It’s hard to imagine here in Austin, where the most obvious sign of the drought was the ban on fireworks, the new islands in Lake Travis, a few of us even made jokes about being able to set mountain bike races up out there.

In most other parts of Texas, especially West Texas, its not about fun. 2011 was the driest year on record in Texas, Texas lost between 600,000 and a million head of cattle; people were giving away sound horses rather than see them starve. It’s not a 1-year drought, it’s been going 3-4 years and we are not out of it yet.

I sat in the garage when I got home tonight to listen to the end of this 1-hour documentary on KUT. I’ve not done something like that since, oh I’d guess 1984 when I listened to the Howard Stern show and an interview with a politician over the state of baby polyestors used in suits. It was simply hilariously funny, and it was raining outside.

Life By the Drop is a close look at the state of water and drought in Texas, looking both to the past and the future for answers on how the state can manage a growing population amid a shrinking water supply. I’ve been reading tonight on the StateImpact Texas, with audio slideshows, interviews and more. The show is a great cross between news, history, and documentary.

Listen in, and change your water use.