News
Removing the mystery of groundwater
Editorial by Vanessa Puig-Williams, Environmental Defense Fund What makes the Texas Hill Country unique? In my mind, it comes down to one thing: groundwater. It is impossible to overstate the importance of groundwater to this precious region, because without it, the...
Report finds on-site water reuse can boost affordable housing, spread climate resilience
Strategic integration of onsite water reuse can bring financial and quality-of-life benefits to affordable housing residents, according to an extensive new study by the National Wildlife Federation. The report finds on-site collection, treatment, and non-potable use...
Protecting the Nueces, a lesson of love and legacy
UPDATE - June 7, 2022 It is with a heavy heart we share news of the passing of Sky Lewey, conservationist, mother, and Nueces River champion on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. Sky dedicated her life, work, and passion to protecting Texas's rivers and touched the hearts and...
100-mile nature trail connecting Austin to San Antonio springs into next phase
The Great Springs Project has released its Trails Plan, another step along the path to a proposed 100-plus-mile network of trails from the Alamo to the Capitol.The project, launched in 2018, aims to create a corridor of protected lands over the Edwards Aquifer...
Rethinking our relationship with Hill Country water, before it’s too late
Editorial by Jennifer Walker, National Wildlife Federation Water is an integral part of the Hill Country fabric, and it is embodied in the rivers and springs that make this region special. It is also the single most limiting factor in the Hill Country. The region’s...
USDA Takes Action to Strengthen Pollinator Research Support.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced its strengthened commitment to advancing research and programmatic priorities that support pollinator health by soliciting nominations for members to serve on its newly formed USDA National Pollinator Subcommittee.The...
If drought conditions don’t improve, more water restrictions could come to Central Texas.
Drought conditions across the state are getting worse. Here in Austin, many areas are already feeling its effects. Mark Wentzel is the Instream Flows Leader with the Texas Water Development Board. He said Lakes Travis and Buchanan are some of the main water reservoirs...
Texas Hill Country photo contest to show beauty and change or region.
Take a "Snapshot of the Hill Country" in the Hill Country Alliance's 16th annual photo contest. Entries are due May 31 on the alliance's website. Photographers of all ages and skill levels, including professional, are invited to participate. Winners will receive cash...
Study uses lasers to prevent flooding along Texas’ South Llano River.
A recent study conducted by the Texas Water Development Board could help the state prevent flooding along the South Llano River, according to hydrologists with the board. This study involved Topobathymetric Lidar, essentially a laser, to scan the landscape and river...
Texan By Nature announces 2022 conservation wranglers.
Texan By Nature, a conservation non-profit, today announces the selection of the 2022 TxN Conservation Wranglers. Conservation Wrangler is an accelerator program that catalyzes the very best Texan-led conservation projects occurring in the state. Selected projects are...
Ignoring Induced Demand is Engineering Malpractice
The standard approach for engineering projects is well-established. A team of technical experts determines that a project needs to happen. They get whatever authorization they need to move forward in evaluating options. They put together options, most frequently three...
There oughta be a law (But there’s probably not!)
Editorial by Francine Romero, University of Texas at San Antonio After visiting Gruene recently and encountering the explosion of new housing developments along the old rural roads leading to downtown, I was further disheartened to read that 252 duplex units on 22...
‘Tipping point’: Waters under fire in Texas Hill Country as development, population boom
The Texas Hill Country has long been lauded as the Land of 1,100 Springs, but there’s trouble brewing in those pristine waters. The area is growing at breakneck speed. More people are drawing water from a finite supply. More are putting wastewater — which helps...
Texas climatologists warn of potential for prolonged drought
While much of Texas is mired in drought conditions as warmer months are on the horizon, state climatologists are looking closely a t future rainfall predictions to gauge just how long dry conditions will last. So far, they say, the outlook isn’t good. Read more...
Annual photo contest returns!
The Hill Country Alliance, a nonprofit organization to raise awareness of the Central Texas Hill Country, is now hosting its 16th annual photo contest.This year’s Hill Country Photo Contest, entitled “Snapshot of the Hill Country,” challenges photographers to share...
