News
WATCH: Panelists discuss managing Hill Country development amid finite water resources
Partnerships among land developers, public entities and nonprofits will be vital in managing the Texas Hill Country’s water resources in the coming years, experts said during a panel discussion Wednesday hosted by the San Antonio Report. But whether state legislators...
Texas’ water infrastructure is broken, jeopardizing quality and supply for a growing state
The Lone Star State’s drinking water infrastructure barely received a passing grade in a 2021 report from the American Society of Civil Engineers, a low mark for the nation’s second-most-populous state with a reputation for bravado. The multibillion-dollar situation...
Kerr County goes big on BMPs: Operators, community activists and the local government are working together to create a more collaborative environment through a focus on voluntary best management practices
In Texas Hill Country, where there had been an acrimonious relationship between aggregate producers and local residents, the two groups came together – along with local government officials and business people – to develop a voluntary best management practice (BMP)...
Climate change not part of LCRA water plan. KXAN investigation may change that
Karen Bruett has called Lake Travis home since 1999. “This lake is more than a play thing,” Bruett said, of the body of water just northwest of Austin. “This lake is actually our drinking water. We have that visceral experience of turning on our tap and knowing that...
House advances bill that could provide billions of dollars for new water projects and fixing aging infrastructure
A new fund to jumpstart massive water supply projects and fix aging water infrastructure across the state would be created under legislation that received approval from the Texas House on Wednesday, in a vote of 136-8. The fund could get between $1 billion and $3...
Hundreds turn out to oppose permit for Hill Country wastewater plant
As many as 300 people packed into a ballroom of a DoubleTree hotel on the city’s Northwest Side for a public hearing to voice their opposition to the construction of a wastewater plant that would dump millions of gallons of treated effluent into Helotes Creek....
The Texas city where mermaids inspire river conservation
The first thing visitors to the central Texas city of San Marcos notice are the mermaids. They’re everywhere, in some form. At the playground, one of the city’s fiberglass mermaid statues stands seven feet tall, her tail and hair painted in a rainbow of neon colors....
Massive Texas Eclipse festival set for April 2024
Less than a year from now, the Highland Lakes will be ground zero for what is expected to be an incredible view of a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, and a festival of gigantic proportions is in the works. Texas Eclipse, which is set for April 6-8, will take...
All droughts are not created equal
Although Texas is better prepared for drought now than in the late 1900s, the state is less ready for a repeat of the drought of record—or worse—than it was back then. If that sounds counterintuitive, it’s because all droughts are not created equal. Before the...
‘Home in the Hill Country’ photo contest seeks submissions
The Hill Country Alliance is accepting entries now through May 31 for its 2023 photo contest, "Home in the Hill Country." Original photography should capture the landscapes, water sources, wildlife, plants, and diverse people and communities of this part of Texas. The...
7 percent of water pipes in Texas are made of lead, new report shows
The first-of-its-kind report discovered that more than 647,000 of the water lines in our state are made of lead, and fixing that is going to come with a hefty price tag. “Texas has the fifth highest amount of lead pipes still in use in the United States," said ‘Inside...
Tubing destination, sacred natural resource — or both?
From her office overlooking Spring Lake, Dr. Christina Lopez has a view of the curious tourists, strolling locals, and excited schoolchildren who navigate the paths and exhibits surrounding the headwaters of the San Marcos River. It’s a fitting location for Lopez, a...
‘Nature-based solutions’ like trees and rain gardens can be cost-effective climate adaptations, advocates say
In early February, winter weather pummeled Austin, Texas, where “extreme weather” usually refers to sweltering temperatures, not ice storms. More than 100,000 city residents lost power because of the historic weather event, a recent example of why cities need to...
Fight over planned concrete plant has emotions running high in Garden Ridg
Residents of Garden Ridge — a town of about 4,000 just across the Comal County line from Bexar County — say they are concerned the plant would lead to increased dust and traffic, as well as the proposed site’s proximity to homes, a church and a preschool. Batch plants...
Cow Creek Groundwater Conservation District – Press Release 4/11/2023
April 10th Regular Board Meeting The Directors received an update from the District’s staff regarding current hydrologic conditions. The average water level was 22.51’ below the March average. This is the lowest March level on record. The levels of the District’s 43...
