Clean Rivers Program (CRP) Annual Meeting at GBRA — BCWPP Update

Spring 2026

In attendance: Jenna Walker, David Baker, Zane Porterfield, Karl Flocke, Melissa Wolter (new Hays County Watershed Coordinator)

The Watershed Association is proud to announce a historic milestone in our mission to protect the heart of the Texas Hill Country: the official opening of the Karst Canyon Preserve. Representing years of dedicated advocacy and community support, this 175-acre acquisition effectively doubles the footprint of the protected lands within the Jacob’s Well Natural Area.

While this acquisition expands the natural area and conserves acres from development, it also permanently safeguards critical recharge within the Jacob’s Well Groundwater Management Zone to protect the critically threatened Trinity Aquifer that sustains our region.

Often described as a “sacred place,” Karst Canyon serves as a natural cathedral of geological wonders. The land is home to over 118 documented karst limestone features, including an intricate network of caves, sinkholes, and fractures. These features act as nature’s funnel, facilitating a spectacular rainfall recharge rate of 30%, nearly ten times the average recharge rate across our region. By preserving this critical recharge zone, we are directly ensuring the long-term viability of the springs that feed Cypress Creek and the local water supply.

Beyond its hydrological importance, the preserve is a sanctuary for biodiversity. It protects more than 100 acres of pristine habitat for the endangered golden-cheeked warbler. Within ancient live oak and juniper forests, the community has secured a future where rare species can thrive undisturbed.

Over a hundred community members gathered at the ribbon-cutting for the preserve on March 27th to celebrate the opening of the preserve to the public. The acquisition truly marks a milestone for the community and the dedicated efforts of the Watershed Association, Hays County, and many local stakeholders over the last decade to make the acquisition possible.

Every year, GBRA hosts a gathering of the organizations and individuals tasked with collecting water quality data for the Coordinated Monitoring of the Texas Clean Rivers Program — a far-reaching basin-wide effort to track the health of the entire Guadalupe River Watershed. The Cypress Creek and Blanco River segments in Hays and Blanco County began being monitored by the Watershed Association 23 years ago. What began as citizen science in the 1980’s led by long time water stewards Pete Anderson, Dorothy Gumbert, Maggie Baines, Bill Johnson and Jack Hollon evolved into a formal collaboration with the Meadows Center for the Environment, the Guadalupe Blanco River Authority (GBRA) the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The Texas Clean Rivers Program (CRP) is a state-funded partnership between the TCEQ and regional water authorities designed to monitor and manage water quality across Texas’s river basins. It focuses on gathering scientifically sound data to identify environmental concerns and coordinate watershed protection strategies. By involving local stakeholders and public agencies, the program ensures a proactive, non-regulatory approach to maintaining the state’s water resources.

Over the last two years, through an Interlocal Agreement established with the City of Wimberley, City of Woodcreek, Hays County, Meadows Center for Water and the Environment and the Watershed Association what began as an EPA approved Watershed Protection Plan further evolved to become the locally managed and funded Blanco-Cypress Watershed Protection Plan.

At this year’s CRP  meeting, watershed coordinators from across the entire Guadalupe River Basin shared data from the past year, worked through real-time challenges, and got a sense of what neighboring organizations are prioritizing. 

What the Data Shows: Cypress Creek and the Blanco River in 2025

Through the Blanco Cypress WPP, the Meadows Center at Texas State University monitors thirteen CRP sites in our watershed — 7 on the Blanco River and 6 on Cypress Creek. Tiffany Willrich and Adam Berglund presented the 2025 water quality sampling snapshot.

Watershed Sites Samples DO < 4(discrete) DO > 6(discrete) Mean DO < 4(sites) Mean DO > 6(sites) E. coli > 394(sites)
Blanco River 7 40 0 35 0 7 4
Cypress Creek 6 24 5 14 2 4 4

Source: Meadows Center CRP 2025 Snapshot, presented at GBRA Annual Meeting of the Monitors. DO standard for Exceptional streams: ≥6.0 mg/L mean, ≥4.0 mg/L minimum. E. coli single-sample max: 394 MPN/100 mL.

