Listen
Water use for Tesla’s Giga Texas out far beyond East Austin jumped more than 200 million gallons in two years. That’s raising concerns about whether Austin can fulfill its long-term water conservation strategy as plans for a new semiconductor plant could push demand even higher. Sam Stark, Austin Current’s government reporter joins us to talk about this.
A state district judge has ordered Camp Mystic not to alter, demolish, repair or remove structures affected by floodwaters that killed 27 people at the girls’ camp last summer.
This week in Texas music history: Mattie’s Ballroom opens amid East Texas Oil Boom.
Austin Signal is made possible by listeners like you. You can support our work by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org
The full transcript of this episode of Austin Signal is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.
Jerry Quijano [00:00:08] Water use for Tesla’s GigaTexas in far, far east Austin jumped more than 200 million gallons in two years. That’s raising concerns about whether Austin can fulfill its long-term water conservation goals as plans for a new semiconductor plant could push demand even higher. And a state district judge has ordered Camp Mystic not to alter, demolish, repair or remove structures affected by floodwaters. 27 people died at the girls’ camp during last summer’s deadly flood in the Texas Hill Country. The latest updates coming up on today’s show.
KUT Announcer: Laurie Gallardo [00:00:38] The Austin Signal is a production of KUT News, hosted by Jerry Quijano.
Jerry Quijano [00:00:43] Plus, Fusebox Festival continues through the weekend, and the Austin Symphony is doing something new, teaming up with an indie rock band. We’re gonna hear a little preview of that performance. Those stories coming up next, right here on Austin Signal. Howdy out there, this is Austin Signal. It is Thursday, April 16th. I’m your host, Jerry Keconnell. Thank you for making us part of your afternoon. We hope you’re having a nice one out there. Glad you’re here. With community powered public radio, this KUT News. A Travis County judge ruled Thursday that Camp Mystic cannot use the cabins or structures damaged by the 2025 floods in order to preserve evidence in the ongoing civil suits for the parents of victims. For more about that, we are speaking with KUT’s Kaylee Hunt, who has been at the courthouse all week long, watching this hearing unfold. Kaylee, thanks for joining us here on the show.
Kailey Hunt [00:01:44] Hey Jerry, thanks for having me.
Jerry Quijano [00:01:46] So the hearing started Monday. What was the atmosphere like in the courtroom? Can you describe it for us a little bit because there wasn’t much recording allowed, right?
Kailey Hunt [00:01:54] Yeah, that’s right. So this actually, there were so many people that wanted to attend this hearing and all the testimony that happened that they had to move it to a larger courtroom. So we were in the ceremonial Travis County courtroom. And yeah, it was very crowded. On one side, you know, you had a lot of supporters and members of the Eastland family, the owners of Camp Mystic. And then on the other side, You had the parents, family members of… Seal Stewart, the eight-year-old girl at the center of this hearing and case that was one of the victims of the flooding last summer. And you had several members of other families as well whose daughters were victims of the flood.
Jerry Quijano [00:02:38] One of the significant things about this hearing was the amount of details that a lot of people got to hear for the first time about that night from folks who were actually there. What were some of the details that stood out to you?
Kailey Hunt [00:02:51] Yeah, so we heard lots of testimony from the camp’s directors, as well as a night watchman who was awake and, you know, on the grounds at the time of the flooding. And I do want to point out to one piece of testimony that occurred. It was particularly moving and very emotional when it happened. And it came in an exchange between the Howard’s attorney, Christina Yarnell. And Mary Liz Eastland, who was the camp’s chief health officer.
Christina Yarnell [00:03:25] You knew the property, you knew the flood lines, you know, you knew access points, your children knew them. And these were first year campers. You had 34 more years of experience been sealed. She needed your help and you abandoned her didn’t you?
Jerry Quijano [00:03:50] So we know that the Stewart family was asking to preserve the evidence of these structures that were damaged by the floods. What was Camp Mystic’s arguments against that?
Kailey Hunt [00:03:59] Yeah, they want to preserve that evidence as they move forward with this civil case accusing negligence. But yeah, Camp Mystic argued that it was essentially that the stewards and their attorneys as well as other families have had ample time at this point to go ahead and go out to the property and collect that evidence. They say they’ve done been nothing but cooperative with law enforcement and with attorneys from these girls and their families who are suing. So that was their argument. They also said that, you know, there were some folks that were displaced ultimately by this order and that they want to renovate and get ready for camp in the summer.
Jerry Quijano [00:04:39] And uh… This this hearing was going on for the first three days of this week uh… What did the judge ultimately decide?
