News
Hill Country Alliance releases 2024 Annual Report
Dear Friends and Supporters, It is with deepest gratitude that I sit down to pen another Annual Report letter from the Hill Country Alliance (HCA). Our efforts to protect and preserve the things that make the Hill Country so special have never felt more urgent....
Hill Country rivers at risk of historic lows ahead of tubing season
"In general, the Edwards Aquifer and San Marcos springflow levels are currently at levels that have only been experienced less than 10% of the time in recorded monitoring history and approaching the lowest levels on record for this time of year," Enders said in an...
Texas utilities are storing their water underground. Here’s why.
Among the most striking signs of Central Texas' ongoing drought are two of the region’s reservoirs: Canyon Lake in Comal County and Medina Lake, west of San Antonio. In both lakes, the water levels are historically low. For the first time since it was filled in the...
Protect the Pedernales: The dangers of discharge
The Pedernales River is one of Texas’s most cherished waterways, an ecological, recreational and cultural treasure that defines the Hill Country. As stewards of this vital resource, the Pedernales River Alliance (PRA) has opposed the wastewater permit application...
An EPA rule will reduce lead in drinking water—Unless this effort to block it succeeds
A landmark Environmental Protection Agency rule enacted at the end of last year sought to address the lead crisis—which threatens the health of millions of Americans—by tightening limitations on toxic lead and copper in drinking water. But that might not be the final...
Texas Hill Country property to be pristine sanctuary with limited access
Conservation has won after a pristine 32-acre parcel in the Texas Hill Country was donated to the Cibolo Center for Conservation. Instead of turning into a possible housing development, the property will become a sanctuary that will have limited access to the public...
Texas lawmaker files bill to reduce “forever chemicals” in sewage-based fertilizer
Johnson County’s newest state representative, Helen Kerwin, R-Cleburne, filed her first bill Friday targeting an environmental problem that has struck her county: PFAS contamination in sewage sludge-based fertilizers. Kerwin said House Bill 1674, could reduce the...
Texas regulators report more than 250 new cases of groundwater contamination
Texas agencies reported 252 new cases of groundwater contamination during 2023 in the Texas Groundwater Protection Committee annual report. The latest report compiles 2,870 open cases of groundwater contamination, some of which date back decades. Nearly every county...
Austin has little to no ‘forever chemicals’ in its drinking water. What did the city do right?
New testing results show Austin has little to no traces of forever chemicals in its drinking water. Exposure to these chemicals, also known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS, have been linked to prostate and kidney cancers, thyroid conditions, decreased...
Comal County officials, other Hill Country leaders discuss solutions for groundwater management
The Hill Country Alliance, a nonprofit organization based out of Dripping Springs, brought the diverse coalition together in an effort to preserve the natural resources the Texas Hill Country has to offer. The group discussed critical issues related to sustainable...
Environmentalists raise concerns about 1,100-home Hill Country project
A proposed 1,100-home development in the Hill Country has residents and environmental groups raising questions about the project's potential impact on the local water supply and the environment. Miami-based developer Lennar Corporation filed a permit application with...
City of Boerne co-sponsors One Water Conference, emphasizes sustainable water management
The conference underscored the importance of regional collaboration in water management and highlighted the City’s dedication to sustainable water management. “Effective water management isn’t just about what’s happening in one city; it’s about creating resilient...
Hill Country leaders gather for a meeting on water challenges and One Water solutions
On Wednesday, November 13, city leaders and staff from across 15 cities in Central Texas gathered for the second “One Water in the Hill Country” meeting, co-hosted by Hill Country Alliance (HCA) and the City of Boerne. This annual event provides the opportunity for...
2025 Hill Country Alliance calendar features photo contest winners
The Texas Hill Country is a scenic region known for its diverse wildlife, clear springs, expansive rural landscapes, historic towns, and some of the starriest night skies in the country. However, rapid population growth and increased development put these qualities at...
Katharine Hayhoe’s post-election advice: Fight fear, embrace hope and work together
To get a sense of what’s to come and what’s needed to ensure domestic climate action continues, I spoke with Katharine Hayhoe, an atmospheric scientist and author who teaches at Texas Tech University and is chief scientist for The Nature Conservancy. She is one the...