Every Blanco River site recorded a mean dissolved oxygen above the 6 mg/L threshold — not a bad thing at first glance, but 35 out of 40 discrete samples exceeded that upper standard, which flags an algal bloom problem. Cypress Creek told a more alarming story: 5 discrete samples fell below the life-sustaining floor of 4 mg/L, and 2 sites had average dissolved oxygen below that minimum all year. Blue-green algal blooms were observed in the field during the high dissolved oxygen events, confirming algae as the driver of both extremes.

Regarding bacterial levels, four sites on each waterway exceeded the single-sample E. coli maximum of 394 MPN/100 mL at least once in 2025. Spikes at the Blanco River sites (12668, 12669, 17528) were tied to high-flow events — the classic first-flush of a drought-busting rain. The Cypress Creek exceedances at Jacob’s Well (12677) and Cypress Creek at Blanco River (12673) showed elevated bacteria even at low flows, which points to a concentrated, chronically present source rather than bacteria levels increasing just due to storm runoff. 

The Flow Data: A System Running Dry

In order to understand the water quality numbers, we must look at flow data, and the low flow data shows a very clear trend. In total, out of the last 365 days, Jacob’s Well has had zero flow for approximately 250 to 260 days. Officials have noted that this represents part of the longest sustained period of low-to-no flow on record for the spring, which has remained closed to swimmers for nearly four consecutive years. The Meadows Center presented before-and-after photographs from CRP monitoring sites that tell the story. 

The Blanco River data illustrated a similar story. Site 12668 at FM 165 went from 25 CFS in September 2025 to 0.7 CFS by January 2026. Site 12669 at PR23 dropped from 30 CFS to 1 CFS over the same period. Large rain events created brief surges of turbid, fast-moving water that dropped back to near-zero within weeks. The watershed is not retaining water from the infrequent rainfall events — rainfall runs off instead of soaking into the aquifer, and without aquifer recharge, there is no steady baseflow to keep the springs flowing.

The Flow Data: A System Running Dry

At the Clean Rivers Program Annual Meeting, TCEQ representatives walked through the range of options that can be considered when a water body does not meet state water quality standards. In the case of Cypress Creek, which has a documented biological impairment, TCEQ recommended a special study to identify the root cause of the impairment and to help shape possible management-strategy recommendations going forward. TCEQ has confirmed that lowering Cypress Creek’s water quality standards was not part of the discussion and is not under consideration, and that no Use Attainability Analysis (UAA) has been scheduled.

The Watershed Association welcomes the special study and the opportunity it creates to better understand what is driving conditions in Cypress Creek and to inform responsive management strategies. We will keep our community updated as that work progresses.

Correction note: An earlier version of this article stated that TCEQ was considering recategorizing Cypress Creek to have lower quality standards. That was not accurate; TCEQ has clarified the discussion and the corrected framing appears above. We thank TCEQ Media Relations for the direct outreach.

Good News: Better Science for Cleaner Water

One genuinely encouraging development came from the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA) laboratory: they have successfully lowered the Limit of Quantitation (LOQ) for total phosphorus from 0.02 mg/L to 0.01 mg/L. While this sounds like a minor technical adjustment, it is a game-changer for the protection of Pristine Streams in the Texas Hill Country.

Why Every Fraction of a Milligram Matters

Phosphorus is the primary driver of algal growth in our waterways. In the sensitive, spring-fed segments of the Guadalupe Basin, the ecosystem is so naturally low in nutrients that even minute increases can trigger rapid changes in algal assemblages.

  • The Threshold: Evidence suggests that levels as low as 0.05 mg/L can begin to degrade these sensitive streams.
  • The Data Gap: Previously, the majority of Hill Country samples were reported simply as “below 0.02 mg/L,” leaving scientists in the dark about the actual nutrient dynamics.
  • New Precision: With the new 0.01 mg/L limit, GBRA found that nearly 38% of recent samples fell into that previously “invisible” 0.01–0.02 range.

Setting Evidence-Based Policy

As the first River Authority to achieve this level of low-level nutrient detection, GBRA is providing the empirical data needed to set meaningful wastewater discharge limits. This precision ensures that policy discussions—like those involving the TCEQ and wastewater coalitions—are based on the actual reality of our pristine Hill Country waters rather than the limitations of older lab equipment.  By seeing more detailed data, we are better equipped to protect the “Exceptional” quality of Hill Country Pristine Streams and Rivers.  

