News
Fredericksburg one step closer to becoming Dark-Sky community
"Nearly 80 percent of the United States can no longer see the Milky Way,” Ken Kattner, an amateur astronomer and president of International Dark-Sky Association, said. Light pollution remains an ever-radiating problem for not only the United States, but many parts of...
Texas Water Symposium will discuss “One Water” and how it can provide water for future needs
Celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Texas Water Symposium with a conversation about emerging water management techniques called “One Water” at 7pm on Wednesday, May 30th. The program, titled What is “One Water” and can it meet the future water needs of a growing...
Opinion: Farm Bill will impact Texas’ post-Harvey conservation efforts
As Gus McCrae wisely quipped in “Lonesome Dove”: “Yesterday’s gone, we can’t get it back.” The Farm Bill of yesterday — or four years ago, to be clear — is coming to a close, soon to be replaced by a new bill. Though it may not seem like it at first blush, the Farm...
NASA study shows humans responsible for major shifts in water supply
Humans are dramatically altering water supply in many places worldwide, say NASA scientists who have been tracking regional changes via satellite. The researchers analyzed 14 years of data from NASA’s twin Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment satellites, which the...
Blanco distillery uses one hundred percent rainwater
“One of the distinctions of our whiskey is the rainwater exclusively used in the distilling process,” Erwin said. “We put in a 56,000-gallon rainwater collection tank to tap into the best tasting water which also helps us conserve water.” Andalusia’s water tank...
Economic valuation of groundwater in Texas
Groundwater is a strategic economic asset, and recent Texas Supreme Court decisions have strengthened private ownership rights in groundwater. Despite the economic and political stakes, debate on how to actually value groundwater has been sparse. In response, this...
IN THE GARDEN: Pesky Pests; Repel and Attract; and Dark Sky Lighting
Ben Eldredge of Cibolo Nature Center eloquently explains the importance of dark sky lighting: “Our stars are fading behind a vail of light. As communities grow, the amount of light grows with them, casting more light into our atmosphere. This light interacts with...
$7.5M treatment plant greenlighted in Wimberley
With funding now accounted for, Wimberley is moving forward with the addition of sewer lines in downtown, as well as its proposed $7.5 million wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The joint project marks the city’s initiative to accommodate a growing population and...
Night Sky Friendly Program
Our recent award of the Night Sky Friendly Business Recognition Program, sponsored by the Mason County Chamber of Commerce goes to Benjie’s. This program recognizes businesses that use light fixtures that use less electricity and preserves our beautiful starry skies....
Replacing Mother Nature Can Be Expensive
“We take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude,” Dr. Tom Arsuffi stressed near the beginning of the most recent Texas Water Symposium. The panel discussion, moderated by Katherine Romans, Executive Director of the Hill Country Alliance, also...
Attorney General Says TCEQ Must Ignore Zoning and Other City Ordinances When Approving Concrete Crushing Facility
On April 19, the attorney general issued an opinion (KP-190) concluding not only that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) does not have to, but in some cases is not allowed to, consider zoning and other city recommendations when approving permits for...
White House, EPA headed off chemical pollution study
Scott Pruitt’s EPA and the White House sought to block publication of a federal health study on a nationwide water-contamination crisis, after one Trump administration aide warned it would cause a "public relations nightmare," newly disclosed emails reveal. The...
Electro Purification is back
A Houston-based firm at the center of controversy in 2015 is now looking to draw roughly one billion gallons of water per year from the Trinity Aquifer. Electro Purification (EP), which had failed in its attempt to secure water in 2015, submitted a request to the...
Texas Water Symposium Will Explore ‘Ecosystem Services’ Function, Cost Savings To Taxpayers
Celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Texas Water Symposium with an evening discussion about “Ecosystem Services” and the value of healthy lands and waters to all Texans. This installment of the Texas Water Symposium will take place at 7pm on Thursday, May 10th. The...
Unpublished Federal Report Projects Bleak Future for Central Texas Mussels and Rivers
If the state’s population continues to balloon and climate change worsens, four Central Texas mussels could face near-certain extinction, according to an internal analysis by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) obtained by the Observer. While mussels aren’t...
