Images of Lake EV Spence (once a reservoir) in Robert Lee and Spicewood “Beach,” TX. The NewsHour team is there now reporting on the worst drought in the state’s history.

Some notable observations: 

• Locals say that kids used to jump off cliffs into the reservoir at Lake EV Spence. Now you can wade in most places. 
• The reservoir once carried 517,000 acre/feet of water. Now it carries less than 1,000 acre/feet (approximately 325,000 gallons).
• The town of Spicewood Beach, TX gets its water sent to them four times a day, 7,000 gallons at a time. 
• The million dollar trencher you see above can cut up to 20 feet per minute and costs $45,000 a month to rent. It’s being used to build a 12 mile pipeline between Robert Lee and Bronte. 

Stay tuned for the full report. In the meantime, here’s more on how extreme conditions are taking a toll of livestock and crops. Also, check out Hari Sreenivasan’s Facebook for more behind-the-scenes dispatches.

-KC