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Hays County, Meadows Center and local cities move watershed protection plan into 3‑year interlocal pilot
Summary
The Watershed Association and the Meadows Center updated Hays County Commissioners on the Blanco Cypress Watershed Protection Plan, reporting expanded monitoring, a new full‑time watershed coordinator and a three‑year interlocal agreement to fund the program’s next phase.
The Watershed Association and the Meadows Center presented a progress update on the Blanco Cypress Watershed Protection Plan to the Hays County Commissioner's Court on the county’s ongoing efforts to protect springs, creeks and groundwater. The interlocal agreement that created a three‑year pilot for the plan now funds a full‑time watershed coordinator and additional monitoring and outreach.
"This is part of the countywide strategy to ensure Hays County aquifers, our springs, creeks, rivers, and drinking water supply remain clean, clear, and flowing," said David Baker, executive director of the Watershed Association, as he introduced the program’s second‑year accomplishments.
The presenters said the plan combines science, local partnership and targeted actions. Jenna Walker, director of watershed studies at the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, said the original 2014 watershed protection plan was the first of its kind to include groundwater, and that the interlocal agreement signed in 2024 by Hays County, Wimberley and Woodcreek establishes governance, funding and staffing for implementation.
Presenters described three core elements: routine water quality monitoring (the Clean Rivers program and community science sites), targeted studies to identify pollution and sources, and on‑the‑ground best management practices (BMPs) such as stormwater and septic improvements. Jenna Walker said the program now collects hundreds of samples each year across 43 sites and is using dye trace studies and groundwater pumping curtailments where data indicate harm to spring flows.
Speakers highlighted the local economic stakes: Jacob’s Well and Cypress Creek are major tourist draws for Wimberley and the broader county. David Baker noted one figure presented to court: the county currently uses about 41,000 acre‑feet of water and is projected to need about 108,000 acre‑feet in future scenarios, a shortfall that presenters said could require significant infrastructure investment.
Baker and Walker also pointed to state policy developments: presenters said Senate Bill 7 created a Texas Water Fund (to appear on the ballot this fall as Proposition 4) and urged aligning local watershed planning with potential state funding for conservation, reuse and new supply projects.
Commissioners praised the coordination, asked for a future workshop to dig into monitoring data, and discussed scaling the watershed protection approach countywide. Court members said they supported continuing the interlocal pilot and requested updates as the pilot approaches its budget request for the next county cycle.
The presenters left the court with a practical request: continued commitments from local governments and agencies, and support for the county’s parks and natural resources staff and the watershed coordinator to expand monitoring, outreach and BMP implementation.
Looking ahead, the Watershed Association and Meadows Center said their next steps include targeted stormwater mapping, additional BMP installations, expanded stakeholder engagement in the Upper Blanco and a budget request for the county’s FY cycle.
