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.
Community Resilience
As our region reacts to ongoing challenges, the Hill Country Alliance is working to keep you connected.
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
Another hot, dry summer may push parts of Texas to the brink
Two consecutive summers of brutal heat and drought have left some parts of Texas with notably low water supplies going into 2024. A wet year or a well-placed hurricane could quickly pull these regions back from the brink. But winter rains have disappointed so far....
Jacob’s Well was dry for seven months—One company just kept pumping
After sitting dry for 222 days, Jacob’s Well, the iconic artesian spring near Wimberley, has started to flow again. From mid-June through mid-January, the popular swimming hole was a miserable sight: the water level had receded below the lip of the well’s mouth,...
Texas companies reported releasing 1 million pounds of excess pollution during recent cold snap
Frigid weather this month caused industrial facilities across Texas to release unplanned air pollution as machinery froze, power went out and icy conditions blocked service crews. Over four chilly days between Jan. 14 and 17, companies submitted reports to Texas’...
Thousands of oil and gas wastewater spills threaten property, groundwater, wildlife and livestock across Texas
In the state’s latest Joint Groundwater Monitoring and Contamination Report, the Railroad Commission had included 557 groundwater contamination cases caused by oil and gas operations. The spokesperson said cases where chloride contaminated the groundwater—of which...
CNN names Texas Hill Country one of the best places to visit in the world this year
A new report says that one of the best places to visit in the entire world is right here in Central Texas. CNN Travel named the Texas Hill Country one of the best places to visit in the world in 2024. The region was included alongside 23 other destinations, including...
Residents, groups fight plan to dump wastewater into Hill Country waterway
Residents and environmental groups are asking state regulators to deny a developer’s request to build a plant that would dump 300,000 gallons of treated wastewater a day into Hondo Creek, saying the plan could damage the Hill Country waterway. The wastewater plant...
Which Texas cities could see nearly 500K tourists during the total eclipse?
With three months until a total solar eclipse passes over Texas on April 8, many people are making final preparations. Between 931,000 and 3,725,000 are expected to travel to see the eclipse within the United States, according to GreatAmericanEclipse.com. Which cities...
HCA ISSUES
Act Now
Shop the HCA Store
HCA Resources
Reports:
One Water in the Texas Hill Country:
Connecting Communities with Projects and Professionals
Social Media
Earlier this week, HCA's Dawn Davies joined @KLRN On the Record host Randy Beamer for a quick chat about Monday's total eclipse and how important our region's #nightskies are EVERY night of the year!
#texashillcountry #texasnightsky #totalsolareclipse
#ICYMI HCA's Night Sky Program Manager Dawn Davies was recently interviewed by @TexasMonthly about Monday's #eclipse! Read on to learn more about how Hill Country communities have been preparing.
What are your plans for the #texaseclipse? 🤔😎
HCA was proud to be in attendance when #ComalCounty considered and approved its Parks, Open Space and Natural Areas Master Plan today! “We are stewards on this commissioners court…it’s about time we take a step to stewarding our natural resources.”
@ComalCCAlliance