of Ethics</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="/about/terms-of-service/" title="Terms of Service">Terms of Service</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="/about/privacy-policy/" title="Privacy Policy">Privacy Policy</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="/about/tips/" title="Send a Tip">Send us a confidential tip</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="/corrections/" title="Corrections">Corrections</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="/about/feeds/" title="Feeds">Feeds</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="/about/subscribe/" title="Newsletters">Newsletters</a>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="col">
<h5 class="site_footer--header">Social Media</h5>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://facebook.com/texastribune" title="Facebook" class="external"><i class="fa fa-facebook"></i>Facebook</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://twitter.com/texastribune" title="Twitter" class="external"><i class="fa fa-twitter"></i>Twitter</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://youtube.com/user/thetexastribune" title="YouTube" class="external"><i class="fa fa-youtube"></i>YouTube</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://instagram.com/texas_tribune" title="Instagram" class="external"><i class="fa fa-instagram"></i>Instagram</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/texas-tribune" title="LinkedIn" class="external"><i class="fa fa-linkedin"></i>LinkedIn</a>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</footer>
<script>
  (function() {
    var footerLinks = document.querySelectorAll('#footer-sections a');

    for (var i = 0; i < footerLinks.length; i++) {
      var currLink = footerLinks[i];

      (function() {
        currLink.addEventListener('click',
          function(e) {
            var section = this.getAttribute('data-section');
            ga('send', 'event', 'footer-section-link', 'click', section, { 'nonInteraction': 1 });
          }
        );
      })();
    }
  })();
</script>
<script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.3.1.min.js" integrity="sha256-FgpCb/KJQlLNfOu91ta32o/NMZxltwRo8QtmkMRdAu8=" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>
<script>
          window.lazySizesConfig = {
            lazyClass: 'js-lazy-image',
            loadingClass: 'js-lazy-image--loading',
            loadedClass: 'js-lazy-image--loaded'
          };
        </script>
<script src="/static/js/build/manifestBundle.05a638c8b6ce8785a4ef.js"></script>
<script src="/static/js/build/vendorBundle.5f55487eec08728e602e.js"></script>
<script src="/static/js/build/commonBundle.aea55b450235e9068b52.js"></script>
<script src="/static/js/build/storyBundle.a799719bf8724aa7510e.js"></script>

<div id="parsely-root" style="display: none">
<div id="parsely-cfg" data-parsely-site="texastribune.org"></div>
</div>
<script>
    (function(s, p, d) {
      var h=d.location.protocol, i=p+"-"+s,
        e=d.getElementById(i), r=d.getElementById(p+"-root"),
        u=h==="https:"?"d1z2jf7jlzjs58.cloudfront.net"
        :"static."+p+".com";
      if (e) return;
      e = d.createElement(s); e.id = i; e.async = true;
      e.src = h+"//"+u+"/p.js"; r.appendChild(e);
    })("script", "parsely", document);
  </script>


<script>
!function(e,t,n,s,u,a){e.twq||(s=e.twq=function(){s.exe?s.exe.apply(s,arguments):s.queue.push(arguments);
},s.version='1.1',s.queue=[],u=t.createElement(n),u.async=!0,u.src='//static.ads-twitter.com/uwt.js',
a=t.getElementsByTagName(n)[0],a.parentNode.insertBefore(u,a))}(window,document,'script');
// Insert Twitter Pixel ID and Standard Event data below
twq('init','nxdko');
twq('track','PageView');
</script>

<a href="/test/hotbots/" rel="nofollow"> </a>
<script type="text/javascript">
  var InterstitialHandler = function(settings) {
    var config = {
      overlay: {
        className: 'interstitial_overlay'
      },

      ad: {
        className: 'interstitial_overlay--ad'
      },

      closeButton: {
        className: 'interstitial_overlay--closeButton',
        html: '&times;'
      },

      link: {
        attrs: {
          target: '_blank',
          href: settings.clickTo,
          rel: 'notarget'
        }
      },

      img: {
        attrs: {
          src: settings.imgSrc
        }
      }
    };

