Texas

Texas A&M Forest Service awarded 260 rural volunteer fire departments with more than $15.7 million in assistance grants last week through the Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Grant Program. “Our agency is very thankful to state leadership for allowing us the opportunity to assist volunteer fire departments in Texas,” said Jason Keiningham, Texas A&M Forest Service Capacity Building Department Head. “Without question, volunteer fire departments in Texas are among the best in the nation, and they make a huge difference in the lives of people on their worst days.” The funds from these grants will reimburse rural volunteer fire departments for equipment purchased such as fire trucks, training aids, slip-ons and chassis and various fire and rescue equipment. This includes the purchase of 70 fire trucks. “We have a shared mission to protect life and property, and therefore, it is our wish for our first responde...

A $73 million project is underway to create a more sustainable water system for part of northern El Paso County.  The Northern Water Delivery System will allow the Triview Metropolitan District in Monument to use renewable water rights to help replace its diminishing groundwater resources, according to District Manager Jim McGrady. “This project is something that brings renewable water into northern El Paso County in an area that is not blessed with a lot of Denver Basin groundwater,” he said. “The production levels in the Denver Basin Wells even today are not that great and it’s not going to get better. It’s only going to get worse. This project is something that will help mitigate the decline in production in those (wells).” Construction was recently completed on the system’s pipeline. Building a pump station is the next part of the project, which is planned for this winter. McGrady expects the system t...