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Resident warns county: Blackland Prairie soils are being lost to development
Summary
Jody Boll, speaking for Preserve Wilco and Wilco Greenbelt Alliance, urged Williamson County Commissioners Court to protect the Blackland Prairie's productive soils and working agricultural lands, saying conversion to impervious surface irreversibly harms water recharge and food security.
Jody Boll, representing Preserve Wilco and Wilco Greenbelt Alliance, told the Williamson County Commissioners Court the county must weigh legacy alongside growth. "Once this land is covered by concrete, this historic land, it's gone forever," Boll said, urging county leaders to preserve Blackland Prairie soils on the county's east side because of their role in groundwater recharge and food production.
Boll cited county documents that recognize portions of the county as "prime agricultural land," said less than 1% of the original Blackland Prairie remains, and warned that continued conversion reduces local food production and increases long-term infrastructure costs for drainage and water treatment. Her group said it now represents more than 1,200 members and asked the court and the Economic Development Partnership to factor farmland protection into economic planning.
