News & Updates
Study links groundwater with surface water in Devils River
A Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) study provides detailed models linking groundwater in a Texas aquifer to the surface flows in one of the state's most pristine rivers. The study shows how karstic pathways of the Edwards-Trinity Aquifer follow the same channels as...
Twelve steps Houston can take to address our flooding problem
The Houston region has a major flooding problem. Denying this fact does a disservice to us all, because flooding will only get worse in the future as the intensity and frequency of severe rain events increases. If we do not admit that we have a problem, we will never...
A Texas Farmer on Harvey, Bad Planning and Runaway Growth
"A century’s worth of unchecked growth...has brought prosperity to many. But it also has altered the landscape in ways that have made both the droughts and the floods more destructive and made that prosperity fleeting. Much of the region sits atop the overtaxed Gulf...
Travis County $185 million bond Nov. election to address roads, safety
Travis County commissioners called a $185 million bond election for Nov. 7 that focuses on road safety and park projects. On. Aug 15, Precinct 1 Commissioner Jeff Travillion said the bond aims to fund “safe roads to school, evacuation roads, low water crossings—places...
Photographer turns lens on our ‘complex, disconnected’ relationship with water
Mustafah Abdulaziz is a former Wall Street Journal photographer who left the media world to pursue a global, 15-year project exploring our "complex" relationship with water. He has visited 11 countries — including Brazil, China, Nigeria, India and Pakistan — to...
HCA Director’s Notes – August 2017
How often in Texas can we say that August began on a refreshing note? Well, it’s thankfully true for the Hill Country as rain brought relief to the dry land and cracked creek beds that naturally accompanies summers in the Lone Star State. Although the temperatures are...
Neighborhood in Travis County designated a “Dark Sky Friendly Development of Distinction”
River Hills Neighborhood Association (RHNA) has been formally designated a Dark Sky Friendly Development of Distinction by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA). River Hills is a small Travis County neighborhood in the foothills of the Hill Country. In...
Chronic wasting disease continues to spread
An always-fatal neurologic disease is contributing to declines in Western deer and elk herds and raising the possibility of local extinctions. Bryan Richards, chronic wasting disease project leader within the U.S. Geological Survey's National Wildlife Health Center,...
Groundwater Ownership in Texas
Groundwater is an integral part of the land, and private landowners have a vested ownership interest in the groundwater below the surface of their land. The Texas Constitution and more than 100 years of case law support this position. Secure, protectable property...