by Leah Cuddeback | May 16, 2022 | Community, County Authority, Economics of Sound Planning, Ecosystem Services, Land Conservation and Stewardship, Legislature and Regulation, Low Impact & Sustainable Development, News, Planning and Development, Public Lands, Regional Planning, Texas Hill Country Conservation Network, Uncategorized, Water Planning, Water Resources
Editorial by Commissioner Lon Shell, Hays County As our population surges, will the Hill Country retain its character? I believe it can, however it is a challenge that will require unique and creative approaches to balance that growth with preservation of the very...
by Leah Cuddeback | May 16, 2022 | Aggregate Production Operations, Community, County Authority, News, Planning and Development, Regional Planning, Water Conservation, Water Quality
A hypnotic maze of subdivisions stretches along Anderson Mill Road as you drive north out of Austin. Then, just before you reach downtown Cedar Park, towering mounds of loose rock rise like ashes from a giant cigarette. Throughout the Texas Hill Country, this sort of...
by Leah Cuddeback | May 5, 2022 | Aggregate Production Operations, Community, County Authority, HCA in the News, News, Planning and Development, Regional Planning, Water Planning, Water Quality, Water Resources
About a year ago, I was kayaking down the Llano River, about 80 miles west of Austin, Texas. It’s spring-fed and runs through the countryside, representative of the state’s beauty. I was paddling a usually serene route when I noticed the water becoming shallow and the...
by Leah Cuddeback | May 5, 2022 | Community, HCA in the News, Hill Country Tourism, Low Impact & Sustainable Development, News, Night Skies, Planning and Development
The city of Blanco in Blanco County has joined four other Texas cities — all in the Hill Country as well — as the latest to be granted the sought-after International Dark Sky Community designation. The International Dark-Sky Association announced this week that the...
by Leah Cuddeback | May 5, 2022 | Community, Groundwater Resources, HCA in the News, Legislature and Regulation, Low Impact & Sustainable Development, News, One Water, Planning and Development, Texas Water Symposium, Water Catchment Areas (Watershed), Water Conservation, Water Planning, Water Quality, Water Resources
In February, 2021, Winter Storm Uri shined a light on the fragility of our state’s infrastructure as an energy crisis quickly evolved into a water crisis. However, even before Texas was plunged into the ice, our state’s water infrastructure systems received a C- for...