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Meadows Center and county outline push to make Blanco-Cypress watershed program permanent
Summary
Presenters told the commissioners that the Blanco Cypress Watershed Protection Plan has been active for 18 years, that Hays County funded monitoring and hired a watershed coordinator, and that partners won a $50,000 Texas A&M Forest Service grant for tree-based water-quality work; staff recommended making the interlocal agreement permanent.
Carl Flocky, Hays County director of parks and natural resources, and Jenna Walker, director of watershed studies at the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, briefed the court on the Blanco Cypress Watershed Protection Plan (BC WPP). Walker said the BC WPP is a coordinated, locally led framework that covers Cypress Creek, the Blanco River and Jacob's Well and supports water quality, recreation and property values across western Hays County.
Walker cited the Texas Water Development Board's draft 2027 state water plan projections that show higher population growth and a shift toward conservation and reuse as top strategies. She said the Meadows Center and county partners recently secured a $50,000 grant from the Texas A&M Forest Service to apply tree-based solutions for water quality and that Hays County funds the Meadows Center's water-quality monitoring. "We have a new coordinator starting on May 27," Walker said, and the presenters proposed making the current interlocal agreement permanent and funding continued monitoring and a permanent coordinator position to sustain implementation and improve competitiveness for additional grants.
Several commissioners thanked the presenters and stressed the need for continued partner coordination; no formal action to change the interlocal agreement was taken at this meeting, but staff said they would bring any formal ILA changes back for approval.
