For information on CARD's support of
the Hays County Transportation Growth Corridor Plan, see the Transportation page on our
website.
CARD Steering
Committee
Thursday, March 27, 2014
CARDtalk: CAMPO Open House April 2, 2014
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
AC Daily: Beck signs on for Austin City Limits April taping
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Tuesday, March 18, 2014
HELP PROTECT JACOB'S WELL, TWO DAYS LEFT TO AMPLIFY OUR WATER!
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Press Release - Build Smart Water Now
For Immediate Release
Contacts: Tom Hegemier P.E., Chair
Central Texas Land/Water Sustainability Forum
Christy Muse, Executive Director
Hill Country Alliance
Build Water Smart Now
(March 17, 2014)
We felt
reassured by the fall rains, but most storms missed lakes Travis and
Buchanan. Now the empty clouds of drought hover and the water supply
clock ticks on. Drought again is a regular headline story: reservoirs
are 38% full, driest January on record, hill country
creek and river flows dwindle, most downstream farmers will not receive
water for an unprecedented third year in a row, once–a-week lawn
watering mandated for customers relying on LCRA supplies, increasing
water rates with less use, and a threatened lawsuit
to provide more fresh water to the river and bays to protect habitat.
Contrast
woeful water news with the following stories: Forbes magazine ranked
Austin as the fastest growing city for the fourth
year in a row, realtors stating that we don’t have enough houses to
meet buyer demand, another industry is moving their headquarters to
Austin, and the region’s job growth will continue to spur new home and
apartment construction. This growth tracks with
State Water Plan projections that the central Texas population will
double to over 3 million people by 2040.
While
we continue to reduce our water use, demands increase every day with
new homes of suburbia appearing on the horizon.
Each will require more water, with a considerable amount going to
establish and maintain hundreds of acres of new turf grass each year.
In this region, traditional home lawns typically consume 25 to 35% of
the annual treated water. Projecting into the future,
new residential yards could require up to 30,000 acre-feet per year by
2040—enough water to meet about 20 percent of Austin’s current demand.
Some
call for a moratorium on new construction to end water demand growth
until supplies rebound. But what is the economic
impact of that drastic measure, both now and long-term? Others
recommend that cities pay homeowners to remove turf grass and replace
with native plants. Las Vegas has had success with such a strategy and
Austin has a small-scale program but the program costs
will be high to significantly shrink demands.
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Courtesy of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Photographers: Andy/Sally Wasowski |
One
tool now available to manage lawn watering at no cost to existing water
customers is “conservation landscaping.” It relies
on deep, high quality soils combined with native plants, trees, mulched
areas, and most importantly limited turf to reduce outdoor water use by
almost seventy-five percent. Water quality is improved as limited to
no lawn chemicals are necessary. These landscapes,
designed for our climate, improve neighborhood appearance and
marketability. A recent Statesman article highlighted one woman’s
natural yard in Manchaca: its summer-time color, neighborhood
attraction, and, above all, that it doesn’t require water even in
the hottest months.
Conservation
landscaping would be paid for by those that build homes rather than
existing rate payers. It would, of course,
be passed along to the cost of the home purchase. However, in only a
few years, the water savings compared to a traditional lawn covers this
increased installation cost.
Conservation
landscaping is one option in the “Low Impact Development” (LID) toolbox
that includes rainwater harvesting, permeable
pavements, rain gardens, and others that help new developments use
stormwater beneficially to reduce homeowner’s water bills and protect
aquifer and lake levels. The Central Texas Land Water Sustainability
Forum (CTLWSF), a committee composed of private and
public water resource professionals actively engaged in the LID water
discussion, underscores that LCRA has offered conservation landscaping
incentives since 2006 as part of their Highland Lakes water quality
protection program. The CTLWSF believes all central
Texas governing bodies should do the same through immediate action so
new development will reduce its water use. This could be done through
emergency rules and concise criteria to clearly define incentives and
methods to facilitate permitting and construction.
The
benefits will be both immediate, for the ongoing drought, and
long-lasting, as annual demands remain more stable. When
the next drought returns, as is inevitable, we will not be asked to
drastically change our water use as it will already be used wisely. By
managing our water growth today we can reduce future water supply needs
and rate increases.