Good SITES design leads to happy campers at Shield Ranch
The SITES Gold Campsite at Shield Ranch, located just 22 miles from downtown Austin, Texas, serves as the new home for Camp El Ranchito, a scholarship-based overnight camp. El Ranchito started in 2007 as a primitive campsite with the mission to connect children with...
Sentinel Landscape program uses conservation to protect Camp Bullis, other military sites
Now with the help of the Sentinel Landscape designation, efforts are underway to help area landowners preserve nearly 1 million acres around the camp, protect water and wildlife, and reduce noise and light pollution. “The challenge is how do we work across this vast...
Number of city dwellers lacking safe water to double by 2050
The number of people lacking access to safe drinking water in cities around the world will double by 2050, research has found, amid warnings of an imminent water crisis that is likely to “spiral out of control”. Nearly 1 billion people in cities around the world face...
Water fund can help Texas fix aging pipes, pay for new water sources
Texans will find relief in a state Senate bill that tackles our aging and neglected water infrastructure. Even with its limitations, the proposed legislation could be the first major overhaul of the Texas water system in a decade. Senate Bill 28 would allow Texas to...
Despite ongoing drought, Hill Country Alliance announces second annual Spring Water Revival month
DRIPPING SPRINGS - Spring is in full force - native grasses are tall and green, trees have erupted in fresh leaves, and bluebonnets are gracing roadsides across the region. These blooms rely on long-awaited rains - and despite the vibrant floral displays, rainfall...
Lots to lose
From Paved Paradise, which will be published next month by Penguin Press. The need for a perfect parking space has shaped the country’s physical landscape. It has become the organizing principle of American architecture, making our designs bigger, uglier, and farther...
Opinion: Turn off the lights! Birds are depending on us.
Deep in the heart of Texas, the stars at night burn big and bright, but if you're hoping to catch a glimpse of the Milky Way over Austin, you are probably out of luck. As the region continues to experience rapid growth, Austinites are robbed of the spectacular night...
Opinion: Smart water strategies are crucial to Texas’ prosperity
In 2021, Texas gained an astounding new 300,000 Texans. Demographers expect our state to grow by more than four million people each decade through 2070, reaching a population of more than 50 million. Not only are people coming to the Lone Star State, but large...
367 acres of ‘vital’ land donated for conservancy in Hill Country
A Central Texas nonprofit announced Thursday it received a 367-acre land donation in Hill Country to be saved and protected from development. Scott Shannon of Scott Shannon Ranch donated a conservation easement, roughly the size of Zilker Park, along U.S. Highway 290...
Hill Country Alliance 17th annual photo contest: Home in the Hill Country
DRIPPING SPRINGS - The Texas Hill Country – famous for its pristine streams, blooming wildflowers, star-filled night skies, and tucked-away small towns – is home to over 3.8 million people and growing fast. Home to three of the fastest growing counties in the country,...
Permit asks to dump 600,000 gallons of sewage a day into creek feeding Comal River, Edwards Aquifer
Local environmental groups have raised concerns after a landowner filed a permit application with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to dump 600,000 gallons of treated sewage a day into a creek that feeds into the Comal River. The application - which was...
One of Texas’ largest unbroken areas of urban wilderness will be preserved by Hays County
Over 1,000 acres of biodiverse habitat in the Texas Hill Country will be shielded from future development under a new conservation agreement that is part of a network of protected conservation lands. That network will be the state’s largest unbroken parcel of urban...
How one Texas town is rethinking the American lawn
Lewisville, at first glance, is a typical Texas suburb. Wedged in the northwest corner of the Dallas metroplex, the 113,000-person city encompasses a little triangle bordered by a six-lane state toll road and an interstate highway. A small downtown with shops and...
Meadows Center executive director authors groundwater sustainability book
As Texas comes out of its 13th driest year on record, water and managing the state’s finite water supply is a pressing concern. A new book authored by Robert E. Mace, executive director for The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University,...
Preserve Texas lands for generations to come
Each year Texas loses nearly 250,000 acres of land to development. Rural work areas that form the wide open spaces that define Texas character are evaporating at an alarming rate. These lands are not only meant to be enjoyed by Texans, but they work every day to...