News
Tucson, Arizona, U.S. Skyglow Reduced 7% after Street Light Conversion
John Barentine, Director of Conservation at the International Dark-Sky Association, is the lead author of a recent study published online by the Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer. Although Barentine has previously published papers in the...
No Resolution in Sight For Ranchers and Farmers Fighting Over San Saba River
Why is a 40-mile stretch of the San Saba river running dry during the summers? That was the central question at a Texas House Natural Resources Committee hearing in Brady on Wednesday. As the Observer first reported last year, a significant stretch of the San Saba, a...
Hays County water fight is back on, 3 years after residents’ big win
Three years ago, Hays County’s grass-roots Save Our Wells group took on a Houston-based company that found a regulatory loophole allowing it to pump millions of gallons of water from the already-strained Trinity Aquifer and sell it. The dispute culminated in...
San Marcos Urges Water Conservation As Aquifer Level Falls
The City of San Marcos is urging water conservation because of rapidly dropping aquifer levels and the prospect of Stage 2 drought rules quickly approaching. Stage 2 is implemented when the 10-day average Edwards Aquifer index well level falls below 650 feet above...
Deal to limit Dripping Springs sewage plant discharge hits snag
After years of fighting a proposal to expand a sewage treatment plant that would dump treated wastewater into a creek that feeds Barton Springs, the city of Austin, groundwater conservation districts, Onion Creek property owners and the Save Barton Creek Association...
In a Warming West, the Rio Grande Is Drying Up
Mario Rosales, who farms 365 acres along the Rio Grande, knows the river is in bad shape this year. It has already dried to a dusty ribbon of sand in some parts, and most of the water that does flow is diverted to irrigate crops, including Mr. Rosales’s fields of...
Guadalupe bass back story
The Texas state record Guadalupe bass measured 17.25 inches, weighed only 3.71 pounds, and was caught on fly fishing tackle from the Colorado River downstream from Austin. What might seem like a yawner of a catch to the average bass angler has greater impact outside...
Water scientist by profession, humorist by choice
To hear Dr. Robert Mace speak at a water conference is to hear a very knowledgeable water expert mixing in a little humor on the side. Determined to retain the interest of the audience, many times Mace titles his presentations with humorous names, such as “Gone With...
Reforestation experts help restore a wild Blanco River
Each week, Ina Alexatos drives throughout Wimberley in a Subaru Forester with the words Trees for the Blanco printed across the side. She visits riverside landowners one by one to consult them on letting their banks go wild. She then stakes orange flags to mark where...
BSEACD Staff Recommends Issuing EP Permit in Phases with Special Conditions
In July of 2017, Electro Purification, LLC ("EP") applied for a groundwater production permit at the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District ("BSEACD") for a Middle Trinity Aquifer well field in Hays County. The permit application indicates that pumping...
Is new wastewater treatment plant to blame for algae in river?
The South San Gabriel River was so clear as it flowed past Frank and LaWann Tull’s house on Waterford Lane in Georgetown that they held baptisms for their church in April 2016 and April 2017. But this year they couldn’t. Around the beginning of April, t he river...
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...