News
Opinion: How to prevent repeat water crises? Reuse is a part of the answer
February 15, 2021, will forever be etched into our memory. At the height of the climate disaster that struck our state a year ago, over 13 million Texans lost access to clean drinking water. That is approximately half of the state’s population and also includes many...
How to find your city’s sustainability plan online
If you’re watching this latest episode of “Solutionaries,” the newest from our solutions journalism-based digital show, then you’re already well aware that the topic is climate change, and everything environmentally related. You might be wondering, “How sustainable...
Most Texans Worry Water Taps Will Run Dry as Droughts Worsen.
Almost nine of every 10 Texans are concerned that water supplies will be exhausted, given current weather trends and the prospect for worsening drought conditions, according to a new poll. The survey by the non-profit group Texas 2036 found that 88% of registered...
They called him the Angel of Darkness. But this astronomer just wanted to keep West Texas skies pure.
Bill Wren remembers exactly where he was when he was first called the Angel of Darkness. He doesn't remember the year, but it was at a Texas Star Party, an annual gathering of 500 or so amateur astronomers held at the Prude Ranch in Fort Davis, Texas. Wren, a longtime...
Cave climbers work to clean out caves with generations worth of trash.
These days, it's just common sense that pollutants and trash are bad for the Edwards Aquifer, which is San Antonio’s main source of water. But a hundred years ago, landowners thought nothing of using caves or sinkholes on their property as trash dumps. Landowners are...
Dripping Springs extends moratorium on development for 90 days.
DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) — The City of Dripping Springs voted to extend the temporary development moratorium Tuesday night, lasting to May 21. During the moratorium, the city will not accept permit applications for the development of subdivisions, site planning,...
Why de-paving cities could help make things way less hot
If you’ve walked through a heavily populated city with a bustling downtown in the middle of summer, then you know just how hot it can be. It feels like every step you take, you can feel the heat radiating from the sidewalks, parking lots and concrete...
Water utility chief answers questions about boil-water notice
Following an unexpected boil-water notice not related to a winter storm, Austin Water Director Greg Meszaros announced his resignation last week from a job he has held for nearly 15 years. Several City Council members took the opportunity to praise his leadership at...
Camp Bullis Sentinel Landscape established 2022
The Camp Bullis Sentinel Landscape, based in the Texas Hill Country, encompasses ranch lands, spring-fed rivers, and one of the fastest growing regions in the country. Within this region, Joint Base San Antonio’s Camp Bullis provides training opportunities for 266...
Texas approves $29M for water, wastewater projects
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has recently approved financial assistance totaling $29,784,375 for four regions’ water, wastewater, and flood projects...The TWDB is the state agency charged with collecting and disseminating water-related data, assisting with...
‘A theme park’: Brackenridge neighbors protest expanding Sunken Garden Theater in San Antonio
Blanquita Sullivan grew up in the River Road neighborhood she still calls home — next to Brackenridge Park just north of downtown and off Broadway. Living next to the park has given her the chance to chat with bird-watchers and observe Easter holiday celebrations, car...
Rapid development of Comal County brings concerns about the aquifer
Comal County is one of the fastest growing counties in the country and it’s no secret why. The scenery is beautiful. But for some, that is exactly why development is concerning. Much of Comal County sits over the contributing and recharge zone of the Edwards Aquifer....
How does the Edwards Aquifer work & why is it so heavily regulated? KSAT Explains
SAN ANTONIO – If you’re a regular KSAT 12 viewer, you’ve seen it before - our Weather Authority team reporting on the Edwards Aquifer’s water levels. The aquifer is the primary source of water for millions of us around South Central Texas and the Hill Country. Its...
Hill Country State Park sees additional protection from land development threat
New conservation protections are being added in Comal County thanks to the combined efforts of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) to safeguard Honey Creek Spring Ranch from...
High-end, luxury home’ community coming to Dripping Springs
A new luxury master-planned community is coming to Dripping Springs, with Nashville-based developer Southern Land Company (SLC) promising “high-end” homes in the Texas Hill Country. On Monday, SLC announced it closed on its first land acquisition in Dripping Springs,...
Regenerative ranching is better for the environment, but can it be profitable?
