The Texas Hill Country is blessed with incredible charm and aesthetic appeal; Its natural environment including creeks, rivers, and springs are a central draw. Many Hill Country residents rely on wells for their drinking water and livelihoods. Creeks and springs serve as important recreational hubs and help sustain wildlife and livestock. Water in the Hill Country is also a precious limited resource. This report helps us begin to understand how we can protect Hill Country waterways while also meeting the wastewater service challenges of our region.
In the Hill Country, there is a need for approaches to development that serve well on multiple fronts– that prevent wastewater effluent pollutants from impacting local streams, that consider the water limitations of our drought-prone region and provide affordable and reliable wastewater systems. Planning for wastewater service in a development can also be considered with other water needs such as the need for non-potable water within and outside buildings, and stormwater planning. This holistic approach to planning water within a development, called One Water, is gaining momentum nationally and in our region.
This report is not a comprehensive guide for how to design the ideal wastewater system for any given development. Instead, its purpose is to familiarize developers, property owners, city planners, and policymakers with modern, cost-effective wastewater solutions that can meet the unique service needs and conditions of the Hill Country.
Preferred Wastewater Systems for the Texas Hill Country & Over the Edwards Aquifer: Economic and Environmental Considerations
Prepared by Community Environmental Services, Inc.
– Susan Parten, PEDownload
Prepared by Community Environmental Services, Inc.
– Susan Parten, PEDownload
The Cypress Creek Watershed Protection Plan is the result a collaborative approach to watershed planning involving the cities, county, civic organizations, and citizens of the Wimberley Valley. The community-led and EPA accepted Watershed Protection Plan is an important tool used to help guide efforts to effectively manage the Cypress Creek Watershed by utilizing best management practices (BMPs) designed to mitigate nonpoint source pollution, anticipate future water quality impairments, and protect groundwater resources. The WVWA continues to serve on the executive committee and is partnering with the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment to support CCWPP education and outreach activities.
WVWA is the only nonprofit organization in the State of Texas collecting quality assured water quality data used to assess whether surface water in the Blanco River and Cypress Creek is meeting Federal Clean Water Act standards and will continue to participate in partnership with the Guadalupe Blanco River Authority and the Texas Clean Rivers Program.