News
Director’s Notes – December 2017
Hill Country Family, As we approach the end of 2017, it seems like a fitting time to reflect on what we’ve accomplished, the journey we’ve taken to get where we are today, and the plans for an exciting, bright future for the Hill Country Alliance (HCA). HCA is very...
The Taking: How the federal government abused its power to seize property for a border fence
The land agents started working the border between Texas and Mexico in the spring of 2007. Sometimes they were representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Other times they were officers from the U.S. Border Patrol, uniformed in green, guns tucked into side...
How to build a city that doesn’t flood? Turn it into a sponge
Urban floods make the news with alarming regularity. Just in the past few months, Hurricane Harvey submerged Houston, and the seasonal monsoon crippled cities in South Asia. Dramatic floods from increasingly severe storms come with a steep cost, both human and...
State climatologist: Dry conditions could worsen for much of Texas
Adam Russell | AgriLife Today | October and November were two of the driest Octobers and Novembers on record, and much of the state appears to be facing a continued dry spell through winter, according to the state climatologist. Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon, College...
Big spring vs big oil
Charles Phillips was in his pasture one day last year when he heard the sound. At 85, Phillips doesn’t hear as well as he used to, but he had no problem picking up the unmistakable squeal of a drill boring through rock. That’s odd, he thought. Why would my...
Amid Population Boom, Texas Cities Plan $225 Million Water Pipeline
Texas cities with booming populations are teaming up on a major water pipeline project. “The Alliance Regional Water Authority has obtained permits and financing is underway to start construction next year on a 95-mile pipeline to pump groundwater from the...
Louisiana may sell water to drought-stricken Texas
Hit by drought after drought, Texas is so parched that it's asking its neighbors if they have any water to spare. Louisiana's response: maybe, but it'll cost you. This week, the state Water Resources Commission approved the formation of a group to study the idea of...
TPWD Announces Opening of Guadalupe River Fishing Leases
The Canyon Reservoir Tailrace, located below Canyon Reservoir on the Guadalupe River, is considered one of the top trout fishing destinations in the United States. To help anglers access the river during the peak of the cool-weather trout fishing season, the Texas...
New Census Data Shows SA’s Population Growth Rate Beating Dallas, Houston
San Antonio’s population increased by about 10 percent since 2011 to 1,439,358, according to new estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday. The city’s growth is second to Austin (16.1 percent), but outpaces that of Houston (7.2 percent) and Dallas (6.8...
Texas Has An Epic Story To Tell About Water Conservation
Texans are making tremendous progress on conserving water. In fact, in the municipal sector (composed of residential, institutional, industrial, and commercial water use) cities across Texas are using 21 percent less water than we were in 2000. One of the methods used...
SA water company to quench development thirst with Hill Country pipeline
By next fall, there will be a new water pipeline running from Bexar County to Comal and Kendal counties in an effort to lay the groundwork for new developments between San Antonio and Austin. Texas Water Supply Company LLC, a San Antonio-based wholesale business that...
Challenges of Rapid Growth
What happens when an area known for its natural beauty and resources experiences rapid population growth? Executive Director, Katherine Romans, joins the Mothering Earth podcast for a discussion on the unique challenges of balancing growth with natural resource...
Why a conservative Republican from northern Minnesota wants to kill the suburbs
Charles Marohn’s professional epiphany came with equal doses of clarity and guilt. The University of Minnesota-trained civil engineer had once been proud of a project he helped build in Remer, a town of a few hundred people between Brainerd and Grand Rapids. A sewer...
Symposium mulls ‘climate change’
A Texas Water Symposium titled “Climate and Water in Central Texas: Planning for a Changing Resource,” was held earlier in November at Schreiner University and recorded for broadcasting on Texas Public Radio. The public was invited to the free symposium to hear...
Fast-growing Hays cities partner to build $225 million water pipeline
Officials in Hays County cities and others along the Interstate 35 corridor are moving forward with a $225.8 million deal to secure a long-term water supply for the rapidly growing region. The coalition of agencies has permits in hand and financing underway to start...
