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PRECIOUS WATER
“When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water.” — Benjamin Franklin
Frank Dietz, Comal County resident,
CCCA Board Member, &
Herald Zeitung monthly columnist
Troubled & Troublesome Water
December 20, 2020
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It has been gratifying to receive several comments regarding an earlier discussion about our good fortune in Comal County to be blessed with an array of water resources.
To follow up on our discussion about the stewardship and responsibilities we have personally and as area dwellers, let’s begin with a striking reality that needs to be front and center for our thinking and planning. The Earth’s surface is 71% water. Of that, however, only 3% is “fresh.” To make it even more dramatic, 2.5% is “unavailable” for use, leaving just at .5% as what we have to work with and steward. Hmm. Our surface and subsurface resources locally remain impressive. It does seem we are rapidly moving into a threatened circumstance if you just think of every new well as “another straw” dipping into our aquifers. But for good rainfalls, we have to face with honesty the limitations the circumstances present to us. When our “rapid growth benchmarks” keep lifting us and areas of the Hill Country and along the interstate corridors into “top ranks” nationwide, we need to factor resource consequences alongside “taxable property multipliers.” The numbers bring with them infrastructure and continuing service demands on capacities. It’s far more than building a school here or there. Planning efforts are so very important! The consequences and impacts are essential for our extraordinary creeks and rivers on the surface as well. A series of wonderments come together in any attempt to think constructively toward addressing our troubled at-risk supplies and troublesome practices that show damaging disregard for what would keep quality for us and future generations. Much Hill Country growth and development is happening outside the corporate limits of our I-35 and I-10 corridor cities. What measures might the Texas legislature provide for oversight and scrutiny to “do things carefully and responsibly?” Taking as well as returning the good |
waters could become the basis for 21st Century water policies. Perhaps a cluster of at-risk counties could become the basis for increased scrutiny before damages become irrevocable.
How might we educate our young people and bring along the adults and decision makers for more careful use of our water resources? The “stages” of water conservation seem so outmoded. Might we put into practice conservation policies for personal consumption and outdoor use reflective of a sense of the finite sources? Swinging back and forth on a yoyo scale of more and less use seems off the mark for our current circumstances. Do we need bolder oversight enhancing the voices of landowners and agricultural interests prior to massive moves toward excavation or cuts for passages through ageless bluffs and hillsides? How do we develop our future so as to take full measure for what are described by state climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon as “drier and warmer conditions now?” Do we glibly go ahead, marketing the Hill Country life with such abandon that we show no sense of limits that could protect and preserve before it’s too late? Finally, might you join our CCCA endeavors to assist in finding a way to protect parcels of prime natural habitats and drainage areas by setting them aside in perpetuity? If the pace for “slicing and splicing” acreage continues with “takes” there may be little left to preserve. Those interested in learning more can go to the Comal County Conservation Alliance website (comalconservation.org) for information and to join the efforts. Even more, any reader would be welcome to assist in developing a way to add some natural space adjacent to Fischer Park or a portion of El Rancho Cima (the Sentinel) out above the Blanco River’s edge at “the Devil’s Backbone.” |
Listen to Dr. Andrew Sansom, our Advisory Board member, being interviewed by Dr. Todd Votteler, Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water
Dr. Andrew Sansom is the founder of The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University. Dr. Todd Votteler is Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water.
Dr. Sansom is one of Texas’ leading conservationists. He is a former Executive Director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Executive Director of the Texas Nature Conservancy. For his commitment to the management and protection of natural resources, he is a recipient of the Chevron Conservation Award, The Chuck Yeager Award from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, The Pugsley Medal from the National Park Foundation, the Seton Award from the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Nature Conservancy. Dr. Sansom is a Distinguished Alumnus of Austin College and Texas Tech University.
Dr. Andrew Sansom is the founder of The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University. Dr. Todd Votteler is Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water.
