News
$76M Fredericksburg resort, conference center ready to break ground
Construction is expected to start soon on a massive project in the Hill Country town of Fredericksburg. [vcex_spacing size="30px"] The Houston-based developer of The Seven Hills Resort and Conference Center said he's received all the necessary approvals to start work...
Texas’ water quality challenge and the need for better communication in an era of increasing water quality contamination events
As Texas cities experience an increase in incidents associated with water quality contamination, the need for public education and engagement increases. The discussion in this paper identifies, based on publicly available data, three of the most common incidents in...
Meeting set on Tarpley wastewater plan
Landowners near a Christian summer camp planned in the Tarpley area have scheduled an organizational meeting to examine the camp’s plans to dump 49,000 gallons a day of treated wastewater into an area creek and to decide if a more environmentally sound treatment plan...
Austin boil water order in effect while utility pleads for reduced water consumption
A boil water notice remains in effect for Austin Water customers, and the city of Austin is pleading for people to slash their water consumption by 15 to 20 percent. Outdoor water use is being banned as part of what officials describe as an emergency situation. On...
The country’s cheapest water is in the West’s driest cities
Economists and a public policy expert at the University of Minnesota who looked into block pricing for water in the nation’s largest urban areas, including 11 Western cities, discovered a pattern they conclude is neither sustainable nor just: Many of the driest cities...
Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park to conduct water system assessment after tests find Legionella bacteria in water
STONEWALL, TX – This week, the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park received results of environmental water tests that were positive for Legionella bacteria at three sites: the pool house, the Klein shop, and the hangar visitor center. While there have been no...
Four Missing in Junction Flooding Identified as Search Continues
SAN ANGELO, TX -- The search continues in Junction for the four people missing in the recent flooding. Oct. 8, the Llano River in Junction reached flood stage with over 118,000 cubic-feet-per second pouring into the confluence of the North and South Llano Rivers...
Ecological Restoration Conference Taking Place November 9-11
Ecological Restoration Conference Taking Place November 9-11 Media Contact: Julia Stanford, info@txser.org or 817-301-9371 The Texas Society for Ecological Restoration will hold their 23rd Annual Conference November 9-11, 2018 at San Antonio River Authority in San...
October Director’s Notes: FESTIVAL, Rainwater Raffle and more!
The recent rains that have fallen across the Hill Country have me looking forward to HCA’s Hill Country Living + Rainwater Revival FESTIVAL, which is right around the corner! One of the things that I am most proud of at the Hill Country Alliance is the work we do to...
Festival in Dripping Springs celebrates Hill Country living
The Hill Country Living + Rainwater Revival FESTIVAL returns to the Dripping Spring Ranch Park on Saturday, October 20, from 10am to 5pm. This free, one-day event promises something for everyone who loves the Texas Hill Country – whether you live there now, plan a...
Blanco River named 2018 “Water To Watch” by National Fish Habitat Partnership
The Blanco River is one of the primary river networks that Central Texas communities depend upon for drinking water, flood abatement, agricultural production and recreation. Thanks to collaborative conservation work conducted by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department...
SAWS says bid dispute won’t stop flow of Vista Ridge water
On a former ranch property near an elementary school in Stone Oak, the largest water tank ever built by the San Antonio Water System is under construction. The tank is approximately 81 feet tall and big enough to hold 10 million gallons, according to SAWS Vice...
Monarch Observers Expect Largest Migration in a Decade
Monarch butterflies are heading to San Antonio in a year that could claim the largest migration in a decade. Based on robust activity in the monarchs’ primary Midwestern breeding grounds, Monarch Watch founder and expert Chip Taylor predicted “the migration should be...
Seeking America’s Quietest Spots: The Quest for Silence in a Loud World
The hiker trudged up a logging road and into a valley, tracing a route that seemed unremarkable. There were no sweeping views of the mountains that towered nearby. There was no summit to scale. Yet he stopped suddenly, jubilant, after about four miles of walking. He...
Texas Supreme Court denies petition challenging New Braunfels ‘can ban’
The Texas Supreme Court denied a petition for review Friday that challenges New Braunfels' longtime "can ban." The ordinance, also referred to as the can ban, prohibits the use of can or any disposable items on the river, keeping the river cleaner and improving the...
