Meet OSCAR and CLARA, the future of water management in Austin

Austin Water is unveiling an innovative blackwater system designed to set a course for the future of water management for new development in Austin. Located at the City of Austin’s Permitting and Development Center and known as OSCAR and CLARA, the project has...
Editor’s Note: Preserved Paradise

Editor’s Note: Preserved Paradise

I’ve lived in the Hill Country for five years now, yet I’m still finding new reasons to admire its grandeur on a regular basis. I love that my kids get to grow up in such a beautiful, wild landscape, and I hope their kids will have the same opportunity. As Central...

Keep Bastrop Boring: Central Texas man wars with Elon Musk’s Boring Company

Just after 7 p.m. on May 3, a tall, bearded man in a white Stetson strolled up to the microphone positioned in front of Kyle City Council and spilled his guts about Elon Musk and his Boring Company’s forays into Texas. On that day, the company wished to get a...
Unique and creative approaches for conservation

Unique and creative approaches for conservation

Editorial by Commissioner Lon Shell, Hays County As our population surges, will the Hill Country retain its character? I believe it can, however it is a challenge that will require unique and creative approaches to balance that growth with preservation of the very...
Over the moon: City of Blanco becomes 5th Dark Sky community in Texas, 35th on planet Earth

Over the moon: City of Blanco becomes 5th Dark Sky community in Texas, 35th on planet Earth

The city of Blanco in Blanco County has joined four other Texas cities — all in the Hill Country as well — as the latest to be granted the sought-after International Dark Sky Community designation. The International Dark-Sky Association announced this week that the...
Seizing the moment for rural water infrastructure

Seizing the moment for rural water infrastructure

In February, 2021, Winter Storm Uri shined a light on the fragility of our state’s infrastructure as an energy crisis quickly evolved into a water crisis. However, even before Texas was plunged into the ice, our state’s water infrastructure systems received a C- for...