Dr. Sansom is one of Texas’ leading conservationists. He is a former Executive Director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Executive Director of the Texas Nature Conservancy. For his commitment to the management and protection of natural resources, he is a recipient of the Chevron Conservation Award, The Chuck Yeager Award from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, The Pugsley Medal from the National Park Foundation, the Seton Award from the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Nature Conservancy. Dr. Sansom is a Distinguished Alumnus of Austin College and Texas Tech University.
Mark Enders,
Watershed Program Manager
Virtual Presentatioin: Watershed Protection Initiatives & Importance of Protecting Our Local Water Resources
On Tuesday, January 12, Mark Enders, City of New Braunfels Watershed Program Manager, spoke on “Watershed Protection Initiatives & the Importance of Protecting Our Local Water Resources”. Mark’s presentation focused on Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan activities, the status of implementation of the Dry Comal Creek and Comal River Watershed Protection Plan and the City’s MS4 Stormwater Management Program. Mark also discussed ideas for furthering conservation of our local water resources. Time for questions and answers was provided following the presentation.
The Headwaters at the Comal
The Headwaters at the Comal is a 16-acre site containing unique riparian habitat and the first springs of the Comal River, the historical water source for the city of New Braunfels. From 1940 to 2004, the site was completely paved over with impervious asphalt, used by New Braunfels Utilities (NBU) as a warehouse, fleet and facilities yard, and office space. In keeping with a longstanding commitment to the environment and the community, NBU has committed to restoring this site into a multi-use facility honoring the cultural and environmental history of the area and encouraging future stewardship of water and environmental resources.
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PROJECT
The Headwaters project is a multi-phased project designed to reintroduce the people of New Braunfels and the surrounding area to their natural water and ecological resources. Phase I, substantially completed in November 2017, focuses on the restoration of a large section of the site as an immersive native landscape and restoration of the springs and riparian areas. Phase II, in the fundraising stage, will focus on sustainability and the adaptive reuse of existing structures to develop new public amenities. Community resources will include: an Environmental Education Center (with ‘living’ exterior walls featuring pollinator-friendly plants), a water feature using rainwater collected from the building, constructed wetland cells that demonstrate how wetlands cleanse and filter water, central courtyard, event lawn, display and demonstration low-water gardens, walking trails, outdoor classrooms, natural spring overlook, and composting facilities. RESTORATION Upon completion of the project, 85% of the impervious cover currently on the property will be removed, reducing the amount of pollutants and solids entering the Comal River by 94%. The springs and riparian habitats will be restored, improving habitat for numerous endangered and threatened species. The removal of invasive species and restoration of native plant communities will increase the availability of riparian woodland habitat in an area of Texas rapidly losing that habitat to development. A number of innovative best practices for managing stormwater, gray water, rainwater and black water will be implemented and combined with other low impact development techniques to demonstrate and educate the community on ways everyone can become better stewards of their natural environments. Read up on restoration updates at the Headwaters here. COMMUNITY IMPACT The goal of Headwaters at the Comal is to become a resource for the greater community: a living demonstration of restoration and conservation efforts for businesses, developers, and homeowners, a leader in water and energy conservation topics, and a beautiful place where people of all ages, skills and abilities come to learn, enjoy and connect with nature. |
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Edwards Aquifer Cave
The Edwards Aquifer
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The Texas Hill Country and Edwards Aquifer region is under assault from urban sprawl. Farms and ranches are being turned into subdivisions, shopping centers, and highways. This pattern of unsustainable growth is threatening to pollute and over-pump the watersheds that replenish the Edwards Aquifer and the Great Springs of Texas, including drinking water for over 1.7 million Texans.
