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News
Fair Oaks Ranch project raises water concerns in Comal County
The Reserve at Fair Oaks Ranch is exactly the kind of proposed development that Rep. Doug Miller long has cited in calls to create a groundwater conservation district in Comal County - “What is happening in Fair Oaks is a prime example of what I'm trying to prevent —...
Enlightening New Report on Texas Water Planning
A report issued by the non-profit Texas Center for Policy Studies (TCPS) finds that the current water planning process in Texas tends to over-estimate future water demand and under-estimate the potential for making better use of existing supplies. “This report shows...
Bandera High School Among TWDB’s Texas Rain Catcher Award Winners
May 6, 2014 The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) announced today that Bandera High School is among the winners of its annual Texas Rain Catcher Award, a rainwater harvesting competition and recognition program. The award recognizes excellence in the application of...
Wind farm and transmission line updates from SOSHE
Final CREZ lines have been completed, a public meeting will be held in Stonewall May 15th regarding the Blumenthal Substation and new transmission line, The first major wind farm in Central Texas is now online in Mills County. Learn more from the most recent Save Our...
Water Development Board’s ombudsman will help towns navigate the process
Senator Troy Fraser and Carolos Rubinstein visited Fredericksburg last week to introduce TWDB’s new “rural ombudsman” Doug Shaw. “We hope underground aquifer storage becomes commonplace, as it is less intrusive than new reservoirs and it suffers less evaporation….But...
Hill Country Alliance Adds New Staff to Focus on Water Policy and Landowner Outreach Programs
May 6, 2014 The Hill Country Alliance is pleased to welcome two new full-time staff members, Charlie Flatten and Katherine Romans, who will respectively manage the organization’s water policy and landowner outreach programs. The Hill Country Alliance (HCA) is a...
Texas Riparian & Stream Ecosystem Workshop
The Texas Water Resources Institute’s Texas Riparian and Stream Ecosystem Education Program will host a workshop from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. May 13 in Kerrville for area residents interested in land and water stewardship in the Upper Guadalupe watershed. Learn More
Strong Towns Curbside Chat Thursday, May 8th, 6–7:30pm at the LBJ Museum in San Marcos
Meet Chuck Marohn, President of Strong Towns for a candid talk and conversation about the future of America’s cities, towns and neighborhoods. “The current approach to growth emphasizes investments in new infrastructure to serve or induce new development. This...
Bringing back the Milky Way
Learn now to save energy and money by using “Better Lights for Starry Nights” (April 30, 2014) A dark night sky full of big bright stars is important here in the Hill Country, just like clean rivers, scenic vistas and natural landscapes. Little by little,...
CASE CLOSED: Disappointment for Hill Country Aquifer Protection
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) recently halted a process that could have created groundwater conservation districts (GCDs) in some of the fasted growing areas of the Hill Country. TCEQ Executive Director Richard Hyde successfully petitioned the...
Hays County makes pitch for agency to secure, divvy up water
When it comes to water, Hays County’s cup overfloweth. That’s why county commissioners Monday pitched the idea of a regional corporation of governments that would reserve and divvy up water — a job that now mainly falls to individual cities or utility districts — to...
PEC Candidate Forum April 24th in Johnson City
The Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC) is hosting a candidates forum for two board of director seats up for election this year. The meeting will be held 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 24 at PEC Headquarters, 201 S. Ave. F in Johnson City. The event will also include...
TWDB opens SWIFT for public comment
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has opened their State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT) rules making process for public comment. Participation in the rules making process is critical to ensure that the intentions of the State Legislature are...
Join HCA at Upcoming Bennett Trust Education Program: Protecting the Legacy of the Edwards Plateau
The Bennett Trust will host its first ever land stewardship and education conference April 23-25 in Kerrville. Wyman Meinzer, state photographer of Texas, will deliver the keynote address on the history and legacy of the Edwards Plateau. Attendees will also have the...
Common Misperceptions Regarding Land and Wildlife Management in Central Texas
The statements below in Bold are common misperceptions followed by a brief explanation of clarification. Mesquite is not native to Texas; it invaded from Mexico. Mesquite is a native tree and has been here for thousands of years. The density of mesquite has increased...
