In this issue: Permian Highway Pipeline updates, Protect Our Blanco updates, New Staff Members, Amplify Austin, Upcoming Events
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WVWA's Response to Court Rulings on the PHP - Wimberley...
On Wednesday, March 4th at 9:00 am, Judy Pittman will rule on a temporary injunction against the Permian Highway Pipeline. The public is welcome to attend; please adhere to the respectful rules of the courtroom. 501 W. 5th Street, Austin, TX...
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wimberleywatershed.org
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Jacobs Well GMZ - Wimberley Valley Watershed Association
At the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District (HTGCD) March meeting, the Board will take action on Rule 15, establishing a Jacobs Well Groundwater Management Zone to better coordinate groundwater use particularly during drought. The...
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wimberleywatershed.org
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Amplify Austin Launches March 5th!
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Amplify Austin Day is the Central Texas region’s day of giving. It is a local generosity movement that connects individuals, families, businesses, and foundations with the causes they are passionate about to create real, lasting change for the local nonprofits that address our most pressing needs.
On Amplify Austin Day, your gifts have the opportunity to be amplified through matching gifts and challenges, hourly prize incentives, and through the I Live Here I Give Here Amplify Fund, which is distributed to all participating nonprofits.
Early donations have already begun, be sure to Support your Watershed!
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Saying Goodbye & Saying Hello
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After 2 years with WVWA, our managing director Ashley Waymouth will be leaving to pursue an opportunity with National Park Service in Hot Springs, Arkansas. We're very proud of her and are so grateful for everything she's done in her time here at WVWA.
With that, we are excited to announce our newest employee who will be taking her place as Managing Director, Robin Gary.
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A message from Robin:
I’m honored to have the opportunity to join the crew as Managing Director at the Wimberley Valley Watershed Association and excited to lend my strengths to continue the incredible progress that David, Ellen, Ashley, the Board, and the many collaborators have worked for over the years. As I look at the long list of WVWA’s accomplishments and successes, I am humbled and grateful for the opportunity to stand on the shoulders of giants.
To share a little about me, I earned a Masters degree from the University of Texas at Austin, Department of Geography and the Environment in 2005 for research focused on human-environment interaction in karst landscapes. Until 2009, I worked as a geographer for the U.S. Geological Survey, Texas Water Science Center doing data management, spatial analysis, and GIS and I was part of the team that helped establish the springflow gauging station at Jacobs Well. From 2009 to just recently, I served as the Public Information and Education Coordinator for the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District. It was a wonderful 11 years at the District. Some of the highlights during my career at the District include building an impactful and collaborative educational program (through at least three critical groundwater droughts); supporting and educating well owners and groundwater users; serving on the City of Austin Environmental Board and as a representative for the Regional Water Planning Group Region K; and researching and publishing methods to assess groundwater use, well drilling trends, and aquifer dynamics.
As a geographer, a groundwater scientist, a teacher, and a mom, I’m excited to work in community that supports my family. It’s a small world, and ever since I was a child, Wimberley has held a tender place in my heart. I look forward to learning, working, and collaborating with all of you to help make science more accessible, increase knowledge about watershed issues, and empower people to be part of a collective solution.
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Protect Our Blanco - Wimberley Valley Watershed Association
Protect Our Blanco (POB) will host a Community Meeting on March 3rd at 6:00pm at Old 300 BBQ in Blanco to share the latest news about their contested case hearing, and water quality results from the discharge site. WVWA's Executive Director,...
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wimberleywatershed.org
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TESPA continues fight against Needmore
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The Trinity Edwards Springs Protection Association (TESPA) announced on February 11th, 2020 that it has filed suit in Travis County District Court challenging the decision by the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD) to issue a permit to Needmore Water, LLC to withdraw about 289 million gallons of groundwater each year in Hays County near Wimberley, Texas.
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Here's a beautifully written article by Daniel Oppenheimer of HCA about Wimberley's own Suzanne Davis in Rock & Vine Magazine.
Davis talks about her experiences after the flood and all that she's learned about riparian restoration in the last few years. It's a wonderful read well worth your time.
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Fighting Water Pollution with Nature Based Infrastructure
by Environment Texas
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Amid ongoing problems with water pollution and flooding, cities across Texas are turning to nature-based infrastructure. San Antonio and Austin lead the way, followed closely by Harris County, according to a new report by Environment Texas Research and Policy Center, which ranks local governments across Texas on how well their stormwater policy incorporates nature-based infrastructure, like rain gardens and green roofs.
“Nature-based infrastructure, from rain gardens to constructed wetlands, helps keep Texans safe,” said Anna Farrell-Sherman, Clean Water Associate with Environment Texas Research and Policy Center and author of the report. “It is about time that Texas governments recognized how important these features are to mitigating flooding and reducing water pollution.”
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Featured Events - Add to Your Calendar!
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This Saturday 3/7/2020, Danforth Middle School students and WVWA are combining forces to extend the Great Texas River Cleanup to the Cypress Creek watershed. The cleanup will remove trash from Dry Cypress Creek at the Colemans Canyon property in the critical recharge zone for Jacobs Well.
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This Wednesday, March 4th at 6:00pm join Blanco Stop The Pipeline and WVWA's Executive Director David Baker at the Blue Barn for a community meeting and potluck. Bring a friend, bring a dish, and remember - it's not a done deal!
Arnosky’s Blue Barn
13977 FM 2325 Blanco, TX 78606
(corner of RR165 and RR2325)
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