News
The Odessa water outage underscores a growing problem: Aging pipes in Texas cities are getting more fragile
Odessa city officials are still investigating what caused a massive water line break that left the city without water for 48 hours last month. But they’ve shared one important detail: The water line was about 60 years old. “Aging water systems are common throughout...
Five things to know about drought in the American West
Harsh and unrelenting. But also transformative? The dry conditions blanketing much of the American West are setting records nearly every week. Lakes Mead and Powell, the country’s largest reservoirs by capacity, dropped to new lows this year. The Great Salt Lake did,...
Hill Country peach crops behind schedule due to heat, drought
Peaches can be seen growing on trees throughout the Texas Hill Country, but they are ripening about 2 to 3 weeks behind schedule. The amount being harvested at places like Jenschke Orchards is far less than what was picked the last two seasons. "We are very grateful...
Meet OSCAR and CLARA, the future of water management in Austin
Austin Water is unveiling an innovative blackwater system designed to set a course for the future of water management for new development in Austin. Located at the City of Austin’s Permitting and Development Center and known as OSCAR and CLARA, the project has...
Water levels decreasing at Lake Travis as record-breaking heat continues
Texas continues to see triple-digit temperatures, and some experts say it’s contributing to dropping lake levels. According to the Lower Colorado River Authority, water levels at Lake Travis near Austin are at a four-year low. “The higher temperatures lead to higher...
SAWS to keep Stage 2 water restrictions in place despite EAA moving to Stage 3 pumping rules
San Antonio Water System said Monday it will keep Stage 2 watering conditions in place despite the Edwards Aquifer Authority declaring Stage 3 for pumping. The Edwards Aquifer is steadily dropping as drought conditions persist in South Texas and the San Antonio area....
Intense drought conditions could make this summer one of the hottest in Texas history
With the state experiencing its most severe early summer drought conditions in nearly a decade, Texans are facing a wave of especially hot and dry weather that may kick off one of the state’s hottest summers on record, says Texas A&M University climate expert John...
Opinion: Texas needs private investment to vastly enhance its water supplies
At a time when Texas continues it’s massive population growth, yet is experiencing declining water supplies and persistent drought, it is apparent that water remains the limiting factor to maintaining and growing our vibrant Texas economy. Over the decade from 2010 to...
Welcome to the River Recharge Natural Area
SMGA is happy to announce the addition of a seventh natural area to the San Marcos Greenbelt. Known for years simply as the Buie Tract, these roughly 94 acres have been renamed River Recharge Natural Area (RReNA), due to the many karst features on the property....
TPWD Executive Director Carter Smith announces retirement
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) Executive Director Carter Smith announced today he will retire effective January 2023, ending a nearly 15-year tenure that strengthened private-lands stewardship, expanded state parks and wildlife management areas, bolstered...
Texas Water: Local group protests film studio development on aquifer
A new film studio coming to Central Texas is facing pushback amid locals concerned about the impact it could have on the water in the area. Earlier this month, the San Marcos City Council approved incentives “in the form of refunds of a percentage of real and personal...
Going with the flow: Guadalupe River down but not out as dry weather affects the ecosystem
The Guadalupe River is feeling the impact of scorching hot, dry weather in south central Texas, but river officials are not overly concerned about it yet. Stretching from Kerr County — northwest of San Antonio — to the Gulf of Mexico, the Guadalupe River is a popular...
‘Viva Texas Rivers!’ Celebrates Texas’ storied waterways
To know the geography of Texas, you must know its rivers. The book Viva Texas Rivers! Adventures, Misadventures, and Glimpses of Nirvana along Our Storied Waterways may be the most comprehensive effort to date to capture the charms, mythologies, and challenges of the...
Rethinking mountain cedar: habitat enhancing land management
“Standing inside one of those [cedar] brakes gave the feeling of being inside one of Nature’s cathedrals.” —Williedell Schawe, Wimberley’s Legacy, 1963 One question landowners ask when the HELM team pays them a visit is “What should I do about all this cedar?” We...
Potential for large wildfires in Fredericksburg and throughout Hill Country, Forest Service warns
Texas A&M Forest Service is warning Texans about the potential for wildfires Thursday and Friday. Texas A&M Forest Service fire resources have responded to four wildfires in portions of the Panhandle and West Texas so far this week. Those fires have burned...
Gunter Clean Air raising concerns after recent pollution report on nearby concrete batch plants
According to Texans for Responsible Aggregate Mining, also known as TRAM, Gunter has 11 permitted concrete batch plants. They said at least one more is seeking a permit nearby, causing some residents concern about their health. “It’s not that we’re ever trying to shut...
Private lands are the next battleground in state conservation policy.
Since last year, staff members at the Land Trust of Virginia have fielded phone call after phone call from landowners seeking to set aside their property for conservation. “We’re getting calls like crazy,” said Sally Price, executive director of the nonprofit, which...
Seven ways climate change is already affecting Texas
Climate change has been warned by scientists for years, and through heat waves with unreasonably high temperatures, the state of Texas is already suffering the consequences of this phenomenon in various ways. Read more from the Reform Austin Staff at Reform Austin...
Drought drains greenbelt swimming holes, but springs may still provide.
Swimming holes are a summer tradition for some, but one that might be hard to find in Austin. Two iconic swimming holes on the Barton Creek Greenbelt are Campbell’s Hole and Twin Falls. Both of these are currently dry, likely caused by a lack of rain in central Texas....
Water level at Lake Travis is at its lowest in nearly 4 years
As we continue to bake through a major drought in Central Texas, the water level at Lake Travis is at its lowest in nearly four years. That’s spurring concerns not just for swimmers and boaters, but about the water supply. "I mean we’ve been coming out here quite a...
Editor’s Note: Preserved Paradise
I’ve lived in the Hill Country for five years now, yet I’m still finding new reasons to admire its grandeur on a regular basis. I love that my kids get to grow up in such a beautiful, wild landscape, and I hope their kids will have the same opportunity. As Central...
Keep Bastrop Boring: Central Texas man wars with Elon Musk’s Boring Company
Just after 7 p.m. on May 3, a tall, bearded man in a white Stetson strolled up to the microphone positioned in front of Kyle City Council and spilled his guts about Elon Musk and his Boring Company’s forays into Texas. On that day, the company wished to get a...
TESPA initiates legal action to protect water & endangered species
The Trinity Edwards Springs Protection Association (TESPA) has sent the attached Notice of Intent (NOI) to sue Far South Mining LLC to stop the proposed quarry and rock crushing plant on the Needmore Ranch between Wimberley and San Marcos in Hays County, TX. The legal...
Unique and creative approaches for conservation
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...
When a quarry closes, can its damage be undone?
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...
Texas cities are booming. I feel it in the country.
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...
Over the moon: City of Blanco becomes 5th Dark Sky community in Texas, 35th on planet Earth
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...
Seizing the moment for rural water infrastructure
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...
Be a friend to the night sky
Editorial by Soll Sussman, Hays County Friends of the Night Sky Protecting the night sky is not just about the stars, as magnificent as the sight of them might be. In Hays County, the fastest growing county in Texas and in the country for that matter, we’re working to...
Hays County Celebrates Earth Day with Upcoming Land Purchase of Sentinel Peak Preserve
Hays County expects to close on its purchase of the Sentinel Peak Preserve by April 29, 2022, mere days after celebrating Earth Day (April 22). This is the first project funded under the 2020 Hays County Parks and Open Space Bond. Read more from Hays County here.