We
ask that you join with the CTLWSF and encourage cities and utilities to
require all new homes and buildings to use conservation
landscaping. What have we got to lose? Our water, our economic future?
Tom Hegemier is the Chair of the Central Texas Land Water Sustainability Forum, a senior consulting water resources engineer
at RPS and a technical advisor for the Hill Country Alliance.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Neighbor to Neighbor - News and Events
Neighbor
to Neighbor News Pass it on...
March 13, 2014
Hill Country News
American
Dream and the Economic Myth
Property is a thing. Happiness is an ideal, a story of the future created by the imagination. The American dream, even when it takes material form, is a wish the heart makes in its pursuit of happiness. It is an act of the imagination made vivid by the life and liberty that allow us to pursue it with hope. Read and share one of our timeless favorite pieces by Betty Sue Flowers.
SAWS: Yes to Desal Plant, Maybe to Pipeline
The San Antonio Water System board voted unanimously Tuesday to fund Phase I construction of a brackish water desalination plant in southern Bexar County – the most ambitious water diversification project in the city’s history – and enter negotiations with the Vista Ridge Consortium to provide San Antonio with an even greater supply of new water via a privately-owned regional pipeline, a second diversification project of unprecedented scope and cost. Read more from the Rivard Report.
Registration is open for the Annual Kent Butler Summit
Faucets, Toilets, and Automobiles: Balancing Growth and Sustainability in the Barton Springs Aquifer Region. Join us Friday, April 25th for a day of learning at the Lady Bird Wildflower Center. Click here to learn more and register online.
Texas’ Most Endangered Places
Nominations are now being accepted for the Preservation Texas, Most Endangered Place list. Some wonderful places in the Hill Country already grace this list including the Spettel Riverside House in Bandera County, The Old Llano County Jail, Hamilton Pool, Scenic Loop-Boerne Stage Corridor and statewide, Texas Dance Halls! The deadline is fast approaching, March 21st, take it upon yourself to nominate an iconic Hill Country treasure. Learn More
‘Art and Conservation’ to feature landowner-artist partnerships to promote Hill Country conservation
Hill Country-area artists and landowners are invited to join together to promote conservation of the region’s natural resources during “Art and Conservation: Our Hidden Treasures,” a collaboration between the Cibolo Nature Center & Farm and the Hill Country Council for the Arts. Learn More
Meet TWDB's new Agricultural and Rural Texas Ombudsman
"The ag ombudsman is helping us spread the word to rural communities about the SWIFT and the benefits it will offer to those communities," says TWDB Chairman Carlos Rubinstein. "His effort is a critical part of our SWIFT outreach and our outreach on many other programs." Read More
Learn about Fredericksburg SHINES
Promoting Solar, Electric Vehicle charging stations, Zero Waste, Bicycling, Water Efficiency… Fredericksburg SHINES is striving to make Fredericksburg become the most sustainable community in Texas! Read their most recent newsletter and get involved.
Medina Lake Water Well Meeting March 17
The Medina Lake Preservation Society (MLPS) has invited officials from the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to speak with LakePlex citizens about drought assistance availability for communities and individual well owners. Details
Property is a thing. Happiness is an ideal, a story of the future created by the imagination. The American dream, even when it takes material form, is a wish the heart makes in its pursuit of happiness. It is an act of the imagination made vivid by the life and liberty that allow us to pursue it with hope. Read and share one of our timeless favorite pieces by Betty Sue Flowers.
SAWS: Yes to Desal Plant, Maybe to Pipeline
The San Antonio Water System board voted unanimously Tuesday to fund Phase I construction of a brackish water desalination plant in southern Bexar County – the most ambitious water diversification project in the city’s history – and enter negotiations with the Vista Ridge Consortium to provide San Antonio with an even greater supply of new water via a privately-owned regional pipeline, a second diversification project of unprecedented scope and cost. Read more from the Rivard Report.
Registration is open for the Annual Kent Butler Summit
Faucets, Toilets, and Automobiles: Balancing Growth and Sustainability in the Barton Springs Aquifer Region. Join us Friday, April 25th for a day of learning at the Lady Bird Wildflower Center. Click here to learn more and register online.