Kailey Hunt [00:04:46] Yeah, so the state district judge here in Austin, she ultimately cited with the Stewart’s family and their attorneys. She chose to uphold an order that essentially does not allow Camp Mystic to use those structures and cabins and grounds that were affected by the floods. If they were to reopen it this summer, they cannot be altered. Damaged, remodeled, removed in any way, those need to be preserved as of right now for evidence.
Jerry Quijano [00:05:18] So a lot of interest in this story, as you mentioned, at this courthouse hearing in particular. What happens moving forward from here? Can Camp Mystic still appeal this most recent ruling?
Kailey Hunt [00:05:30] Yeah. And in fact, they actually have a pending appeal in the Third Court of Appeals Court here in Austin. And that actually stems from that initial order that came from the state district judge telling them to preserve those cabins as evidence. So yeah, that appeal is still in process and there are some deadlines that are coming up next week. So we should expect
Jerry Quijano [00:05:53] Alrighty, well that is KUT’s Kaylee Hunt. She has been covering that Camp Mystic hearing happening this week in Austin. Kaylee, thanks for coming on the show.
Kailey Hunt [00:06:01] Thanks, Jerry.
Jerry Quijano [00:06:12] The City of Austin’s long-term water conservation goals are in question as water usage at Tesla’s Giga Texas increased more than 60% in the past two years. The plant’s treated water usage came in at more than 200 million gallons. That’s from 2023 to 2025. And with plans advancing on a new semiconductor factory in Eastern Travis County, that number is expected to increase. That reporting comes from Sam Stark, Austin Current’s government reporter. He is joining us now on the show. Hi Sam, thanks for coming back. Thanks for having me. So can you tell us about Austin’s initial water conservation goals? These were voted on by the city a couple years ago, I suppose.
Sam Stark [00:06:48] Yeah, so in 2018, the city pushed forward with its Water Forward Plan, which is essentially this working group that works to look at Austin’s water supply for the next 100 years. And they actually update the water plan every five years, taking into account larger consumers of water as more technology and companies move into Austin.
Jerry Quijano [00:07:10] OK, so these plans look like now that they could possibly be upended by two separate Elon Musk facilities here in Travis County. Can you tell us more about those facilities?
Sam Stark [00:07:21] Yeah, so when they initially went on, it wasn’t that big of an issue. So when the Gigafactory was built in 2020, later opening in 2022, they applied for a service extension request with Austin Water, which ultimately was granted. What has people on this or a couple of the environmentalists on the board who I spoke to concerned is just how much the water use has increased in just two years. So, the Tesla Gigafactory was number five. In 2023. It went up to the third highest user of treated water in Austin. So one person I spoke to was just like, we can’t really take someone who’s rapidly growing this much. But the bigger concern comes with what might come in the future. So in March, Elon Musk announced this new semiconductor factory called Terafab. Which would just make chips for all of his expanding, you know, technology portfolio. But these plants require a great deal of water. I talked to one professor who said, a typical North American one requires 1 million to 2 million gallons of water a day. But Musk called this one the most epic chip factory in history. And so an environmentalist I spoke to was worried that that might require 10 to 15 million gallons water idea.
Jerry Quijano [00:08:48] An epic amount of water for an epic project. That’s right.
Sam Stark [00:08:50] That’s right. What have you heard from the city about this? So I spoke to one council member, council member Ryan Alter, and you know, they talked about this tension that exists in central Texas of wanting, you know economic growth, wanting these big opportunities to further solidify Austin’s reputation as a technology hub. But they also acknowledge the fact that water is a top concern in our city. So I think that they are you know, not ruling this out. I think that they might be a little bit excited about it, but they want to work with this company to see, you know how they can conserve water, how maybe they could offer some incentives like improving water infrastructure, things like that.
Jerry Quijano [00:09:34] Yeah, water is always a big concern here in Travis County, really for all our counties in central Texas. With that in mind, has Tesla had anything to say about their water usage, their increasing?
Sam Stark [00:09:44] Water usage? No, I mean, Tesla is has a reputation of not, you know, always responding to the media. I did reach out asking about their conservation practices, why they think that this increase happened. I did not get a response back. But I do know that, you know, these companies, they they require a lot of water, there’s a lot of washing, they have to ensure all these parts are clean, because any sort of impurity can cause a defect in the technology.
Jerry Quijano [00:10:08] What are you watching for next in this story? What are continuing to report on?
Sam Stark [00:10:11] You know, just the plans for this semiconductor factory have not been finalized yet. I think we should see some documents going through either the Travis County Commissioner’s Court or the Austin City Council pretty soon here. And so once those are filed, we’ll have a better sense of how much water this factory will need and how big it might be.