City Wastewater Discharge May Threaten Clear-running Creeks and Water Wells
by Vicki Wolf (April 17, 2014) Some water experts believe Hill Country clear-running creeks and streams may soon be a thing of the past if cities are permitted to discharge treated wastewater directly into creeks such as Onion Creek. Water wells may also become...
To Deal With Drought, Texas Needs to Manage Growth
“With the exception of the lower Rio Grande Valley and small parts of Far West Texas, much of the state has received less than 50 percent of normal rainfall,” reads TWDB’s most recent report. “This doesn’t bode well for the next six months. A dry winter generally...
Keeping Rivers Flowing: Innovative Strategies to Protect and Restore Rivers
Join us for a Webinar on April 30 Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/832319351 "Keeping Rivers Flowing: Innovative Strategies to Protect and Restore Rivers" is a free three-part webinar series designed to inform...
Sky Lewey, HCA Board Member receives Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Award
Sky has been selected to receive a “Lone Star Land Steward Award” for her work in education and outreach for the Nueces River Authority in Uvalde County. “Sky Lewey is a conservation educator with extraordinary leadership and dedication. A key figure in the efforts to...
Amazing rally for Bracken Bat Cave
Bat Conservation International has inspired major support to prevent intense development of 1500 acres adjacent to Bracken Cave from the City of San Antonio, Mayor Julian Castro, City Councilman Ron Nirenberg, The Kronkosky Charitable Foundation and others. Find out...
The Great Grassland Myth of the Texas Hill Country
How many times have you heard that the Hill Country was once a great vast grassland with only a modest covering of trees and brush? Although this longstanding myth is deeply ingrained and embraced by many government agencies, biologists, landowners and professionals,...
Georgetown moves to limit residential lawns and landscaping to save water
“The rules require residential developers to use only drought-resistant plants from a list provided by the city. St. Augustine grass, which tends to be very thirsty, can only be planted in areas where there is 10 inches of topsoil and less than 6 hours of full...
Texas Water Development Board launches interactive 2012 State Water Plan website
April 3, 2014 As part of the Texas Water Development Board’s ongoing efforts to promote awareness about water needs, the agency has launched an interactive website based on the 2012 State Water Plan. The website makes it easy for Texans to get details about water...
You Can’t Say They Don’t Care What You Think – Public Input on HB 4
Approval of “Prop 6” indirectly transferred $2 billion from the state’s “rainy day” fund into this new State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT) to provide water for “non-rainy” days. But just moving money around doesn’t create water. That’s why what’s...
Financing the Cost of New Development
March 27, 2014 Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance At the San Antonio Water System Board meeting of March 4th, the SAWS Board was briefed on the 2014 to 2023 Land Use Assumptions Plan. This plan includes recommendations for impact fees to fund additional water supplies....
Groundwater Levels on the Decline
Stay informed about your local Groundwater Conservation District (GCD). The Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD) creates a monthly bulletin full of helpful water conservation information and news. Read the latest edition here. Do you know your...
EPA proposes greater protections for streams, wetlands under Clean Water Act
“Intermittent and ephemeral streams provide critical fish habitat out West. They account for 94 percent of Arizona’s streams, according to the EPA, and 88 percent of those in New Mexico.” The same holds true here in the Hill Country as these tributaries feed the...
HCA’s Certified Interpretive Guide Training Workshop Returns
Do you want to create meaningful experiences that last a lifetime? HCA is offering an Interpretive Guide Training workshop that will help you connect the minds and hearts of your audience to the beauty of nature and the mysteries of history. The four-day workshop will...
A more “Night Skies” friendly community
James Murr The Junction Eagle March 26, 2014 It started when the Kimble County Commissioners Court, followed by the City Council, passed resolutions supporting voluntary efforts to protect the Night Skies. This paralleled actions being taken in other Hill Country...
TWDB’s Water Data for Texas website now includes groundwater data
Today Texans are more aware than ever of the importance of groundwater. As part of ongoing efforts to synthesize and communicate water-related data to scientists, policy makers and the public, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB)recently announced its Water Data...