For decades, the rugged terrain and scarcity of water in the Hill Country kept urban and suburban development at bay, while the flatter, more fertile eastern edge of the Balcones Escarpment supplied resources for growth and development. But modern construction equipment, speculative real investment, and government subsidies are transforming the Hill Country into Everywhere U.S.A. All of these ingredients in urbanization come together in providing infrastructure for development: roads, sewer lines, and water lines. This infrastructure is often subsidized by us, the taxpayers. |
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UNIQUE RESOURCEAQUIFER AT RISKSAVE THE AQUIFER
Drought conditions caused water levels in Texas’ Lake
Travis to decline from 2010 to 2014, as seen in the 2014
photograph above. (Source: Lower Colorado River Authority)
Saving Water in Texas
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As the second most populous state in the country, Texas has a large and continually growing demand for water. Texas also has a semiarid climate, leaving the state prone to extreme droughts. Historically, most of Texas’ droughts have ended with tremendous rain events, creating a cyclical pattern of droughts and floods. Efficient water management and water conservation projects are helping the state address this cycle and meet current and future water needs.
SOURCES OF WATER
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Wonderous Water — Saving Wicking Gardens
FROM THE 2020 HILL COUNTRY LIVING FESTIVAL & RAINWATER REVIVAL
Learn about the wonders of wicking gardens and get some tips on how to spice up your own backyard garden in this special presentation, featuring Meadows Center Executive Director Dr. Robert Mace and the Wimberley Garden Club's Janet Bradford.
Learn about the wonders of wicking gardens and get some tips on how to spice up your own backyard garden in this special presentation, featuring Meadows Center Executive Director Dr. Robert Mace and the Wimberley Garden Club's Janet Bradford.
Groundwater Flow Graphic
Groundwater Management
Managing groundwater in the Hill Country is challenged on multiple levels and different perspectives. From socio-economic concerns of population growth and difficult economic times, changing demographics, varied approaches to accessing news and civic involvement, over-drafted aquifers, unique and fragile ecosystems; and multi-level water governance through state, county, and groundwater districts, groundwater is definitely under pressure and increasingly frangible rather than resilient as a water resource. The critical, time-sensitive needs of Hill Country groundwater is the core of this project. Understanding the issues, linkages, and the benefits and worth of protecting the water systems is no small task. However, without the ongoing efforts of studies with tangible results and accessible information, it is likely that groundwater and its linked systems will continue to be deleteriously impacted in the foreseeable future.
Texas Master Naturalist—Hays County Chapter: Riparian Vegetation
RIPARIAN RECOVERY NETWORK NEWS
The Riparian Network is about creating a shared vision for restoration of riparian zones and the uplands that impact them. The intent is to balance individual needs with what is required to keep Hays County waterways clean, healthy, and beautiful.
The Riparian Network is about creating a shared vision for restoration of riparian zones and the uplands that impact them. The intent is to balance individual needs with what is required to keep Hays County waterways clean, healthy, and beautiful.
Water, Texas
Water, Texas is a five-part series on the consequences of the mismatch between runaway development and tightening constraints on the supply and quality of fresh water in Texas.
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The story of Texas is the state’s devout allegiance to the principle that mankind has dominion over nature. In 2020, the pandemic, climate disruption, and ever-present challenges with water supply and use are writing a much different story of vulnerability to nature’s bullying, and to government’s uncertain capacity to adjust.