Natural gas pipeline will cross county
One of North America’s largest pipeline companies is looking to cross Gillespie County with a natural gas pipeline stretching from the Permian Basin to near the Gulf of Mexico. Kinder Morgan officials told the Standard-Radio Post on Tuesday it is or will soon be in...
Lake Austin fish habitat enhanced by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, local partners
AUSTIN – Lake Austin, once considered to be one of the top trophy bass fishing destinations in the nation, has experienced a decline in natural fish habitat in recent years due to efforts to control nuisance aquatic vegetation. Without plentiful habitat it can be a...
Devils River Landowners Say Wind Farms Threaten Wild Character of Texas’ Last Untamed River
Conflicts between energy producers and conservationists are nothing new in Texas, but a recent fight in Val Verde County centers around wind farms and whether they belong in one of the wildest natural areas left in the state. Members of the Devils River Conservancy,...
The deadly lure of city lights
Every Sept. 11, beams of light rise more than four miles into the night sky from the National 9/11 Memorial & Museum in Lower Manhattan to honor the nearly 3,000 lives lost in America’s most devastating terrorist attacks. The glowing columns elegantly trace the...
New Study: Riparian buffers Provide over $10,000/year/acre in reducing erosion, flooding, increased water purification, habitat, property values, more
A new study released Wednesday found just one acre of riparian forested buffer results in more than $10,000 in annual economic benefits, including reducing erosion and flooding, increasing water purification, wildlife habitat and property values. The study-- The...
Varsity Home Opener Spotlights City’s Environmental Cause
Wimberley, Texas, September 10, 2018 — Kick-off for the first Texan Varsity Football home game will be under Dark Sky Friendly lights Friday, September 14. Shining a spotlight on Wimberley Independent School District’s commitment to the city’s focus on environmental...
Exxon Mobil joins Kinder Morgan on $2B Permian Highway Pipeline
Exxon Mobil is signing on as a major customer on Kinder Morgan's planned, $2 billion Permian Highway Pipeline to carry natural gas from West Texas to the Houston region. Irving-based Exxon Mobil is looking for more outlets to transport its natural gas from its rapidly...
Preliminary Hearing For Electro Purification’s Proposed Permit Announced
The preliminary hearing for Electro Purification’s proposed permit has been announced. The hearing will take place, Monday, September 17, at the State Office of Administrative Hearings. TESPA, along with Hays County and several other individual landowners requested...
KVUE Defenders: Wastewater in waterways
"Would you want your kids in that river the way it is?" "The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality sited the Liberty Hill water treatment plant for six different violations, including failure to keep sewage from getting into the San Gabriel River." "The Edwards...
Report: Fecal bacteria found in 60% of Austin waterways
A new report by Environment Texas Research and Policy Center reveals that many of Austin's creeks and streams tested for high levels of bacteria in 2017. According to the report, 46 freshwater sites around Austin had levels of bacteria indicating levels of fecal...
Bacterial Pollution makes San Antonio creeks and rivers not swimmable
In early May, San Pedro Creek Culture Park opened with an outdoor festival that marked the transformation of a former concrete-lined channel to a public space with murals and fountains. Visitors, including children, splashed in the creek in the new Plaza de Fundación,...
Proposed sewage treatment plant near Honey Creek will recycle water, consultant says
A consultant in a planned subdivision has responded to concerns about a permit under review that would allow the discharge of treated sewage from the development upstream of Honey Creek, one of the most pristine waterways left in the Hill Country north of San Antonio....
Your next trip? It’s written in the stars
Like watching the sunset, seeking out the Big Dipper in the night sky is a vacation ritual. But in the past five years, according to experts, the term astrotourism has evolved to describe more intentional travel to places with dark skies and more visible stars....
A spillover of growth? Boerne cave business concerned development causing caves to flood
The owner and general manager of Cascade Caverns, a cave touring business nestled at the end of a winding road east of I-10, say the caves have seen unusual flooding in recent months, and they're blaming a series of subdivisions being built nearby. Pamela Brauchle,...
Hill Country Photo Contest Winners Announced
The Texas Hill Country is a unique region filled with diverse wildlife, clear springs, sprawling rural landscapes, historic towns, and some of the starriest night skies in the country. Each year the Hill Country Alliance (HCA) holds a photo contest encouraging...