April 13, 2012

Rainwater Revival Opens Grant Applications to Schools in 17 Hill Country Counties

The Hill Country Alliance, organizer of the Rainwater Revival, is seeking grant applications from elementary and middle schools in 17 counties throughout the Hill Country to be used for water conservation education or rainwater harvesting projects at school sites. Learn More

April 26, 2012

TCEQ plan is a corruption of legislative order

The conservation community is reeling with outrage and disbelief over the unreasonable rejection of reasonable recommendations aimed at balancing the needs of man and nature with rational protections for river flow. Read more from Caller.com.

April 18, 2012

Proposed Rules Fail to Protect Central Texas Rivers and Bays

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) proposed a rule on Friday, April 13th that will determine the amount of water that must remain flowing in Central and South Central Texas rivers and into the region’s bays to sustain fish and wildlife populations. Unfortunately, this rule fails to include many of the protections recommended by the region’s stakeholder committees, leaving fish, oysters, whooping cranes and other wildlife high and dry. However, the good news is that there is still time to improve the rule by voicing support for stronger flow protections to the TCEQ Commissioners during the public comment period, which runs from now until May 14, 2012. Learn more from NWF.

April 13, 2012

TCEQ, stakeholders disagree on water

The amount of water that should be left in the San Antonio, Guadalupe and Colorado river basins to maintain their health and the bays they feed will be based on proposed rules published Thursday by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in the Texas Register. For the two legislatively appointed stakeholder groups that spent the past year and half working on compromises between the science-based environmental needs of the basins and the growing demand for water, the proposed rules are a disappointment, leaving less water in the rivers than they recommended, according to the chairs of the groups. The TCEQ representatives explained that they did not follow the recommendations of the stakeholders, which represented industrial, recreational, environmental and business interests, because they had balanced the needs of humans and nature. Read full SA Express-News article.

April 5, 2012

Share Your Stories of the Drought

This week State Impact launched a new interactive webpage about the historic Texas drought, Dried Out. The page gives a visual sense of how intense the drought has been and its impact on the state. Share your stories on how the drought has affected your business, your home — or your way of life. Read More from NPR.

April 4, 2012

Central Texas Water Coalition updates and April 26th meeting announcement

CTWC March Headlines: “No Lake Water for the Rice Fields”; “House Natural Resources Committee Explores Drought Options”; “46th TX Legislative Conference Looks at Drought and the TX Economy” “CTWC Sponsors Bass Fishing Tournament on the Highland Lakes April 21‐22”; and “Sen. Fraser to address the CTWC April 26 Meeting”. Read the full news blast here. More about the CTWC here.

Managing Your Remarkable Riparian Area, April 19

HCA Board President Sky Jones-Lewey, Resource Protection and Education Director of the Nueces River Authority, will host a webinar on managing riparian areas. The webinar is free and open to the public. Details. Learn more about riparian management here.

April 2, 2012

Even a Wet Winter Hasn’t Broken the Great Texas Drought

There is no way to overstate the severity of the drought. Last year Texas had its driest year on record, paired with some of the highest temperatures we’ve ever seen. But even as the situation has improved for some thanks to a relatively wet winter, other parts of the state are still in the worst stage of drought. HCA Advisor, Raymond Slade is interviewed in this story from NPR.

Rain Harvest Event at McKinney Roughs April 28

Everyone interested in the quality of their rainwater is invited to the first Water Wise Conference, Saturday, April 28th at McKinney Roughs Nature Park in Cedar Creek, Texas. The program, “What’s in your rainwater – and how do you find out?” will begin at 9:30 a.m. and feature Environmental Laboratory Services/LCRA chemists Tess Abbott, Ariana Dean and Susan Benavidez. The three-hour event will include extensive “Q&A” as well as hands-on opportunities to practice using various water testing equipment. Learn More