Jerry Quijano [00:10:32] All right, we have been speaking with Sam Stark. He’s the government reporter at Austin Current. They are KUT and Austin Signal’s partner in covering the city of Austin. Sam, always great to talk with you. Yeah, thanks so much. And we have done a little bit of reporting here on Austin Signal about that terafab factory. We spoke with Shelly Brisman of the Texas Standard. You can find that episode at kut.org slash signal. And as always, you can find more from the reporting that we share with you in the episodes. In the podcast show notes. Coming up after the break, we got a lot of arts to share with you, a little bit of Texas music history, but we let you know earlier in the week about Fusebox Festival. We had a conversation with the co-director of the festival. Coming up, we’re going to share an audio preview of one of the performances happening with Dirty Projectors and the Austin Symphony. That is coming up right after this break. It’s right here on community-powered public radio KUT News. You’re listening to Austin Signal. This is Austin Signal, welcome back, thank you for making us part of your day. Now we’ve got some Texas music history to listen back on this week, and as always we’re led by Jason Mellard from the Center for Texas Music History at Texas State University. Today we have got the story of a music venue that boomed with the region and the Texans around it.
Jason Mellard [00:12:29] This week in Texas music history, Maddie Castleberry opens a thriving dance hall drilling into the East Texas oil boom. With the discovery of the East Texas Oil Field in 1930, the region saw a population surge almost overnight. Local Maddie Castelberry recognized a business opportunity and opened Maddie’s Ballroom on April 19th, 1931, strategically positioned on a highway between Longview and Kilgore. The original building was a modest wood structure among pine trees, offering entertainment to oil barons, derrick hands, and local youth. On a typical night, one might see anything from German polka to big band swing to square dancing at Maddie’s. Simultaneously, Maddie found herself involved in another legendary Texas dance hall, the Paul Mile, which opened its doors outside Longview in 1935. Initially a business venture for three entrepreneurs hoping to capitalize on the region’s recent population spike, the club boasted a 1,600 square foot hardwood floor, one of the state’s biggest. The Paul Mile’s owner leased the club to Maddie in 1942 after he was drafted in World War II. She briefly operated both venues but made the difficult decision to close Maddie’s Ballroom in 1943 and focus on the bustling Palm Isle. Bands that frequented the Palm Isles in that period included Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, and Bob Wills. Maddie sold the Palm Isle in 1948. In 1951, new owners rechristened the venue as the Rio Palm Isles, still there, and turned to country acts like Ray Price, Jim Reeves, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, and even Elvis Presley. Maddie Castleberry’s chapter in the venue may have closed, but her example of women’s The newer ship in East Texas remains a source of local legend. You can hear music from the Lone Star State 24-7 on the Texas Music Experience at TMX.fm.
Jerry Quijano [00:14:50] The Austin Symphony Orchestra will perform tonight with the indie rock band Dirty Projectors out at the Long Center. It’s just one of many performances featured as part of this weekend’s Fusebox Festival. As Maya Fawaz reports for KUT’s Artbeat, the performance helps show how classical music can adapt.
Maya Fawaz [00:15:09] It’s been 54 days since these words were spoken here in Austin.
Timothee Chalamet [00:15:15] And I don’t wanna be working in ballet or opera or things where it’s like, hey, keep this thing alive even though no one cares about this anymore.
Maya Fawaz [00:15:22] That’s award-winning actor, Timothy Chalamet. There’s been a lot of backlash. And unfortunately, the conversation has grouped in all of the performing arts as dying, including symphonies.
Justice Zimmerman [00:15:40] We are often playing music that is 400 years old.
Maya Fawaz [00:15:45] That’s Justice Zimmerman. He’s the CEO of the Austin Symphony Orchestra.
Justice Zimmerman [00:15:49] As an orchestra, we have to be careful not to get sucked into the sands of history and make sure that we’re moving forward and creating a living, breathing art form.
Maya Fawaz [00:15:59] He says, what Chalamet brought up is kind of true. There is a feeling of adapt or die for the arts, but not necessarily for the Austin Symphony. They’ve been adapting and pushing the envelope, and part of that is this upcoming performance with the band Dirty Projectors.
Justice Zimmerman [00:16:21] Indie rock, new music, new classical music.
Maya Fawaz [00:16:29] He says the Austin Symphony has never done anything like this before. And the newness doesn’t stop there. Dirty Projectors are also switching things up. Here’s a song from their album, Bida Orca. It was released in 2009. [“Bida Orka”] And here’s a from their latest album, Song of the Earth.
