The mission of the Hill Country Alliance is to bring together a diverse coalition of partners to preserve the open spaces, starry night skies, clean and abundant waters, and unique character of the Texas Hill Country.
Our Work
Land
The Texas Hill Country region covers over 11 million acres in 17 counties of mostly privately held land.
Water
Thirteen Texas rivers begin in the Hill Country and provide water for millions of downstream neighbors.
Night Sky
The Hill Country sits on the edge of night and as development pushes westward, we are losing our view of the night sky.
Community
90% of Hill Country lands are in unincorporated areas where there is little authority to plan for growth.
Collaboration
HCA serves as the backbone organization and fiscal sponsor of the Texas Hill Country Conservation Network.
Latest News
Report: Sludge dumped into river by wastewater plant caused algae
Test results show that an unauthorized dumping of sludge by a city-operated wastewater treatment plant in Liberty Hill was to blame for the algae that blanketed the South San Gabriel River in Georgetown this spring. The excessive algae marred the appearance of the...
Central Texas archaeologists find ancient artifacts dating back 20,000 years
Archaeologists at Texas State University say there have been people living in Central Texas for tens of thousands of years. In fact, they believe they may have discovered the oldest civilization in North America, right here at home. "We can't just say people were here...
Artificial Light at Night May be Contributing to “Ecological Armageddon”
In 2017, drastic declines of insects were reported by a team of scientists in Germany. The research indicated that the biomass of flying insects decreased more than 75% over the 27-year study period. In a new study published in the Annals of Applied Biology,...
Opposition to sand crusher grows
As the news of a planned sand dredging and crushing operation along Sandy Creek has spread, controversy about this commercial project has grown. Property owners upstream and downstream from the proposed site on the Nash Ranch are voicing environmental, lifestyle and...
Well’s gone dry: aquifers taking a hit during the drought
“It’s not out of the ordinary to have wells drop in a severe drought like this, when there is a really terrific shortage of groundwater,” said John Fisher, a Bell County commissioner, who lives in southern Bell County near the Williamson County line. As of July 10,...
Hoping to raise water awareness, state returns to a famous ad man
An Austin advertising legend who once helped sell “Don’t mess with Texas” is now working with state officials on a sequel: a campaign to get Texans to cherish water, from their lakes to their sinks. Roy Spence, one of the founders of ad giant GSD&M, is partnering...
From the Banks of Sandy Creek
It's called Sandy Creek for a reason. It's fairly long and, coming up to its mouth, pretty wide, and like many Hill Country creeks, when it's not flooding, it usually has a little bit of water and quite a bit of sand. It's pretty, though, largely unspoiled as it runs...
Act Now
Shop the HCA Store
HCA Resources
Reports:
One Water in the Texas Hill Country:
Connecting Communities with Projects and Professionals