Part 1: WHEN IT RAINS, TEXANS FORGET DROUGHT AND WORSENING WATER SCARCITY After the Pandemic, Soaring Population Growth, Industrial Development Will Again Overwhelm Planning and Water Supply Part 2: A PAUSE FOR ENERGY DEVELOPERS THREATENING TEXAS BIG BEN REGION Opportunity to Protect A Way of Life Confronted by Oil and Clean Energy |
Part 3: THREE THIRSTY TEXAS CITIES ARE GLOBAL LEADERS IN WATER INNOVATION
Austin, El Paso, and San Antonio Prepared for Growth and Drought Part 4: BORDER WALL CONCERNS IN LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY DIMINISHED BY VIRUS AND GROWTH Trump Administration Overrides Long-Standing Conservation Mission Part 5: WATER SERVES LENGTH AND BREADTH OF $1.9 TRILLION TEXAS ECONOMY Growth in Wet Years, Economic Distress in Dry Ones |
opinion+water: Ensuring One Water Delivers for Healthy Waterways
October 27, 2020
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As forward-thinking cities become increasingly adept at capturing and reusing wastewater, stormwater and greywater, essential river systems may be at risk. Ensuring One Water Delivers for Healthy Waterways recommends that deliberate, community-driven planning is urgently needed to avoid
depriving Texas’ waterways of necessary water. With this report, the National Wildlife Federation, the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University and the Pacific Institute provide water planners much-needed practical guidance on how to build a community-driven water vision that takes into account the needs of |
local residents as well as downstream cities and ecosystems that depend on a healthy flow of water. The report provides water planners with a framework that communities can use to plan for future water supply resilience while also ensuring that healthy waterways are an outcome as well.
The framework is tailored specifically to cities that have adopted or are considering the “One Water” approach to water management. One Water emphasizes an integrated planning and implementation approach that acknowledges the finite nature of water resources and prioritizes long-term resilience and reliability. |
Texas Wetlands
Texas Wetlands
Overlooked Army Corps Rulemaking Would Shrink Federal Stream Protections
Conservation groups and state regulators are alarmed by proposed changes to nationwide permits that
authorize construction across streams and wetlands.
authorize construction across streams and wetlands.
By Brett Walton
Water News, Circle of Blue
November 12, 2020
Water News, Circle of Blue
November 12, 2020
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Earlier this year, the Trump administration secured one of its signature environmental legacies when it completed a rule that reduced federal protections for wetlands as well as for streams that flow only following rainfall.
Environmental policy experts concluded that the administration’s narrow definition of the scope of the Clean Water Act was its most damaging decision for waterways. The rollback of the Obama-era ruling was a campaign promise of President Trump and a rallying cry for industrial lobby groups that supported him. |
Now, the Army Corps of Engineers, with much less fanfare and in the final months of the Trump administration, is considering another rule change that would also shrink federal protection of small streams, ecologists and lawyers say. The Corps said in its proposal that it is acting in response to the president’s order to review regulations that burden energy development.
Some of the proposed changes will have essentially the same consequence as the Trump administration’s contraction of the Clean Water Act, according to Laura Ziemer, the senior counsel and water policy adviser for Trout Unlimited. The proposed changes to the Army Corps’ nationwide permit will reduce stream protections and expose longer sections of streams to damage, she said. |
Renewable Energy Saves Water & Creates Jobs
By Luciano Castillo, Walter Gutierrez, Jay Gore
Credit: David Hogan Getty Images
August 7, 2018
Credit: David Hogan Getty Images
August 7, 2018
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EIGHT GRAPHS TELL THE STORY; SEE FOR YOURSELF
A common argument for expanding renewable energy sources is that technologies such as solar panels and wind turbines are responsible for far less carbon dioxide than power plants that burn fossil fuels. But two other powerful benefits should also be getting much more attention: the switch can save vast quantities of freshwater, and can create a large number of new, high-paying jobs. Want proof? Let’s look at the data that our detailed research has revealed. |
Credit: Anna Hazard
Source: Water in Crisis: A Guide to the World’s Fresh Water Resources, edited by Peter H. Gleick. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 1993
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Wall Street Begins Trading Water Futures as a Commodity
December 8, 2020
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Wall Street has begun trading water as a commodity, like gold or oil. The country’s first water market launched on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange this week with $1.1 billion in contracts tied to water prices in California, Bloomberg News reported.