Kailey Hunt [00:17:04] Summer
Maya Fawaz [00:17:08] and they’ll be playing songs from this album with the symphony live on stage tonight.
Christina Yarnell [00:17:20] Chant-a-ta-ta, chant-a ta-ta ta, so
Timothee Chalamet [00:17:24] I’m going to be at a drum set, but I’m also going to have a giant bass drum next to me and wood chimes and stuff like that.
Maya Fawaz [00:17:31] That’s Ian Frye. He’s a percussionist with the Austin Symphony. And he says the percussion part will be pretty difficult.
Timothee Chalamet [00:17:39] There’s a couple of sections where you have to go like digga digga, digga-digga, and then hit two hands at the same time. That’s the most technical point right there.
Maya Fawaz [00:17:49] Normally in an orchestra the percussion is all the way in the back because it’s bulky and it’s loud But for this show with dirty projectors, it’s gonna be front and center They want you to see how intricate all the parts are
Justice Zimmerman [00:18:03] When you think of a big orchestra, you think of dozens and dozens of string players.
Maya Fawaz [00:18:08] And if you’re one in a dozen or so violinists, you’re all working together to create a single sound. But for this album, Song of the Earth, there will be way fewer instruments.
Justice Zimmerman [00:18:21] So each musician up there is going to be really carrying their own sound all by themselves. So, it’s going to really be dramatic, I think.
Maya Fawaz [00:18:33] The preparation for this show has been scattered, in different rooms, different cities. This is from a rehearsal with percussionists in LA last week.
David Longstrith [00:18:52] Oh, it’s sounding beautiful.
Maya Fawaz [00:18:54] And that’s David Longstrith. He founded Dirty Projectors in 2002, and he composed the album, Song of the Earth.
David Longstrith [00:19:01] Which is the piece we’re gonna be performing in Austin.
Maya Fawaz [00:19:05] He says the inspiration for the album came during the COVID lockdown.
David Longstrith [00:19:09] The original germ of a lot of this music came from that strange, suspended place.
Maya Fawaz [00:19:18] You probably remember. When the weeks slipped into each other, our memories grew hazy. We lost track of the days, of ourselves.
David Longstrith [00:19:28] A lot of us felt sort of floating or like estranged from what had been our prior routines and selves.
Maya Fawaz [00:19:41] On top of that, 2020 brought record-setting wildfires to the state of California.
David Longstrith [00:19:46] At one point when my wife was pregnant, the smoke in our neighborhood was like very inescapable. It was an experience that really, really made a big impression on both of us.
Maya Fawaz [00:20:02] And Longstrith wanted to distill all those feelings, that relationship with nature and with things out of our control into music.
David Longstrith [00:20:11] We’re at the mercy of Earth. We have this fantasy of having created a civilization on top of it, but perhaps that is all a little bit more tenuous and fragile than we might have imagined.
Maya Fawaz [00:20:27] So the album has moments of wonder and mystery.
David Longstrith [00:20:32] There’s a sense of rest and relief and solace that you can experience in the natural world.
Maya Fawaz [00:20:42] And there’s also anger, lots of anger.
David Longstrith [00:20:45] Foreboding, danger.
Maya Fawaz [00:20:48] Concern.
David Longstrith [00:20:50] Exciting?
Maya Fawaz [00:20:56] He says there’s so much beauty you can experience through sound, that it has the power to connect people in a physical space and emotionally, despite it being completely invisible.
David Longstrith [00:21:09] Art is art is pointless you know um we have to choose it And I’m so, yeah, excited that Austin is choosing this.
Maya Fawaz [00:21:39] Each instrument will get tuned. It will find the right notes. There will be all these moving pieces going in their own direction, unnecessary chaos, before the individuals become a collective, breathing the same tempo. The symphony is not dying, it’s evolving, and very much alive. For KT’s Art Beat, I’m Maia Fawaz in Austin.
Jerry Quijano [00:22:20] That is it for today’s show. Thank you, as always, for tuning in. We’re going to have links to the stories we shared in today’s episode in the podcast show notes. And there’s always more from us, like an interview with the co-director of Fusebox Festival. You can find that at kut.org slash signal. Rayna Sevilla is our technical director. Welcome back, Ray. Kristen Cabrera is our managing producer. And I’m your host, Jerry Quijano. Thank you for choosing to spend part of your day here with us. We’ll be back at the same time tomorrow and we’ll talk to you then.
This transcript was transcribed by AI, and lightly edited by a human. Accuracy may vary. This text may be revised in the future.