Director’s Note: Pristine Streams Petition Hearing on March 30, 2022
A note from HCA Executive Director, Katherine Romans The Commissioners of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) had the opportunity Wednesday to initiate a rule making process to protect the few remaining pristine streams in the state of Texas. Brought...
Where have Austin’s Indigenous people gone?
It’s almost a rarity these days to be considered an Austin native, rather than falling into the transplant pool.Hayley Bishop is, indeed, one of those born-and-raised Austinites. But they struggle with identifying as, what some would consider, a local native.“Like, I...
‘There’s been historic flooding and neglect’: San Antonio councilwomen aim to improve drainage
One San Antonio resident said water builds up seven or eight feet high after heavy rain. Another compared their street to the Amazon River. Dozens shared their flooding experiences last fall with the city’s drainage bond committee, a group appointed by City Council to...
Growth in unincorporated areas of Kendall County
As the new State of the Hill Country Report illustrates, the Hill Country population has increased by 50% since 1990, with most of this growth occurring along the I-35 corridor. The fastest growing counties are Hays County with 195% growth, and both Comal and Kendall...
You can get a permit to dump treated wastewater into Barton Creek. Some are trying to change that.
Several conservationist groups are banding together to stop treated effluent from getting into certain waterways in Texas, including Barton and Onion creeks.That means human waste where pollutants have been removed.Currently, the Texas Commission on Environmental...
The Hill Country Alliance presents Spring Water Revival: Splash into learning, spring into action.
Spring in the Hill Country is a time of blooming wildflowers, flowing creeks, and (hopefully) the arrival of long-awaited rains. This spring, the Hill Country Alliance (HCA) has announced the first annual Spring Water Revival – a month long, springtime celebration of...
TCEQ denies petition to create rule against issuing wastewater discharge permits on pristine streams
While some Texans spent Wednesday’s warm temperatures outdoors enjoying Barton Creek, others spent the day indoors fighting on its behalf. At a public meeting Wednesday morning, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) heard comments on a petition filed by...
Is Texas Hill Country in danger of being ‘loved to death’?
Deep in the heart of Texas, the traffic is backed up for almost a mile. It’s a jarring sight for long-time residents of the Hill Country, a rural oasis of scrubby green hills, crystalline water, and bright white limestone west of Austin and San Antonio. But it’s not...
Groups fight to limit sewage lines over Edward’s recharge zone.
Local environmentalists do not want to see sewage lines or a wastewater plant built for a new development constructed over the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone — a matter that was driven home during the San Antonio Water System’s monthly board of trustees meeting...
Open Space is the key to keep the Hill Country thriving
Editorial by Frank Davis, Hill Country Conservancy Anyone who is familiar with the natural areas of the Texas Hill Country will attest to their beauty and wondrous nature. Crystal clear spring-fed streams, steep canyons and bluffs, majestic forests, and...
Hill Country fires contained after dry conditions spark blazes.
Kerr County fire departments battled two blazes over the weekend as a result of high winds and dry conditions in the Hill Country. Both fires are almost 100% contained as of Monday, March 28, according to Kerr County officials. Read more from Gabriel Romero at...
State of the Hill Country Report reveals threats to the region.
Booming population growth and sprawling development, groundwater depletion, changing climate patterns, extreme droughts and floods, and a unique set of policy challenges threaten the natural resources that define the Hill County region—resources on which millions of...
‘State of the Hill Country’ looks at effects of population boom
Population in the Texas Hill Country is expected to double within the next 30-35 years with most of the newcomers settling into unincorporated areas, according to to a recent report by the Texas Hill Country Conservation Network. The report looks at eight key metrics...
Tracking The Health Of The Hill Country
The Hill Country Conservation Network developed a set of matrices to examine the current state of conservation and growth in the Hilll Country. Photo provided by Hill Country Conservation Network Read more from San Marcos Daily Records here.
Conservation organization releases report on health of local environment
A recently released report from the Texas Hill Country Conservation Network examined the current state of conservation and growth in the Hill Country. What it revealed was a region at a crossroads, facing threats to its future. Read more from Madi Teleschow at...