T-Squared: An In-Depth Series on Undrinkable Water

Imagine if you turned on the tap and the water that poured out was undrinkable. 

That's the reality facing an estimated 100,000 Texans — many of them impoverished Latinos living along the Mexican border. 

Today we launch our five-part Undrinkable series, a crucial reporting project that exposes the malfeasance, red tape, environmental woes and cultural barriers that stand in the way of getting clean, safe water to all parts of the state. 

Reporters Alexa Ura and Neena Satija traveled the length of the border — from remote towns to underserved colonias — to tell the unbelievable stories of Texans in need, from bathing in rainwater to falling ill from tainted water. Photographers Jennifer Whitney and Spencer Selvidge beautifully documented life without access to a resource many take for granted. And the Trib partnered with Univision to produce video from one of the hardest-hit communities, and to translate the entire series into Spanish for wider readership.

We couldn't have brought these stories to light without the support of our readers, who financed Undrinkable by way of the crowdfunding-for-journalism site Beacon Reader. We're committed to bringing you these important and difficult stories, and we'll continue to do what it takes to make it happen.