The market allows farmers, hedge funds, and municipalities to hedge bets on the future price of water and water availability in the American West. The new trading scheme was announced in September, prompted by the region’s worsening heat, drought, and wildfires fueled by climate change. There were two trades when the market went live Monday. “Climate change, droughts, population growth, and pollution are likely to make water scarcity issues and pricing a hot topic for years to come,” RBC Capital Markets managing director and analyst Deane Dray told Bloomberg. “We are definitely going to watch how this new water futures contract develops.” |
Proponents argue the new market will clear up some of the uncertainty around water prices for farmers and municipalities, helping them budget for the resource. But some experts say treating water as a tradable commodity puts a basic human right into the hands of financial institutions and investors, a dangerous arrangement as climate change alters precipitation patterns and increases water scarcity.
“What this represents is a cynical attempt at setting up what’s almost like a betting casino so some people can make money from others suffering,” Basav Sen, climate justice project director at the Institute for Policy Studies, told Earther. “My first reaction when I saw this was horror, but we’ve also seen this coming for quite some time.” |
Videos
Video for Kids
The River Remembers the Flood of 2002
I am water.
I don't remember being a young river when the land was new
In deep history I weaved and braided over countless basins and banks
I barely trickled in the desert times, many times
I retreated to my birth hills when the salt seas rose, many times
Thunder lizards stalked my muddy flats, many times
My memory is ashy and hazy after those times.
I don't remember being a young river when the land was new
In deep history I weaved and braided over countless basins and banks
I barely trickled in the desert times, many times
I retreated to my birth hills when the salt seas rose, many times
Thunder lizards stalked my muddy flats, many times
My memory is ashy and hazy after those times.
I remember wandering again, receiving my smaller sisters and brothers
They nourished me as streams as I found my bed and grew wider, stronger
I became clear as I settled, tumbling down from cedar hills
Quenching the thirst of many prairies, carrying richness in my flows
Sometimes here, sometimes there, I was free to go
But always down, down to the last salty sea.
I was water.
They nourished me as streams as I found my bed and grew wider, stronger
I became clear as I settled, tumbling down from cedar hills
Quenching the thirst of many prairies, carrying richness in my flows
Sometimes here, sometimes there, I was free to go
But always down, down to the last salty sea.
I was water.
I remember the sound of the word my first Peoples called me
They wove nets and carved spears for my finned ones
Scooped with their gourds for my shelled ones
Hunted the furred ones on my banks
And drank from my being.
We were life.
They wove nets and carved spears for my finned ones
Scooped with their gourds for my shelled ones
Hunted the furred ones on my banks
And drank from my being.
We were life.
But a moment ago, the People built walls in my bed
Slowing my flow to the sea until I coursed over their wall
Only to find another. And another.
My waters muddied with stillness and the waste of the People.
My edges became thick with green ones I did not know
My turtle ones could not find pebbled places for their eggs
We lost their lives and others.
Still, I am water.
Slowing my flow to the sea until I coursed over their wall
Only to find another. And another.
My waters muddied with stillness and the waste of the People.
My edges became thick with green ones I did not know
My turtle ones could not find pebbled places for their eggs
We lost their lives and others.
Still, I am water.
But so ditched and tamed and treated
That sometimes I rage and must take revenge
My Father the Sky helps and fills me
When I feel my old woven braids of low courses needing me
So curbed am I, I usually only creep and sprawl
Yet once, an instant ago, I crashed around the canyon wall
Threw down boulders the size of mammoths
Carved an angry new trail for myself
And showed the People those thunder lizard tracks
In the river I used to be.
That sometimes I rage and must take revenge
My Father the Sky helps and fills me
When I feel my old woven braids of low courses needing me
So curbed am I, I usually only creep and sprawl
Yet once, an instant ago, I crashed around the canyon wall
Threw down boulders the size of mammoths
Carved an angry new trail for myself
And showed the People those thunder lizard tracks
In the river I used to be.
by: Nancy Masterson, Creekside Poets, Seguin, TX, December 2019
Note: The Cagle's Map Turtle, once common in the Guadalupe River, is on the Endangered Species List. Canyon Gorge, formed in the Guadalupe River flood of 2002, reveals dinosaur tracks 111 million years old
