By: Hays Free Press | September 11, 2019

There are showers in the forecast this week and hurricane season’s not done for two months, but a warning about water usage is still timely. According to the drought monitor released Sept. 5, Hays County is classified as D1, moderate drought.

By: San Marcos Corridor News | September 11, 2019

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has determined that two Texas mussels can be removed from the list of candidate species under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). The determinations were based mainly on research funded by the Texas Comptroller’s office and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).

By: The Texas Observer | September 6, 2019

Forests serve an important ecological function as a carbon sink, with trees converting carbon dioxide into sugar that sustains their lives, and releasing oxygen, the element that sustains ours. With an ever-increasing amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, forests are more important than ever.

By: Citizen Alliance for Responsible Development | September 5, 2019

Have you noticed the pretty pavers recently installed on the back side of the parking area by the Quarter Shops? Or the pavers installed at Blue Hole Park - two pathways last year, handicapped parking spaces earlier this summer?

Attractive as they are, there is more to these installations than meets the eye.

By: San Marcos Corridor News | September 4, 2019

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued program requirements on August 27 for $4.3 billion in mitigation funds for post-Hurricane Harvey and other flood recovery projects in Texas.

By: Community Impact News | August 30, 2019

The San Marcos River Foundation, a nonprofit that was founded in 1985 with the mission of preserving the quality of the San Marcos River, announced in an Aug. 30 press release that Dianne Wassenich, the SMRF executive director, would be retiring after 35 years of leading the organization.

By: San Marcos Daily Record | August 30, 2019

As reports of blue-green algae blooms have been confirmed in Austin and the Guadalupe River, pet owners must display increased caution where they allow their dogs to swim while traveling.

By: Texas+Water | August 29, 2019

At the end of July, I attended the Second National Drought Forum in Washington, D.C. held by the National Integrated Drought Information System. Ironically, Texas—and the country—only had a splotch of drought at the time. Also, ironically, there was quite a bit of discussion on not being able to predict drought very well with one scientist noting that seasonal drought forecasters only have a 6.6% success rate in predicting drought development (for example, our current flash drought was not foreseen at all).

By: San Antonio Express News | August 27, 2019

So far, the San Antonio area has escaped outdoor watering restrictions this summer, but that could change next month.

In the past several weeks, the Edwards Aquifer has dropped sharply and is approaching the level that triggers the first stage of cutbacks.

By: Texas Public Radio | August 26, 2019

Hill Country residents are worried developers will scar the area’s scenic hill tops, and one town has decided to do something about it.

Mostly pickups, SUVS and bikers drive down the scenic main drag of the little town of Wimberley, about an hour’s drive from San Antonio.

By: KXAN | August 21, 2019

A pump failure at a wastewater treatment plant in Pflugerville killed dozens of fish Monday in Gilleland Creek, according to Windermere Utility.

By: The Rivard Report | August 16, 2019

Along U.S. Highway 281 headed north to the Comal County line, drivers can see shopping centers and housing developments that look indistinguishable from suburbia elsewhere in the country. But hundreds of feet below the highway, inside the Edwards Aquifer and some local caves, new species of salamanders, crustaceans, and other creatures are being discovered.

By: San Marcos Daily Record | August 15, 2019

On Tuesday morning, the Hays County Commissioners Court approved a resolution in support of Hays County’s effort to preserve night skies.

The resolution expresses the County’s commitment “to supporting practices that limit or minimize light trespass, glare, and skyglow from outdoor lighting to protect the beauty of the night skies and allow others the full benefit and use of their property.”

By: AgriLife Today | August 14, 2019

A team of researchers recently discovered two new freshwater mussel species in Texas, which will likely impact current conservation efforts by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

By: The Houston Chronicle | August 13, 2019

Texas has more than 8 million acres of undeveloped coastal lands, but 80 percent is privately owned, so finding a way to work with landowners is a must.

By: San Marcos Corridor News | August 14, 2019

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) canceled its Energy Emergency Alert (EEA1) at 5 p.m. yesterday and returned to normal grid operations by 5:30 p.m. ERCOT manages scheduling on an electric grid carrying 90 percent of Texas’ load. ERCOT is reminding all Texans that during this time of extreme heat, Texans need to conserve their electric use as it is putting major demands on the states electric supply.

By: Community Impact | August 11, 2019

The Edwards Aquifer Authority is responding to reports of a growing parasite problem with a plan to survey the situation in the Comal River. Community Impact Newspaper in July published a report about how a parasite named Haplorchis pumilio is threatening fish, such as the endangered fountain darter, in the San Marcos and Comal rivers.