The Blanco Cypress Watershed Protection Plan ILA: Still Going Strong

From Management to Shared Ownership

What began as an EPA-approved Watershed Protection Plan has further evolved to become the locally managed and funded Blanco-Cypress Watershed Protection Plan with a collaborative interlocal management agreement.  .We are currently in year three of the Blanco Cypress Watershed Protection Plan Interlocal Agreement (ILA).  The interlocal agreement is a model for collaborative governance established between the City of Wimberley, City of Woodcreek, Hays County, Meadows Center for Water and the Environment and the Watershed Association.  The model moves the seat of responsibility directly into the hands of the community and local government. By pooling resources and expertise, we ensure that no single entity carries the burden or dominates the agenda. This collaborative approach:

  • Promotes Local Investment: Fosters shared ownership and long-term funding stability.
  • Ensures Balanced Solutions: Integrates diverse perspectives to address complex development and water needs.
  • Creates a Replicable Model: Establishes a blueprint for watershed governance that other communities can follow in perpetuity.

2025 Impact & Infrastructure

The BCWPP is supported by a massive monitoring and outreach network that acts as our “eyes and ears” on the ground:

Scientific Monitoring & Community Data

The BCWPP is supported by collaboration and a robust monitoring and outreach network

  • New Leadership and added Capacity- Karl Flocke joined Hays County as the new Parks and Natural Resource Director and Melissa Wolter will join the team as the new Watershed Coordinator for the Blanco Cypress Watershed Protection Plan next month.
  • Expanded Scientific Monitoring: Through the Clean Rivers Program and Texas Stream Team, we activated 60 monitoring sites and generated 751 sampling events this year alone.
  • WAG Legacy & Bacteria Tracking: We are proud to continue our long-time support of the Wimberley Water Advisory Group (WAG). Since 1984, WAG volunteers have monitored E. coli levels in Cypress Creek and the Blanco River at 13 sites, with analysis performed by the Edwards Aquifer Research and Data Center at Texas State University. Originally launched with support from the Wimberley Chamber of Commerce, Civic Club, and Lions Club, this data has been consistently collected in our community  for decades.
  • Enhanced Data Access: The Watershed Association is currently coordinating with Pete Anderson and WAG volunteers to expand the digital availability of this vital monthly swim-season data, ensuring our community remains informed about local water quality.
  • Conservation Milestones: We recently celebrated the ribbon-cutting of the Karst Canyon Preserve—175 acres of critical recharge land adjacent to Jacob’s Well, successfully protected from development.
  • Community Engagement: The BCWPP educational programming reached over 1,775 students and generated 12,000 community touchpoints this year in outreach programs.

Collaborative Successes

Our collaborative efforts have yielded significant conservation wins:

  • Policy Integration: One Water resolutions have now been adopted by Hays County and the Cities of Wimberley, Woodcreek, and Blanco.
  • Policy: The Watershed Association and City of Woodcreek successfully navigated an Aqua Texas rate case to protect local interests.
  • Technical Oversight: Ongoing work includes OSSF (septic) inspections, mapping stormwater systems, developing nature based stormwater solutions for the Cities of Woodcreek and Wimberley and participating in Hays County subdivision rule development to ensure new development guidelines support water quality and land conservation.

The Path Forward

As we look toward extending the ILA, our focus remains on attaining water quality goals through rigorous science and community advocacy. We will return to the county budget cycle this year to ensure this “community-owned” model has the resources to protect our spring fed waterways for the next generation.

Why Water Quality Matters 

Many great connections have been made over the years through the Clean Rivers Program science based initiative that has engaged agencies and stakeholders to monitor and protect water quality across the entire Guadalupe River Basin.  After 23 years of engagement in the Clean Rivers Program, the Watershed Association is proud to be part of a genuinely collaborative, data-driven effort to strive to keep the region’s waterways in compliance and exceed the Clean Water Act Standards. The data gathered over the years feeds directly into the state’s Integrated Report and ongoing regulatory decisions that impact our region.  Driven by data, active collaboration and a dedicated network of regional stewards, scientific data and research will continue to fuel the stewardship and advocacy necessary to sustain clean water in our streams,creeks and rivers for generations to come.