All Resources
HCA Issue Papers
Reports, Guides, and Regional Studies
Data Centers and Water Use: A Community Guide
This report is designed to help local decision makers and community advocates in Central Texas navigate the rapidly expanding data center industry. To support informed decisions, the report provides practical information on data centers’ water use and highlights policy tools to safeguard local resources and quality of life.
Rainwater Harvesting in Central Texas
Rainwater harvesting is not a new invention; it can be traced back thousands of years. As the recent concepts of sustainability, smart growth, and responsible development become more widely known, more and more people are returning to the practice of capturing and using the rain that falls on rooftops for all or part of their water supply. Learn more in this guide.
One Water Buildings Implementation Checklist
This One Water Building checklist is a practical tool to help developers, architects, and property owners integrate water conservation and reuse strategies into new construction and major renovations. This checklist guides projects in maximizing efficiency, reducing strain on local water supplies, and building resilience against drought through smart design and resource management.
Leading by Example Guidebook
This guidebook is a resource for any Hill Country leader who wants to promote more thoughtful development in their community. It is broken into chapters focused on different local policies that can guide development that is protective of our local context, with examples from across our region.
Hillside Stewardship Guide
Effective hillside stewardship balances healthy plant communities and soils with the landowner’s goals for long-term land management. When landowners can slow and sink water into the land, this physical process provides a variety of benefits, including reduced erosion, increased soil moisture and grass production, flood mitigation, groundwater replenishment, habitat enhancement, and increasing the flow of spring-fed creeks.
Tools for Managing Groundwater in the Texas Hill Country
This resource from the Hill Country Alliance – created in May 2023 – is meant to demystify the available tools for groundwater management and make groundwater planning and management more accessible across the Hill Country.
One Water in the Texas Hill Country: A Guidebook for Connecting Communities with Projects and Professionals
A joint project of Hill Country Alliance and the National Wildlife Federation, this guidebook is intended to connect Hill Country communities facing growth and increased demands for water with water professionals experienced with One Water strategies, planning, implementation, design and construction.
Friends of the Night Sky Resource Guide
HCA’s Night Sky Team & Texan by Nature are excited to share a brand new tool to help celebrate International Dark Sky week – the Friends of the Night Sky Resource Guide. Inspired by the many volunteer-led efforts already underway across the Hill Country, we’ve pulled together a how-to guide for folks interested in joining the movement!
Making the Case for Source Water Protection: Pedernales River Basin Evaluation
This case study presents multiple land conservation and source water protection programs, their successes and funding sources. Ultimately, the study suggests priority protection areas and a road map for implementing a successful source water protection program in the Pedernales River Basin.
Land, Water, Sky, and Natural Infrastructure Plan
This 2023 plan provides data-driven solutions and priorities for conserving natural resources within the Texas Hill Country and includes a written report, maps, and recommendations for a path forward based on input from over 2,800 Texans.
State of the Hill Country Report
This report from the Texas Hill Country Conservation Network defines and calculates eight metrics for tracking trends related to changes in the natural resources of the Texas Hill Country.
Hill Country Conservation: A Network and Narrative for Large-Scale Collaborative Conservation
In 2016, the Network released this report describing the joint research and practitioner-based effort to understand the network and narrative that shapes Hill Country conservation opportunities and outcomes.
Hill Country Regional Plan – Full Report Hill Country Reg. Plan – Exec. Summary
Report summarizing the findings and recommendations of the Hill Country Studio convened by The University of Texas School of Architecture (UTSOA) to outline strategies that might be used to protect the region’s extraordinary economic and natural resources.
Night Sky Lighting Done Right
This one-pager – developed by Hill Country Alliance and Texan by Nature – shares tips and tricks for making sure outdoor lighting is night sky friendly, shares before and after photos of lighting improvements, and spotlights different programs for individuals and businesses interested in pursuing recognition for lighting improvements. Click to view, download, print and share!
Executive Summary: Growth and Conservation in Texas: A Primer on County Tools and Paths Forward
In 2022, a coalition of partners hired Gap Strategies to explore how counties in Texas are using their existing regulatory authorities to manage growth and steward natural resources in their communities. The results of this survey, as well as examples of innovation and ideas for the future are shared in an executive summary and published in a full (61-page) and abridged (12-page) report format. Learn more here.
Growth and Conservation in Texas: A Primer on County Tools and Paths Forward (FULL)
In 2022, a coalition of partners hired Gap Strategies to explore how counties in Texas are using their existing regulatory authorities to manage growth and steward natural resources in their communities. The results of this survey, as well as examples of innovation and ideas for the future are shared in an executive summary and published in a full (61-page) and abridged (12-page) report format. Learn more here.
Growth and Conservation in Texas: A Primer on County Tools and Paths Forward (ABRIDGED)
In 2022, a coalition of partners hired Gap Strategies to explore how counties in Texas are using their existing regulatory authorities to manage growth and steward natural resources in their communities. The results of this survey, as well as examples of innovation and ideas for the future are shared in an executive summary and published in a full (61-page) and abridged (12-page) report format. Learn more here.
Educational Videos
Mapping Tools
