June 2015 – Welcome to Hill Country Alliance

Scenic Texas Announces New Scenic Hill Country Chapter and Leadership

June 30, 2015
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Billboards, News, Transmission Lines & Wind Farms

Scenic Texas, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and enhancing the visual character of Texas, announced the formation of its newest chapter, Scenic Hill Country, bringing the total number of state chapters to eight. The Scenic Hill Country Chapter will work to preserve, protect and enhance the Hill Country’s scenic vistas by educating the region on the values and principles of the Scenic City Certification Program, a project of Scenic Texas and its program partners. Additionally, the chapter will assist…

LCRA: Lots of water for sale

In the latest sign of the drought’s ebbing, two top officials with the Lower Colorado River Authority met with Hays County commissioners to deliver a simple message: They have spare water for sale — lots of it. The river authority, which oversees the doling out of water from lakes Travis and Buchanan, the chief reservoirs for Central Texas, has enough unreserved water to meet the washing, bathing, drinking and watering needs of roughly 230,000 households, even during a repeat of…

Are we “overestimating” our resources?

June 30, 2015
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Groundwater Resources, News, Water Conservation, Water Planning

It’s often said that many of our aquifers and rivers are already over-allocated in Texas. In 1922, seven Western states — Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming and California — drew up an agreement on how to divide the waters of the Colorado River. But there was one big problem with the plan: They overestimated how much water the river could provide. As a result, each state was promised more water than actually exists. This miscalculation — and the…

Hays Commissioners pull plug on water deal

"The deal was up for renewal, but Hays Commissioner Will Conley said Tuesday that the county should not be involved with pulling water from Lee and Bastrop counties, where the plan was deeply unpopular. He said the Forestar plan echoed the highly controversial proposal by groundwater developer Electro Purification to pump and sell as much as 5.3 million gallons per day from beneath Hays County." Read full story from Statesman.com

HCA Welcomes New Board Member Matt Lara

June 23, 2015
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News

Born and raised in Amarillo, Matt Lara grew up in the back seat of bright-orange Volkswagen pop-top making trips to the Rocky Mountains of New Mexico and Colorado. While watching the landscape change from the flat plains of the Texas Panhandle, to the breathtaking peaks of the Sangre de Cristos, his parents instilled in him a deep love and respect for the natural environment that continues to play a major role in his everyday life. A very early interest in…

Texas Water Symposium discusses water demands, conservation

June 23, 2015
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News

By Richard Zowie, Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post: Texas is growing, and a concern in the water industry is whether the Lone Star State can keep up with residents’ water needs. A three-person panel discussed this and fielded questions at the 8th Annual Texas Water Symposium series June 18 at the Hill Country University Center. Christy Muse, executive director of Hill Country Alliance (HCA), said a new series on water issues would begin next fall with two fall programs and two programs next…

TPR re-broadcast of last week’s Texas Water Symposium, June 28 at 8pm on KTXI 90.1

June 23, 2015
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News

Whether you are concerned about the on-going drought, rainwater harvesting or even cedar management, the Texas Water Symposium recently held at Texas Tech University in Fredericksburg will inform and entertain you. Join Texas Public Radio for a broadcast of the forum this Sunday, June 28 at 8 pm on KTXI 90.1. The lively discussion was moderated by author and journalist Richard Parker and includes views from experts Kathleen Jackson of the Texas Water Development Board, Donna Klaeger, Region K Representative,…

Water Legislation recap from Environment Texas

June 23, 2015
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Groundwater Resources, Legislature and Regulation, News, Water Conservation, Water Planning

"On June 1st, the 84th Session of the Texas Legislature came to a close. The session was not great for the environment overall, but water legislation fared a bit better. Yet for every good bill that passed there seemed to be a bad bill passed, or a good bill that died. Loopholes were closed to bring regulatory oversight to a huge new well project in Hays County and use of recycled water (sometimes referred to as graywater) was expanded, while…

Better Lights for Starry Nights

June 23, 2015
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News, Night Skies

Are you ready to see more stars in your community? HCA's newest board member, Matt Lara has created a wonderful, easy to give presentation about protecting the night sky with effective lighting. Contact HCA to schedule a program in your community. View the presentation from our most recent night sky event in Llano Learn more about protecting our night skies

Save Oak Hill Petition

"Did you know the TxDOT plans for the “Oak Hill Parkway” is not a parkway, but an elevated toll road that slices through the heart of Oak Hill, wipes out multiple groves of heritage trees, and squeezes Williamson Creek in between elevated roadways for more than a half-mile? Elevated highways are a thing of the past – cities around the United States are tearing them down to revitalize communities – and toll roads will only increase cut-through traffic and force…