    var $overlay = _createElementWithClass('<div/>', config.overlay.className),
      $ad = _createElementWithClass('<div/>', config.ad.className),
      $link = _createElementWithClass('<a/>', false),
      $img = _createElementWithClass('<img/>', false),
      $closeButton = _createElementWithClass('<button/>', config.closeButton.className);

    function _createElementWithClass(tag, className) {
      if (className) {
        return $(tag).addClass(className);
      } else {
        return $(tag);
      }
    }

    var _setElAttributes = function($el, attrs) {
      for (var key in attrs) {
        $el.attr(key, attrs[key]);
      }
    };

    var _setElHTML = function($el, html) {
      $el.html(html);
    };

    var _bindEvents = function() {
      $closeButton.click(function(){
        _hideOverlay();
      });

      $overlay.click(function(e){
        if ($(e.target).is($(this))) {
          _hideOverlay();
        }
      });
    };

    var _hideOverlay = function() {
      $overlay.remove();
    };

    var _showOverlay = function() {
      $(settings.attachElSelector).replaceWith($overlay);
    };

    var init = function() {
      _setElAttributes($img, config.img.attrs);
      _setElAttributes($link, config.link.attrs);
      _setElHTML($closeButton, config.closeButton.html);

      $link.append($img);
      $ad.append($link);
      $ad.append($closeButton);
      $overlay.append($ad);

      setTimeout(function(){
        _showOverlay();
        _bindEvents();

        setTimeout(function() {
          _hideOverlay();
        }, settings.hideTime * 1000);
      }, 1000);
    };

    return {
      init: init
    };
  };
</script>
<script>
        (function() {
          var gutenTags = [];

          
            gutenTags.push('subject-environment');
          
            gutenTags.push('subject-water-supply');
          
            gutenTags.push('subject-hurricane-harvey');
          
            gutenTags.push('subject-groundwater');
          

          jsBundle.createGlobal();
          jsBundle.setGlobal({
            meta: {
              gutenTags: gutenTags
            }
          });
        })();
      </script>
<script>
  (function() {
    var gutenTagsToEmbed = [],
        readMoreLinks = [],
        series = { hasSeries: false, slug: '' },
        contentType,
        appLabel,
        model;

    
      
        gutenTagsToEmbed.push('subject-environment');
      
    
      
        gutenTagsToEmbed.push('subject-water-supply');
      
    
      
        gutenTagsToEmbed.push('subject-hurricane-harvey');
      
    
      
    

    
      readMoreLinks.push('84090')
    
      readMoreLinks.push('104098')
    
      readMoreLinks.push('117557')
    

    
      appLabel = 'stories';
      model = 'story';
      contentType = 'story';
    

    
      series.hasSeries = true;
      series.slug = 'in-harveys-wake';
    

    jsBundle.setGlobal({
      meta: {
        isDjangoCms: false,
        contentType: contentType,
        objId: '117652'
      },

      story: {
        related: {
          gutenTagsToEmbed: gutenTagsToEmbed,
          readMoreLinks: readMoreLinks
        },

        staffActions: {
          appLabel: appLabel,
          model: model
        },

        series: series
      }
    });
  })();
</script>
<script>
        jsBundle.initialize();
      </script>
<script>
        jsBundle.defineUnit({
          id: 'ad_roofline',
          type: 'roofline'
        });

        jsBundle.defineUnit({
          id: 'ad_interstitial',
          type: 'interstitial'
        });

        jsBundle.defineUnit({
          id: 'ad_footer',
          type: 'footer'
        });
      </script>
<script>
    jsBundle.defineUnit({
      id: 'default_300x250_1',
      type: 'default300x250'
    });

    jsBundle.defineUnit({
      id: 'default_300x250_2',
      type: 'default300x250'
    });

    jsBundle.defineUnit({
      id: 'default_300x250_3',
      type: 'default300x250'
    });

    jsBundle.defineUnit({
      id: 'premium_468x60_1',
      type: 'premium468x60'
    });

    jsBundle.defineUnit({
      id: 'premium_468x60_2',
      type: 'premium468x60'
    });

    jsBundle.defineUnit({
      id: 'premium_468x60_3',
      type: 'premium468x60'
    });
  </script>
<script>
        jsBundle.buildUnits();
      </script>
</body>
</html>