Texans are (probably) about to get 7,637 more acres of state parks
Don’t pack the tent or backpack just yet, but Texas park lovers could get 7,637 acres of additional parkland to roam in the coming years. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission will consider four land acquisitions to create new or expand existing parks at its meeting...
Hill Country may reap benefits as Texas grows state parks system
The state is looking to buy thousands of acres of land to expand two state parks and create two new ones, with more purchases to come in the future from a new funding source. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission will consider five purchases during its November...
Hill Country Alliance announces 2024 Photo Contest winners and new 2025 Calendar for sale!
The Texas Hill Country is a beautiful region filled with diverse wildlife, clear springs, sprawling rural landscapes, historic towns, and some of the starriest night skies in the country. With a rapidly growing population and increasing development coming into the...
Trinity Edwards Springs Protection Association gets OK to intervene in groundwater suit
A federal court granted the Trinity Edwards Springs Protection Association’s (TESPA) motion to intervene in an ongoing lawsuit between Aqua Texas and the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District (HTGCD). Aqua Texas filed the lawsuit in December 2023 against...
Volunteers remove over 1,300 pounds of trash from Concan
The second-annual “Frio River Trash Bash” hosted by the Texas Hill Country River Region on Sept. 14 raised $9,180 for local non-profits, more than doubling the $3,825 raised during the first event in 2023. THCRR director Hailey Hart Conrad said 204 volunteers spent...
“Cultivating a Community of Stewardship” theme of recent HCA Leadership Summit
Written by Michael Hawkins, The Comfort News - republished with permission. The Summit has become a must-attend event for Deborah and I because of its unwavering focus on what people and organizations are getting right in the work they’re doing to preserve the Texas...
The Hill Country is celebrating the stars and night sky throughout October
The fifth annual Hill Country Night Sky Month is here. The October celebration affords people the chance to enjoy one of the region’s most beloved features, the star-filled sky. The Hill Country Alliance (HCA) and dozens of partners make this a community-wide event....
Burnet County seeks law change for more power over subdivisions
The Burnet County Commissioners Court joined the Hill Country Alliance in condemning a 2023 state measure that allows developers to build subdivisions with questionable infrastructure and water access in rural counties. The court voted unanimously at its regular...
Shortlist for where the Texas Water Fund’s $1 billion could go first
Voters went to the polls last November and overwhelmingly supported creation of the Texas Water Fund, a pot of money totaling $1 billion meant for water infrastructure improvements across the state. In the months since then, the state’s water agency has worked to...
Stewardship: Armbrusts build a connection to the land
Restoring land in the Hill Country is no easy task. In many places, there’s a scarcity of topsoil and an excess of native and exotic, non-native deer species impacting the vegetation. There are also the feral hogs, searing droughts, destructive floods, and the...
Oppenheimer to speak on land stewardship
The public is invited to attend a talk sponsored by the Hill Country Chapter, Texas Master Naturalists in Kerrville on Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. featuring Daniel Oppenheimer, land program director at the Hill Country Alliance. Oppenheimer will be presenting “Land Stewardship...
City, Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance continue battle against Hill Country wastewater plant
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality voted Wednesday to grant a contested case hearing to the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance (GEAA) and landowner Ann Toepperwein in opposition of a wastewater permit for a plant...
Central Texas water company under fire again for wanting to raise prices for customers
Aqua Texas is proposing a rate hike for water and wastewater services in the Wimberley area, and customers aren't thrilled. The Texas State Office of Administrative Hearings hosted a hearing on Wednesday to consider the proposition. The water utility company wants to...
50 murals in 50 small towns: How public art can revive communities
In the Spring, Emma Durand-Wood, a longtime Strong Towns contributor, concluded the same while planning a neighborhood walk. “We typically think of public art as about adding character, personality, beauty or visual interest to a place. Part of that can be...
Shield Ranch Barton Creek named the first Urban Night Sky Place in Texas
DarkSky International officially certified Shield Ranch Barton Creek as an Urban Night Sky Place (UNSP). Shield Ranch joins three neighboring designated International Dark Sky Places; Dripping Springs and Bee Cave, Texas – both International Dark Sky Communities – and...