Texas’ Most Endangered Places
Nominations are now being accepted for the Preservation Texas, Most Endangered Place list. Some wonderful places in the Hill Country already grace this list including the Spettel Riverside House in Bandera County, The Old Llano County Jail, Hamilton Pool, Scenic Loop-Boerne Stage Corridor and statewide, Texas Dance Halls! The deadline is fast approaching, March 21st, take it upon yourself to nominate an iconic Hill Country treasure. Learn More
‘Art and Conservation’ to feature landowner-artist partnerships to promote Hill Country conservation
Hill Country-area artists and landowners are invited to join together to promote conservation of the region’s natural resources during “Art and Conservation: Our Hidden Treasures,” a collaboration between the Cibolo Nature Center & Farm and the Hill Country Council for the Arts. Learn More
Meet TWDB's new Agricultural and Rural Texas Ombudsman
"The ag ombudsman is helping us spread the word to rural communities about the SWIFT and the benefits it will offer to those communities," says TWDB Chairman Carlos Rubinstein. "His effort is a critical part of our SWIFT outreach and our outreach on many other programs." Read More
Learn about Fredericksburg SHINES
Promoting Solar, Electric Vehicle charging stations, Zero Waste, Bicycling, Water Efficiency… Fredericksburg SHINES is striving to make Fredericksburg become the most sustainable community in Texas! Read their most recent newsletter and get involved.
Medina Lake Water Well Meeting March 17
The Medina Lake Preservation Society (MLPS) has invited officials from the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to speak with LakePlex citizens about drought assistance availability for communities and individual well owners. Details
Symposium Will Explore Issues Facing Iconic Pedernales River, March
20 in Fredericksburg
The first Texas Water Symposium of 2014 will feature a conversation between Hill Country landowners and water experts about the Pedernales River. As Central Texas grapples with population growth, land fragmentation and changing land uses, understanding the impact of land and water management on the health of our rivers and their associated catchment areas is essential. Find out more.
The first Texas Water Symposium of 2014 will feature a conversation between Hill Country landowners and water experts about the Pedernales River. As Central Texas grapples with population growth, land fragmentation and changing land uses, understanding the impact of land and water management on the health of our rivers and their associated catchment areas is essential. Find out more.
Upcoming Events
March
March 13 in Fredericksburg - Solarize Gillespie County - Presented by Fredericksburg SHINES - Details
March 13 in Fredericksburg - Solarize Gillespie County - Presented by Fredericksburg SHINES - Details
March
17-23 - National Wildlife Week! "Wildlife and Water: From the Mountains to
the Rivers to the Oceans" - National Wildlife Week gives families,
educators and community groups the chance to connect kids with wildlife and
explore the world around them - Details
March 20 in Johnson City - Update on the progress of the Science Mill Opening in November, 2014 - Details
March 20 in Johnson City - Update on the progress of the Science Mill Opening in November, 2014 - Details
March
20 in Fredericksburg - Texas Water Symposium - "The Pedernales: Challenges
and Opportunities Facing an Iconic Hill Country River Basin" - Details
March
20 in Boerne - Hill Country Water: Myths and Truths - Presented by Cow Creek
Groundwater District Directors Milan J. Michalec and Bob Webster - Details
March
21-22 in Bandera - First event in the Bandera County Water Awareness Series -
Workshop free and open to the public - Details
March
22 in San Antonio - Movie, Kites and Potluck with Greenspaces Alliance - Film:
Urban Roots - Details
March
22 in Johnson City - Master Gardeners of Blanco County host Invaders of Texas
Workshop - Details
March
26 in Sequin - Agriculture and Rural Development Workshop - Details
March
26-28 in Fort Worth - Texas Trails and Active Transportation Conference - Details
March
29-30 in Stonewall - LBJ 100 Cycling Weekend - Details
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Dripping Springs proposes wastewater discharges into Onion creek
Posted: 12:00 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014
City officials say the infrastructure move is a responsible one because it would prevent a proliferation of smaller plants in the region, but it has alienated some of their former regional allies in bygone environmental battles.
