TheaterFire

In Border Towns, a ‘Dangerous Combination’ of Heat and Water Cutoffs

Posted by JohnnyMnemo@reddit | collapse | View on Reddit | 19 comments

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19 Comments

JohnnyMnemo@reddit (OP)

SS: Communities in Texas are running out of water, even at the tap. Water being a fundamental part of society, not having access to drinking water is the very definition of societal collapse, albeit in a localized fashion in this case.
View on Reddit #6411450

thisismyMHusername@reddit

I’m from here and have to say this is incorrect. The colonias are essentially shacks that house mostly illegal immigrants. They are not any large part of Texas’s water infrastructure. These people are impoverished and do not feel they have recourse to demand basic necessities. This isn’t really anything new? The living conditions in these neighborhoods are absolutely abysmal. If you drove by such places you would think you were in the most poor parts of Mexico. Some can look like decent trailer parks, but many are outright shacks made out of plywood and tin roofs.
View on Reddit #6416621

JohnnyMnemo@reddit (OP)

So essentially a hooverville? How did they connect to services in the first place?
View on Reddit #6447091

thisismyMHusername@reddit

Many never did connect to water. I dated someone who lived in such a place but had a much nicer home than the usual. His dad built the home by hand, didn’t seem to be any regulations. There’s often someone who owns the land/homes and people can essentially rent to own. I’ve heard the owners make a lot of money and can be corrupt. My impression is all of it is outside the bounds of regulation. Majority of these homes are not up to code and have never been inspected. I’m not sure how water was every hooked up. There is a bit of a Wild West feel in the sense that these are outside of the bounds of society both in protection and in regulation. The Rio Grande valley is pretty large, but it’s surrounded by plains and agriculture and fields of absolutely nothing. If you drive about an hour north west you will see this places dotting the sides of the road. Like I said, some are decent looking. Some are literal shacks like you would see in the most poor parts of Mexico. South Texas is very interesting culturally. It’s escaped a lot of the type of globalization that makes many places sterile and standard. This is both good and bad as this story shows. You can read more here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonia_(United_States)
View on Reddit #6448034

interitus_nox@reddit

the water wars have begun i see. tank girl is set in 2033 btw
View on Reddit #6412390

ms_dizzy@reddit

Spot on
View on Reddit #6415589

Velocipedique@reddit

Moved out of Austin area more than a decade ago, because; their only water supply is a reservoir (lake Travis) currently at 42% level and steadily dropping due to drought and low inflow as population and water-intensive industries soar and flourish.
View on Reddit #6412098

jakem016@reddit

Yeah I was at the lake a couple months ago and it was dire
View on Reddit #6436014

Agreeable-Rooster-37@reddit

https://travis.uslakes.info/level.asp Oof
View on Reddit #6439795

dumnezero@reddit

>On the day this week when she noticed her pipes struggling to produce water, Ms. Quilatan headed to her parents’ house, which was less than two miles away and had running water. She pulled the containers out of her trunk and filled them with water from a garden hose. She said she would use the water to bathe her children before they tried to sleep that night. Is this what they mean by the Age of Aquarius? The water jug carrier age?
View on Reddit #6421879

mentholmoose77@reddit

Do not, my friends, become addicted to water. It will take hold of you, and you will resent its absence!
View on Reddit #6417893

thisismyMHusername@reddit

Reposting my reply here as I feel the headline is misleading. I am from this area and we very much still have running water. There are certainly arguments that the colonias are a human rights issue, and it will certainly be made worse by climate change, but the issue itself isn’t Texas infrastructure. I’m from here and have to say this is incorrect. The colonias are essentially shacks that house mostly illegal immigrants. They are not contacted in any large part of Texas’s water infrastructure. These people are impoverished and do not feel they have recourse to demand basic necessities. This isn’t really anything new? The living conditions in these neighborhoods are absolutely abysmal. If you drove by such places you would think you were in the most poor parts of Mexico. Some can look like decent trailer parks, but many are outright shacks made out of plywood and tin roofs.
View on Reddit #6416713

AmIAllowedBack@reddit

How American centric do you have be to write a headline about border towns without realising the heatwave doesn't need a passport to get into Mexico.
View on Reddit #6416440

ConfusedSpiders@reddit

Just build a big wine press, and use it to press the sweet sweet water content out of other humans. Lazy Texans, create the market solution, don't beg the government for help!
View on Reddit #6412771

TravelinDan88@reddit

That's Dune. You're describing Fremen.
View on Reddit #6414293

Noisy_Toy@reddit

Also Tank Girl.
View on Reddit #6414908

chimeraoncamera@reddit

Tank girl had a nice device for this
View on Reddit #6414607

Phallus_Maximus702@reddit

Now this is the sort of innovation we need to see more of. Concrete and creative solutions. Love it.
View on Reddit #6414308

StatementBot@reddit

The following submission statement was provided by /u/JohnnyMnemo: --- SS: Communities in Texas are running out of water, even at the tap. Water being a fundamental part of society, not having access to drinking water is the very definition of societal collapse, albeit in a localized fashion in this case. --- Please reply to OP's comment here: https://old.reddit.com/r/collapse/comments/15d9h41/in_border_towns_a_dangerous_combination_of_heat/ju0u24y/
View on Reddit #6412847