Second-fastest growing city in US where it's too hot to even go outside faces water shortages

A Texas city is America's second-fastest growing urban area - despite being too hot to go outside during summer and facing water shortages.  

During the pandemic, homebuyers flocked to Kyle, Texas where an aquifer, an underground water source, is currently shrinking, leaving more than 67,000 residents struggling for water. 

Before summer even began, temperatures reached almost 100 degrees in the city - which sits 20 minutes outside of Austin - as nearby creeks and watering holes have dried up due to the city's extensive drought.  

Hays County, where the popular city is located, will most likely experience extreme droughts at least one-quarter every year by 2040, according to ICE Sustainable Finance. 

The situation has become so dire, that last summer residents were banned from washing their cars at home and using local water for construction projects, while municipalities had to limit sprinkler and hose usage. 

In Kyle, Texas - about 20 minutes outside of Austin - the aquifer, a underground water source, is currently shrinking, leaving more than 67,000 people struggling for water

City officials are currently working on a new pipeline (pictured) that is set to be completed by February 2025 

Many, if not all residents rely on hoses to dampen the foundations of their homes to avoid cracks and settling from the heat. 

Stephanie McDonald, 62, who bought a home in Kyle in 2015, told The Wall Street Journal she often worries about its foundation as water has become scarce. 

During a city council meeting in the spring, McDonald argued that there wasn't enough water for all of the new homes authorities continues to build in Kyle. 

Last year, homes and businesses in Kyle needed 4,382 more gallons of water per minute at peak consumption times, compared to just 571 gallons in 2021, a city engineering report found. 

While water sources in the city have been at an all-time low, utility bills have burdened the city and residents. 

From 2021 to 2022, the minimum household water bill in Kyle grew to an average of 6.8 percent a year, according to city budget reports. 

While water sources in the city have been at an all time low, utility bills have burdened the city and residents.

'Right now, we're trying to expand our water portfolio because of the rapid growth of our city, Mayor Travis Mitchell (pictured) said 

In April, the city purchased water rights from nearby San Marcos, drawing water from the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer. 

Mayor Travis Mitchell has continuously addressed the water issue in Kyle and said the restrictions have already helped the city save. 

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'Right now, we're trying to expand our water portfolio because of the rapid growth of our city,' Mitchell told KXAN.    

Other than rapid growth and lack of water, the city has been hit with dangerously high heat that has led residents to only go outside early or late in the day. 

Mixed with the high temperatures, Kyle is also plagued with extreme humidity that makes it hard for the body to cool itself. 

Last year, the heat in Austin reached a scorching 118 degrees, and this year it only went down to 115 degrees. 

In May of this year, emergency personnel responded to 125 heat-related calls - more than double when compared to the previous year. 

'I had people working in factories or at an Amazon warehouse taking precautions and going to work with a big jug of water and they still ended up in renal failure,' John Tuners, medical director of four emergency and urgent-care facilities in the area, recalled. 

The new pipeline should not only provide water for Kyle, but also for San Marcos and Buda for at least 50 years

Mike Murphy (pictured), Kyle’s director of water utilities, estimated that by 2027 the $250million pipeline will provide the city with 2million gallons of water

Many people suffered renal failure from extreme dehydration, while others were hit with rhabdomyolysis, a near fatal condition that causes muscle tissue to disintegrate. 

A new pipeline is currently being built in the city and is set to be done around February 2025. 

'Our current supply of water is around 5.7 million gallons a day. [The pipeline] is going to add an additional 1.7 million to that,' Mike Murphy, Kyle’s director of water utilities told the outlet. 

Bob Gregory (pictured) has already started desalinating, or removing salts and minerals, from brackish water to eventually sell next year.

Murphy estimated that by 2027 the $250million pipeline will provide the city with 2million gallons of water. 

The new pipeline should not only provide water for Kyle, but also for San Marcos and Buda for at least 50 years.  

Robert Mace, an executive director at the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University, thinks it will run out of water much sooner. 

Mace has predicted that the pipeline will likely run out of water after 10 to 20 years, as other  San Antonio and Austin suburbs are set to tap into the supply. 

The city is also looking into recycling wastewater for both commercial and agricultural use, while also requiring new homes to install landscaping that need very little water, according to Mitchell. 

'We don’t get to choose between moderate or slow growth,' Mitchell told The Wall Street Journal. 

Under Texas law, municipalities are restricted when it comes to curbing construction, Mitchell said. 

The mayor added that because of this, the city attracts developers before negotiating with them about sustainability in Kyle. 

Under Texas law, municipalities are restricted when it comes to curbing construction, Mitchell said. He added that because of this, the city attracts developers before negotiating with them about sustainability in Kyle. (pictured: New homes being built in Kyle)

Some residents have taken matters into their own hands. Bob Gregory has already started desalinating, or removing salts and minerals, from brackish water to eventually sell next year. 

'It’s a matter of time before the price of water will go up to offset the price I pay for desalination,' Gregory, the owner of Texas Disposal Systems, said. 

A new 308,000 square-foot Amazon sorting center recently opened up in Kyle, along with a nearby Tesla mega factory. 

An Amazon spokesperson said the new facility has an average internal temperature of 74 degrees and that no employees suffered any heat-related illnesses from 2023-2024. 

A Sprouts Farmers Market and a slew of dollar stores are set to open in Kyle, while XCharge Technologies, an electric vehicle charging company, recently opened a flagship workshop there. 

While the city's revenue has quadrupled to $65million from the more residents and businesses, some people have been left frustrated over the large population. 

Local construction crews working to build new homes have been severely impacted by the treacherous heat. 

'I’ve seen people completely black out. I’ve blacked out myself,' Alex Stockton, who oversees construction crews in Kyle, said. 

His crew is allotted one 30 minute break during their shifts, but Stockton makes sure to keep a close eye on his workers and allows them to sit down if they need to. 

'A lot of companies don’t like that style.

'They come by and say, "Why’s he sitting there?" I’m like, "I don’t know, so he doesn’t die?",' Stockton said. 

Bill Curran, who moved into a newly built home in Kyle in 2022, has fled to Austin after experiencing the heat and overflow of people in the city. 

Curran said that his 45 minute work commute grew to an hour and that he could only workout early in the morning for obvious safety reasons.