River, a rambunctious Labrador retriever mix, is Mansfield's new "technology" to identify leaks in the city's water lines.

Why it matters: The city lost more than 79 million gallons of water in 2025 due to pipeline leaks and other issues in the system.

• As the Dallas-Fort Worth region grows and demand for water increases, cities are looking for new ways to conserve water.

Driving the news: River, 2, is one of the first canines in the region to sniff out leaks. He started working for Mansfield a little over a year ago after he was adopted from the city's animal shelter and trained in Arkansas.

• Arlington also launched a similar program in December, when the city introduced its first water leak detection K9, Splash.

By the numbers: The Tarrant Regional Water District is working to conserve current water resources and add supply to accommodate up to a 175% increase in demand due to population growth.

• Mansfield's population, for example, is expected to reach nearly 136,000 by 2035, up from about 94,000 currently.

How it works: There's a small amount of chlorine in drinking water to keep it clean. Water detection canines can smell the chemical and are trained to alert their human coworkers when they sniff it.

• River partners daily with water inspector Brad Blan to check areas of Mansfield where satellite imaging shows there might be a leak.
• The pup is fitted with his work vest when he's on a call. The outfit reminds the dog that he's working. He checks an area and paws at the ground to notify Blan that he's found a possible leak.

State of play: River can even smell traces of chlorine through concrete, making him a less invasive tool for finding leaks than exploratory digging.

• He's still early in his tenure, but he has already detected some unusual leaks, including one that was flowing into a sewer.

Fun fact: River attends community events to educate residents on water conservation and to take pictures with his fans.

• His tongue is usually sticking out.

Texans have little time left to send comments to the Texas Water Development Board about its water plan.

Why it matters: Texas needs $174 billion to complete the projects recommended in the plan to ensure the state can meet water demand for the next 50 years.

State of play: The state plan predicts water demand from 2030 to 2050 and estimates possible shortages.

• The report predicts a water shortage of 3.6 million acre-feet per year by 2030 in drought conditions, or about a quarter of what Texas used last year.

Friction point: The water plan is updated every five years, and the projections in the new plan don't include data center water usage, per Politico.

• The estimates include irrigation, municipal, manufacturing, steam electric power, livestock and mining water usage.

What's next: Public comments must be submitted by 5pm Friday.

• The finalized plan is due before Jan. 5, 2027.

⚽️ Tap into soccer. The Perot Museum of Nature and Science is hosting Thursdays on Tap with afterhours access to the Soccer: More than a Game exhibit.

• 6-10pm Thursdays. Tickets start at $27.

🩷 You'll be popular. "Wicked" is now open at the Music Hall at Fair Park. The Broadway musical defied gravity at the box office and now flies into Dallas until June 14.

• Shows nightly, except Monday. Tickets start at $60.

🏮 Nightly glow. The Dallas Zoo's "Illuminature" features glowing lanterns and performances some nights through June 28.

• 6:30-10:30pm Fridays and Saturdays. Other nights available occasionally. Tickets start at $20.

🏠 Mall art. The annual Dallas CASA Parade of Playhouses are on display at NorthPark Center until June 7.

• Raffle tickets are available for $5 each or $20 for five tickets until 3pm June 7. The proceeds go to CASA and the winners receive one of the playhouses.

🏘️ Dallas built more new homes than any other U.S. city last year. (WFAA)

🗼 Plano has rezoned a sliver of land that's part of the planned AT&T headquarters to build a "mini Reunion Tower." (DMN)

📚 Barnes & Noble is going to open a second new location in Fort Worth. One will go in Montgomery Plaza and the second is located in Presidio Town Crossing. (Star-Telegram)

Look closely and you'll see these lights are more than they appear.

• The blinking LEDs aren't random. They show a football game.

Why it matters: "Exploded View" is part of the extensive art collection inside AT&T Stadium, known currently as Dallas Stadium for the 2026 World Cup.

Zoom in: Artist Jim Campbell digitized plays from Dallas Cowboys games and mapped the pixels into a hanging LED lights.

• At first, the lights just look like twinkling stars, but stand back and you can see football players running across the field.

If you go: The piece is just inside Entry A across from the pro shop.

• You can see it without going on a tour.