Gravel quarries, Kerr mining still a hot issue
Kerr County Commissioner Tom Moser hosted a multi-agency “Town Hall” meeting last week on one of the county’s hot-button issues – the area’s gravel-mining quarries and their regulation and effects on residents. Moser and County Judge Tom Pollard opened the meeting in...
In Memoriam: A ‘Force of Nature,’ James Avery Took Texas Jewelry Business National
His studio was a two-car garage tucked into the Texas Hill Country, his techniques learned from a library book, and his designs inspired by a hard-won faith. From that humble start, James Avery created a signature jewelry line long recognizable for its handcrafted...
Travis County implements reclaimed water program to save water and tax dollars
Travis County is set to save an estimated 10 million gallons of water per year and also help save thousands of dollars in taxpayer money with its reclaimed water plan for cooling. During a press conference Tuesday, Commissioner Brigid Shea, whose district represents...
Solar Panels Vandalized at Confluence Park
When Confluence Park opened to the public in early March, those who poured time and money into the project hailed it as a new hub of environmental learning and appreciation. Less than eight weeks later, the solar panels in the small array atop the park’s classroom...
Private land conservation’s role in mitigating flood risk
There is little debate among scientists that our climate is changing, and in Texas that has meant ever-larger storm events resulting in catastrophic flooding. This Earth Day, we should take a moment to reflect on some potential solutions that can help our communities...
A North American Climate Boundary Has Shifted 140 Miles East Due to Global Warming
In the late 1800s, geologist and explorer John Wesley Powell first described a clear boundary running longitudinally through North America along the 100th meridian west that visibly separated the humid eastern part of the continent from the more arid western plains....
Asphalt is the last crop
Missed in the coverage of the recent release of the 2018 farm bill is an obscure program that will significantly impact the future of Texas. It is not a commodity program, nor does it deal with nutrition assistance. It is smaller in scope and cost than those programs,...
Texas Added Some 3 Million People Between 2010 and 2017. Here’s Where They Came From.
The constant drumbeat we hear from the national media is that Texas is the big destination inside the United States. More people are moving from other parts of the U.S. to Texas than to anywhere else. Related: New Census Data: Greater SA Home to 2 of Nation’s...
WTCPUA mulls Hamilton Pool Road water quality, The Backyard
Within a span of 24 hours, West Travis County Public Utility Agency board members hosted a town hall meeting, announced improvements slated for the coming year, approved water quality protections for the Hamilton Pool Road corridor and agreed to take a hard stance on...
Vulcan and TCEQ take heat at public hearing on concrete plant permit
Vulcan Materials has come under intense public criticism for its plan to open a concrete batch plant near a school in Kendall County, but The complaints came to a head last week at the agency’s public hearing on the requested permit for the plant, the final chance for...
Texas is making billions from oil and gas drilling, but counties say rural roads are being destroyed
Texas leads the nation in both oil and natural gas production. In the 2017 budget year, the oil production tax brought the state more than $2 billion in revenue, while the natural gas production tax brought in a little less than $1 billion. But none of that tax money...
Hill Country groups wanting more local land-use control
As the second fastest-growing county in the country according to U.S. Census Bureau data, Comal County, like others in the Hill Country, is coming face to face with industries that want to set up shop on land that is becoming more and more precious. Annalisa Peace,...
New Braunfels Utilities seeks community support for Headwaters project
Along the fault line that separates the Texas Hill Country from the Texas Coastal Plain, the largest freshwater spring system in Texas emerges from the ground in New Braunfels. New Braunfels Utility owns the 16-acre spot in the northwest part of town where the spring...
April HCA Director’s Notes
April is truly one of the most photogenic time of year for the Hill Country. As the seasons change, it’s wonderful to see new life emerging as nature seems to come alive again in the greening grasses and the pops of color here and there from wildflowers. Photos tell...
State-Owned Bexar County Ranch at the Center of Latest Warbler Fight
Rancho Sierra, a 2,317-acre property northwest of San Antonio, has everything – rugged hills, a ranch house, springs and seeps that form the headwaters of two creeks, and Mount Smith, the tallest point in Bexar County. It also has, according to surveys, an abundance...