TCEQ Punts on Water Rights Fight on the San Saba River
In the latest volley in a decade-long fight over water rights on the San Saba River in Central Texas, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has delayed implementing a permanent solution to ensure the river flows year round. As the Observer reported in...
Kyle officials find temporary fix for failing wastewater plant
Kyle officials said Tuesday that they’ve come up with fixes for the city’s wastewater treatment plant, which experienced a mechanical failure Sunday morning. City staff will install a temporary pump system at the malfunctioning plant this afternoon that will mimic the...
Wastewater plant issue could lead to partially treated effluent in Plum Creek
Kyle city officials are scrambling to rectify an issue at the city’s wastewater treatment plant that, if left unfixed, could release up to one million gallons per day of partially treated effluent into Plum Creek. The issue took place Sunday when the center well...
Six oil operators, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation form partnership
Partnerships and joint ventures are nothing new among Permian Basin oil operators, but a new partnership just announced takes a unique approach. Six companies with significant operations in the Permian Basin – Anadarko Petroleum, Chevron, ExxonMobil’s subsidiary XTO...
David Yeates: The Massive Urban-Rural Imbalance in Texas
Anyone who has heard me speak publicly on natural resource conservation in Texas knows that I invariably bring the discussion around to the enormous urban/rural imbalance that we find ourselves in here in our great state. Texas is a private property state, given our...
Humans at fault for many nuisance species spoiling state’s environment
We should have our hands slapped over some of the things we’ve done in this state by letting plants and animals run wild. Think about it: We now have tens of thousands, probably more, of exotics — axis deer, black bucks, fallows, oryx, etc. — throughout the Hill...
Our nights are brighter, and brighter
Of course, our night skies are more washed with artificial light than those of our ancestors, but apparently – despite the efforts of groups such as the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) – Earth’s night skies are still getting brighter. A landmark study...
Want dark? Go to Big Bend Ranch, which just earned dark sky status
When the sun sets on a moonless night at rugged and remote Big Bend Ranch State Park, the night wraps around you like a black velvet cloak. This week, the 315,000-acre park announced its designation as an International Dark Sky Park. Big Bend National Park and Big...
Whither the Warbler’s habitat?
Comal County is one of the top 10 fastest-growing counties in the United States, and a loose coalition of concerned residents and activist groups think it is time for residents to start thinking about protecting open space and acquiring park land - "Before it's too...
Proposed Sports Complex Threatens Dark Skies in River Hills
A westside sports park project seven years in the making is facing a new wave of resistance from a nearby neighborhood wishing to protect its low-light, star-filled sky. The 12 Fields Foundation, a partnership of West Lake youth sports leagues, has been working since...
Students Work to Enhance Habitat along Comanche Creek
On Tuesday, November 7th, students from Mason High School spent the day along Comanche Creek at Fort Mason City Park. As part of the School District’s Blue-Ribbon Service Day, these five students learned about the importance of creek-side (riparian) systems, and the...
Can Rainwater Harvesting bring water security to the Hill Country? Boerne’s upcoming Texas Water Symposium will discuss innovative rainwater use as an alternative to skyrocketing water costs
Declining aquifer levels and the rapidly rising cost of water supply and management has prompted suppliers, builders, and homeowners across the region to turn to alternative sources of water. As we look to a long-term future of increasing population growth and demand...
Landowners debate pipeline
Earlier this year 75 landowners in Comal County and 100 landowners in Kendall County received letters from South Comal Water Supply Corp (SCWSC) stating their property was being considered as sites to build a water pipeline to supply water to subdivisions south of...
Revenge of the Wild Pigs Goes Toxic
The wild pig bomb perpetually explodes. Shoot, trap, pressure and push, but the march of wild pigs continues across the United States. However, a chemical cavalry is approaching and may provide a major weapon in the control arsenal used by landowners and farmers: Kill...
Director’s Notes – November 2017
As the weather cools and we all gather loved ones close, Thanksgiving is a perfect time to pause and count our blessings. Here at the Hill Country Alliance, I’ve lost count of how many supporters, partners, inspirational individuals, ideas, and moments we have to be...