Meredith Ellis harbors no illusions when it comes to the demands of running a cattle ranch. As she offers me a cozy blanket to keep warm during our “buggy” ride on her Kawasaki Mule around her family’s three-thousand-acre G Bar C Ranch on a crisp December morning, she...
Analysis: The Texas storms — actual and political — of 2021
2021 was the second year of the pandemic. The Texas Legislature met in regular session, as usual, but then followed that session with three special sessions on issues that had to be done (redistricting) and on issues lawmakers didn’t address during that 140-day...
Water nonprofit to begin work in Texas
The Water Finance Exchange (WFX) has announced the launch of a new fund to expand its work throughout Texas and address funding shortages of water infrastructure projects. Beginning in early 2022, WFX’s revolving Texas Pre-Development Fund will issue below-market, low...
2021 began with a Texas-sized water crisis. In 2022, Texas needs solutions
Last February, Texans got a terribly clear view of the fragility of their state’s water infrastructure, as a statewide freeze left millions of Texans without heat or electricity and almost half of the state’s population lost water. This event provided a stark reminder...
How a Texas songbird and its endangered status became the center of a fight over the Hill Country
When a group of researchers at Texas A&M’s Natural Resources Institute published the first peer-reviewed study that surveyed the presence of a brightly colored Texas songbird across a huge swath of Texas, the results were astounding: The population of the...
New law requires Texas landlords to tell tenants if their property lies in a 100-year flood plain
A new law requires landlords in Texas to inform prospective renters whether their properties are in flood plains. Jasper Scherer has been writing about this for the Houston Chronicle, where he covers state politics. Read more or listen to the interview from Jill Ament...
County vote helps pave way for Lily Ranch subdivision near Balcones Creek
An unpopular new housing project slightly north of the Bexar-Kendall county line cleared a significant hurdle last month after Kendall County commissioners reluctantly approved a slew of variances. Titled Lily Ranch, the development at full build-out would comprise...
Feral hog management to include bounty program in Hays County for 2022
Hays County will be continuing countywide feral hog management efforts in 2022 after receiving a $7,500 grant from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Wildlife Services. The Hays County program will include a five-dollar bounty on feral hogs, one workshop, one...
One Water in action: Austin’s new permit center proves the city is serious about water reuse
You don’t normally expect to learn about the true potential of blackwater on your way to getting a tree permit. That’s now likely to happen to attentive visitors to Austin’s new Permitting and Development Center (PDC). And it’s exactly what the city wants—developers...
Helotes Canyon watershed’s future at stake with Guajolote Tract decision
Helotes Canyon northwest of San Antonio has seen its share of small-scale development, but the water in Helotes Creek still flows clear and plentiful as it makes its way downstream toward the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone. But with developer Lennar Homes planning the...
Dredging zones on two scenic lakes are selected
The Lower Colorado River Authority has limited large-scale dredging on the Highland Lakes to four zones where industrial operators may remove, process, stockpile and resell sediment from the lake bottoms. Three are on Lake LBJ. A fourth is on Lake Buchanan. Read more...
36 more deaths attributed to February 2021 snowstorm, raising total to 246
The death total for the historic February 2021 snowstorm continues to rise as 36 additional deaths were confirmed to be linked to the storm in the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS)'s final report on the disaster, bringing the statewide total to 246....
Covid is rampant among deer, research shows
Humans have infected wild deer with Covid-19 in a handful of states, and there’s evidence that the coronavirus has been spreading among deer, according to recent studies that outline findings that could complicate the path out of the pandemic. Read more from Evan Bush...
Disturbing the waters: Plan to dredge lakes threatens a scenic Hill Country treasure
Created by dams nearly a century ago, the Highland Lakes in the Hill Country long have been a haven for vacationers and second-home dwellers seeking a scenic escape from city life and the noisy disruptions of traffic and industry. Their serenity is about to be broken....
Austin restaurateur wants Texans to save the environment — by eating wild hogs
In Austin’s Cherrywood Neighborhood, the Dai Due restaurant has an unusual menu item — a wild boar confit. The rich flavor profile is created with all locally sourced ingredients, cook Henry Tiles explained. Read more from Dominic Anthony Walsh with Texas Public Radio...