If an expansion is approved by a state environmental agency, something probably years away, the plant could be the second to have a permit to discharge cleaned-up waste water into a Hill Country creek that eventually feeds the Barton Springs portion of the Edwards Aquifer.
Nearly a decade ago, Dripping Springs had teamed up with the city of Austin, the Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Groundwater Conservation District and other governmental entities to oppose a similar plant proposed — and eventually built — for Belterra, a burgeoning subdivision just east of Dripping Springs. At the time, Dripping Springs had been a key player in a regional planning effort to manage development.
Now it is Dripping Springs that is considering an expanded plant as it both copes with a growing population and positions itself to recruit new businesses.
Dripping Springs has increased from about 1,500 residents in 2000 to nearly 1,900 in 2012, according to census figures. Roughly 30,000 people live in the wider community around the city.
The existing wastewater treatment plant, built to replace antiquated septic systems, has a capacity to treat 127,500 gallons per day and currently treats half that much.
A year ago, the city’s economic development committee, chaired by former state Rep. Patrick Rose, who runs a title company based in Dripping Springs, declared in a letter to the mayor that the lack of capacity undermines the city’s ability to meet the needs of existing residents, manage new growth and to “recruit additional, quality primary employers to our community.”
The city then hired an engineering firm. Using what it says is a moderate projection — an annual growth rate of 8 percent — the firm forecast in a $94,000 report that the plant will reach 90 percent of its capacity by 2017, and that by 2023 it will have to treat 199,615 gallons per day.
The city currently uses treated wastewater to irrigate city-owned land. The engineering firm recommended expanding the plant to a capacity of 750,000 gallons per day. Treated wastewater could be sprayed on city-owned playing fields and land at new subdivisions tying into the plant, but the engineering firm recommended also seeking permission from the state to discharge into Onion Creek. The direct discharge permit would give the plant another option for handling cleaned-up sewer water in case it outstrips the demand to irrigate neighboring lands.
City Council member Bill Foulds said a centralized plant run by the city will cut down the risk from Belterra-like plants scattered around the Hill Country. Providing wastewater services to subdivisions in its suburbs also gives the city some leverage in managing development, such as requiring construction setbacks from area waterways. The new developments would pay for the lion’s share of the plant expansion, which will likely be more modest than the $28.6 million expansion envisioned by the engineering firm, he said.
Under state standards, the effluent should be clean enough to fish or swim in.
Salt Lick restaurant owner Scott Roberts, whose family has owned property fronting Onion Creek since 1902, says he is not concerned about potential treated sewage discharges upriver of him — as long as it is treated properly.
“Right now I’m comfortable with the motivation and intentions of Dripping Springs,” he said. “They’re not out there to create a sea of concrete. They really are committed to making sure development in their jurisdiction takes place conscientiously.”
Austin officials are monitoring the plant expansion prospects.
“It’s great they’re looking forward to plan infrastructure to facilitate growth,” said Chris Herrington, a city of Austin environmental engineer. “But the question is, are they rushing to make decision that would be controversial for a lot of people?”
If the Belterra scenario plays itself out again, downstream cities, residents or environmental groups could contest the discharge permit before it wins approval.
“There’s a huge potential for disastrous water-quality impacts,” Herrington said.
By Asher Price
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American-Statesman Staff
DRIPPING SPRINGS —
Gearing
up for a seemingly ever-increasing population, this once-sleepy outpost
west of Austin is plotting an expansion of its sewage treatment plant
for as much as $28.6 million, the latest sign of massive growth in
northern Hays County.City officials say the infrastructure move is a responsible one because it would prevent a proliferation of smaller plants in the region, but it has alienated some of their former regional allies in bygone environmental battles.
If an expansion is approved by a state environmental agency, something probably years away, the plant could be the second to have a permit to discharge cleaned-up waste water into a Hill Country creek that eventually feeds the Barton Springs portion of the Edwards Aquifer.
Nearly a decade ago, Dripping Springs had teamed up with the city of Austin, the Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Groundwater Conservation District and other governmental entities to oppose a similar plant proposed — and eventually built — for Belterra, a burgeoning subdivision just east of Dripping Springs. At the time, Dripping Springs had been a key player in a regional planning effort to manage development.
