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
Heat, drought and population growth have stressed aquifers that supply water to millions of Texans
Almost every other day, Charlie Flatten gets a call about another local water well gone dry. Last week, he tried to help one woman find a water truck to fill her home cistern. But all the hauling companies had suspended service amid a deepening shortage in Central...
Dry Springs in Central Texas Warn of Water Shortage Ahead
Almost every other day, Charlie Flatten gets a call about another local water well gone dry. Last week, he tried to help one woman find a water truck to fill her home cistern. But all the hauling companies had suspended service amid a deepening shortage in Central...
‘Faucet got turned off’: Hill Country lakes, streams struggling as drought drags on
Paul Bertetti, the Edwards Aquifer Authority’s senior director for aquifer science research and modeling, said the drought is a long-term issue for the aquifer, which started the year with water levels about 30 feet below historical norms “We’ve been exceedingly dry,...
Hays groundwater district says water company overused 89M gallons in 2022, impacting Jacob’s Well zone
A groundwater district in Hays County said one Central Texas water provider overpumped nearly 90 million gallons of water in 2022, leading to “by far” the largest penalties for overuse in the district, which manages the Jacob’s Well zone. The Hays Trinity Groundwater...
The invisible laws that led to America’s housing crisis
In the 1910s, US cities began enacting policies that would shape neighborhoods and, unintentionally, lay the roots for the severe housing shortage today: single-family zoning laws. Zoning laws, at their most basic, follow a simple concept. In one part of town, only...
‘It’s heartbreaking’: Jacob’s Well stops flowing for sixth time in recorded history
Jacob's Well, the popular spring-fed swimming hole in Wimberley, has reached zero flow for the sixth time in its recorded history. All six of those times have occurred in the last 23 years — and it's become more frequent. Earlier this summer, the Hays County park...
Comal Springs have only stopped flowing once in recorded history. Could it happen again?
The impacts of the current long-term drought are far-reaching. Jacob’s Well is closed, San Antonio Water System has stepped up enforcement of water usage and Canyon Lake is nearing an all-time low. These are all bad situations, but it could become even more critical...
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