by Leah Cuddeback | Jan 28, 2023 | Community, Drought, Groundwater Resources, News, Planning and Development, Water Catchment Areas (Watershed), Water Conservation, Water Planning, Water Quality, Water Resources
I lived through the golden age of Texas swimming holes. Having spent my youth submerged in chlorinated pools in and around Fort Worth, I moved to Austin in 1973 and discovered Hippie Hollow before it was a county park and Barton Creek before a mining executive... by Leah Cuddeback | Jan 3, 2023 | Community, Drought, Groundwater Resources, Legislature and Regulation, News, Planning and Development, Regional Planning, Water Catchment Areas (Watershed), Water Conservation, Water Planning, Water Resources
When David Cahill’s three wells ran out of water last year, he wasn’t surprised. It had been a long time coming, and he knew eventually he would have to dig another, deeper well on his property. Still, the final price — just under $30,000 — he didn’t expect. Read more... by Leah Cuddeback | Jan 3, 2023 | Conservation Easements, Drought, Land Conservation and Stewardship, News, Planning and Development, Regional Planning, Water Planning, Water Resources
The Edwards Aquifer, source of Comal Springs, is recognized as one of the most prolific karst aquifer systems in the world. Storm water enters and travels through the system with amazing speed, allowing for rapid recharge of this elegant water source. However, this... by Leah Cuddeback | Jan 3, 2023 | Drought, Groundwater Resources, Legislature and Regulation, News, Water Catchment Areas (Watershed), Water Conservation, Water Planning, Water Resources
While we were rightfully worried about the hard freeze that descended upon Texas just before Christmas, you might have missed the news that drought conditions across the state have eased to levels not seen in more than a year. Unfortunately, the improvement comes too... by Leah Cuddeback | Dec 19, 2022 | Drought, Groundwater Resources, Legislature and Regulation, Native Landscapes, News, Planning and Development, Regional Planning, Water Catchment Areas (Watershed), Water Conservation, Water Planning, Water Quality, Water Resources
Cities and farmers in Central Texas used to pump groundwater from the Edwards Aquifer much more freely—draining local springs and rivers and depriving several endangered species of a habitat. In the 1990s, the Sierra Club sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on... by Leah Cuddeback | Dec 19, 2022 | Drought, Groundwater Resources, Legislature and Regulation, News, Water Catchment Areas (Watershed), Water Conservation, Water Planning, Water Resources
The use of smart meters to enforce water restrictions could encourage widespread conservation — but not without local backlash, a new study has found. Amid California’s ongoing drought, researchers partnered with the city of Fresno in summer 2018 to access and...