Posted by Ryan Ament | Sep 7, 2021 | Conservation Easements, Groundwater Resources, Land Conservation and Stewardship, Land Stewardship, Low Impact & Sustainable Development, News, Planning and Development, Water Catchment Areas (Watershed), Water Conservation, Water Planning, Water Quality, Water Resources
On a four-wheeler at the edge of the Hill Country, geologist Mark Hamilton rolls and bumps across a 151-acre property at the Edwards Aquifer Conservancy Field Research Park. He pulls up to the end of a steep hill and points out a sunken, marshy spot along the bottom....
Posted by Ryan Ament | Sep 7, 2021 | Legislature and Regulation, News, Water Conservation, Water Planning, Water Resources
Earlier this month, during a special session of the Texas Legislature, the Texas Capitol flooded. After the water stopped cascading down the pink granite walls inside the Capitol extension, the Legislature resumed its deliberations. The August flood was preceded by...
Posted by Ryan Ament | Sep 7, 2021 | Land Conservation and Stewardship, Native Landscapes, News, Oil and Gas Pipelines, Riparian Management, Scenic Beauty, Water Conservation, Water Planning, Water Quality, Water Resources, Wildlife
In 2018, the White Earth Band of Ojibwe and the 1855 Treaty Authority, an organization that upholds treaty rights for Chippewa bands, enacted legal personhood for manoomin — wild rice. Manoomin, which translates to “good berry” in Ojibwe, is a sacred food for...
Posted by Ryan Ament | Aug 31, 2021 | Drought, News, Planning and Development, Water Conservation, Water Planning, Water Resources
On a 110-degree day several years ago, surrounded by piles of sand and rock in the desert outside Las Vegas, I stepped into a yellow cage large enough to fit three standing adults and was lowered 600 feet through a black hole into the ground. There, at the bottom,...
Posted by Ryan Ament | Aug 30, 2021 | Legislature and Regulation, Low Impact & Sustainable Development, News, Planning and Development, Regional Planning, Water Conservation, Water Planning, Water Resources
Recently, Water Opinions LLC teamed up with the Texas Water Infrastructure Network (TXWIN) for the second annual assessment of current and future Texas water infrastructure projects, financing, and other issues facing Texas water utilities. TXWIN distributed the...
Posted by Ryan Ament | Aug 30, 2021 | Economics of Sound Planning, Planning and Development, Water Conservation, Water Planning, Water Quality, Water Resources
Would you take a swig of water from your faucet if it originally came from the sewer? Treating wastewater to put it back into public use can help against water crises around the world, according to the United Nations, though the practice has to overcome the...