
HCA is a passionate community caring for the unique features, spring-fed streams, heritage ranch lands, spectacular beauty and culture of the Texas Hill Country for the benefit of future generations.
Community Resilience
As our region reacts to ongoing challenges, the Hill Country Alliance is working to keep you connected.
Our Work
Land
The Texas Hill Country region covers over 11 million acres in 17 counties of mostly privately held land.
Water
Thirteen Texas rivers begin in the Hill Country and provide water for millions of downstream neighbors.
Night Sky
The Hill Country sits on the edge of night and as development pushes westward, we are losing our view of the night sky.
Community
90% of Hill Country lands are in unincorporated areas where there is little authority to plan for growth.
Latest News
U.S. spares Western states from Colorado River water cuts – for now
The U.S. government spared seven Western states from mandatory Colorado River water cutbacks for now but warned on Tuesday that drastic conservation was needed to protect dwindling reservoirs from overuse and severe drought exacerbated by climate change. Read more...
Spring Branch wastewater plant seeks permit to deposit up to 260,000 gallons of treated domestic wastewater into Cypress Creek daily
On Thursday, Spring Branch residents will get the chance to ask questions and voice their concerns over a permit that would allow up to 260,000 gallons of treated domestic wastewater to be deposited daily into Cypress Creek and then into the Guadalupe River, according...
Artificial light masks natural light cycles, affects both human and animal behavior
Natural light cycles have been obscured for years by artificial light used at night. According to experts, this has an impact on both human and animal behavior. Numerous nocturnal animal behaviors and many others like them have evolved to benefit from the night's...
380 acres of scenic open space protected forever
Texas Land Conservancy has completed the permanent protection of 380 acres in San Antonio, known as the Espada Tract. This new conservation easement protects the scenic open space views along 2.2 miles of the Howard W. Peak Greenway Trail System. This includes 1.6...
Hill Country natives are smarter than you think
“Texas is a land of perennial drought, broken by the occasional devastating flood.” —Unnamed Texas Meteorologist, 1927 The first part of this 1927 quote from an unnamed Texas meteorologist certainly describes 2022 so far. The first half of this year was the fifth...
Texas Water Development Board weighing how to spend portion of nearly $3 billion in federal funding
The Texas Water Development Board is currently taking comment on part of the $2.9 billion coming to Texas’ water infrastructure through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding. That will be spread over the next 5 years. The comment period is for $750...
What’s being done to protect one of the longest caves in Texas? KSAT Explains
In this episode of KSAT Explains, Meteorologists Sarah Spivey and Justin Horne take us inside Honey Creek Cave for a swim and to highlight how it now coexists with the fast-growing Comal County. Watch the video from KSAT here.
Is Texas preparing for the right drought?
Texas’ strategy of planning for a repeat of the 1950s drought is no longer enough. While historic evidence identifies droughts that were longer and more severe than the Drought of Record, contemporary data points to a likely future of increasing drought severity....