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
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...
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