Now it is Dripping Springs that is considering an expanded plant as it both copes with a growing population and positions itself to recruit new businesses.
Dripping Springs has increased from about 1,500 residents in 2000 to nearly 1,900 in 2012, according to census figures. Roughly 30,000 people live in the wider community around the city.
The existing wastewater treatment plant, built to replace antiquated septic systems, has a capacity to treat 127,500 gallons per day and currently treats half that much.
A year ago, the city’s economic development committee, chaired by former state Rep. Patrick Rose, who runs a title company based in Dripping Springs, declared in a letter to the mayor that the lack of capacity undermines the city’s ability to meet the needs of existing residents, manage new growth and to “recruit additional, quality primary employers to our community.”
The city then hired an engineering firm. Using what it says is a moderate projection — an annual growth rate of 8 percent — the firm forecast in a $94,000 report that the plant will reach 90 percent of its capacity by 2017, and that by 2023 it will have to treat 199,615 gallons per day.
The city currently uses treated wastewater to irrigate city-owned land. The engineering firm recommended expanding the plant to a capacity of 750,000 gallons per day. Treated wastewater could be sprayed on city-owned playing fields and land at new subdivisions tying into the plant, but the engineering firm recommended also seeking permission from the state to discharge into Onion Creek. The direct discharge permit would give the plant another option for handling cleaned-up sewer water in case it outstrips the demand to irrigate neighboring lands.
City Council member Bill Foulds said a centralized plant run by the city will cut down the risk from Belterra-like plants scattered around the Hill Country. Providing wastewater services to subdivisions in its suburbs also gives the city some leverage in managing development, such as requiring construction setbacks from area waterways. The new developments would pay for the lion’s share of the plant expansion, which will likely be more modest than the $28.6 million expansion envisioned by the engineering firm, he said.
Under state standards, the effluent should be clean enough to fish or swim in.
Salt Lick restaurant owner Scott Roberts, whose family has owned property fronting Onion Creek since 1902, says he is not concerned about potential treated sewage discharges upriver of him — as long as it is treated properly.
“Right now I’m comfortable with the motivation and intentions of Dripping Springs,” he said. “They’re not out there to create a sea of concrete. They really are committed to making sure development in their jurisdiction takes place conscientiously.”
Austin officials are monitoring the plant expansion prospects.
“It’s great they’re looking forward to plan infrastructure to facilitate growth,” said Chris Herrington, a city of Austin environmental engineer. “But the question is, are they rushing to make decision that would be controversial for a lot of people?”
If the Belterra scenario plays itself out again, downstream cities, residents or environmental groups could contest the discharge permit before it wins approval.
“There’s a huge potential for disastrous water-quality impacts,” Herrington said.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Texas Water Symposium - March 20 in Fredericksburg
Join us
Texas Water Symposium
The Pedernales: Challenges and Opportunities Facing an Iconic River Basin
Thursday, March 20
7:00 pm to 8:30 pm in Fredericksburg
News from The Natural Gardener
Good morning, JWCG gardeners!
In case you're interested, I'm forwarding the
Natural Gardener newsletter. We have a great place here in Wimberley
(King Feed) that stocks garden plants, soil amendments, etc for organic
gardeners, but if you want to explore even more farther out from our
village, I recommend The Natural Gardener in Oak Hill on Old Bee Caves
Rd. You may also subscribe to their newsletter to get the latest info
on plants, pests, etc for gardening in our part of central Texas. In
the past they have been very helpful with answering questions. Also,
they hold FREE seminars several times a year, including a very good one
titled "Organic Gardening 101", usually offered early spring, to get new
and experienced organic gardeners off to a good start. The forwarded
newsletter tells you how to subscribe if interested. 
HAPPY SPRING BREAK AND
SXSW! This weekend kicks
off a fun time of year in Austin, and it‘s the
beginning of the most exciting
& most beautiful season at The Natural Gardener. This is the time of year
when
our world-renowned nursery really shines. Please come see us and bring
your friends. Bring your camera, too
– Spatz is more handsome than ever these
days!
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