Author: Secretary @FA

See a fish or wildlife kill? Suspect a pollution event? Call Texas Parks & Wildlife Kills and Spills Team

https://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/water/environconcerns/kills_and_spills/index.phtml

Kills and Spills Team

If you see a fish or wildlife kill or suspect a pollution event:

Call (512) 389-4848 or contact your regional Kills and Spills Team biologist.

Prompt notification is key to a successful investigation. The sooner we arrive, the better the chances that our biologists will be able to collect useful evidence.

What does KAST do?

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Kills and Spills Team (KAST) is a group of biologists who investigate fish and wildlife kills resulting from pollution and natural events. KAST staff are trained to assess impacts to fish and wildlife resources and to determine the causes of events.

Reporting a Kill or Spill

If possible, make a note of the following:

  • Location, date and time
  • Water color, clarity and any odor
  • Number, size and species of affected organisms
  • Recent weather
  • Condition and behavior of animals or organisms
  • Are plants or other organisms affected?

 

Living near a creek affected by the “White Water Event” on May 14, 2019? Please read

Dear neighbors of northern Hays County,

If you live, work, own property along a creek that may have been affected by the “white water event” of May 14, 2019, and believe you/your property may be affected by this event, and if you have taken pictures of the water in your section of the affected creek, of dead animals, plants, or insects in the water, and/or how the water has affected your well or your property, please email those pictures to:

[email protected]

with your address, phone number, location of the photo(s) taken, date of photo(s) taken, and your concerns.

Thank you in advance,

Friendship Alliance

 

May 15, 2019 Response from City of Dripping Springs Code Enforcement & Construction Inspector Aaron Reed

From: Aaron Reed <areed@cityofdrippingsprings.com>
Date: May 15, 2019 at 8:42:06 AM CDT

Mr. Torres-Verdin,

I visited the site at Mark Black Wedding Venue yesterday afternoon.  I arrived shortly after James Slone of TCEQ had left.  TCEQ has put a stop to the dewatering of the foundation excavation which was leading to sediment leaving the site.  The contractor is to submit a dewatering plan to TCEQ and it must be approved by TCEQ before any dewatering can continue.  TCEQ will also be requiring the contractor to clean up the creek.  I am not sure what the schedule is for that cleanup.  For that information you will need to contact TCEQ.

If you have any other questions regarding this matter please feel free to email or call me at City Hall 512-858-4725.

Please understand that any citizen complaints must be directed through City Hall via email or phone so records can be kept.

 

Thank you,

 

Definition of Dewatering, etc.

https://www.thebalancesmb.com/what-is-dewatering-844520

Dewatering Techniques and Solutions for Construction Projects

Dewatering and construction dewatering are terms used to describe the action of removing groundwater or surface water from a construction site. Normally the dewatering process is done by pumping or evaporation and is usually done before excavation for footings or to lower water table that might be causing problems during excavations. Dewatering can also refer to the process of removing water from the soil by wet classification. The right dewatering plan can be used to be in compliance with some of the Best Management Practices related to the SWPP [Stormwater Pollution Prevention] plan.

https://www.tceq.texas.gov/permitting/wastewater/general

Available Water Quality General Permits

The discharge of wastewater and certain types of stormwater into or adjacent to water in the state (HTML) must be authorized by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). This authorization may come in the form of an individual discharge permit or a general permit. Seeking authorization under a general permit is generally less time-consuming than authorization under an individual permit and usually requires fewer resources.

The status of general permits that are being renewed or amended will be discussed at quarterly Water Quality Advisory Workgroup meetings, which are open to the public.

https://www.tceq.texas.gov/remediation/iop/iop.html

Innocent Owner/Operator Program (IOP)

The Texas IOP provides a certificate to an innocent owner or operator

Overview

The Texas IOP, created by House Bill 2776 of the 75th Legislature, provides a certificate to an innocent owner or operator if their property is contaminated as a result of a release or migration of contaminants from a source or sources not located on the property, and they did not cause or contribute to the source or sources of contamination. Like the Texas Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP), the IOP can be used as a redevelopment tool and as a tool to add value to a contaminated property by providing an Innocent Owner/Operator Certificate (IOC). However, unlike the VCP release of liability, the liability immunity acknowledged in IOCs does not cover future owners/operators. Future owners or operators are eligible to enter the IOP and may, if otherwise qualified, receive an IOC, but only after they become an owner or operator of the site.

Regulations

State laws associated with the IOP program are located in the Health and Safety Code 361.751-361.754.

State rules associated with the IOP program are located in the Texas Administrative Code 30 TAC 333.31-333.43.

KXAN: Venue owned by famous Texas BBQ family under investigation over construction runoff

 

 

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/hays/venue-owned-by-famous-texas-bbq-family-under-investigation-over-construction-runoff/2002425451

By: Russell Falcon, Alex Caprariello

Posted: May 14, 2019 / 08:53 PM CDT / Updated: May 14, 2019 / 10:36 PM CDT

DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) — One of the biggest names in Texas barbeque is facing a new challenge.

The Black family’s planned wedding venue is under investigation by the city of Dripping Springs and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Neighbors of “Black Ranch” say construction run-off has flowed into a nearby creek. Some have been against the project from the start.

….

Continue reading “KXAN: Venue owned by famous Texas BBQ family under investigation over construction runoff”

On May 14, 2019, in the creek between Mark Black Wedding Venue project and the Ila Creek subdivision, Hays County, TX

No rainfall today.

And yet:

 

 

 

Photo credits:

All photos taken by Dr. Carlos Torres-Verdin in the morning, Tuesday May 14, 2019, as he stood on his property, looking into the creek that runs between the Mark Black Wedding Venue project and Ila Creek.

If you’d like to let TCEQ know what you think, or to ask simply “what is going on with our creek? what is in that water? why is this the second time this is happening?” etc. then:

_____________

 

Upstream photo below, taken 11:35am on May 14, 2019, by Jeanine Christensen, while standing in the Radiance community greenbelt:

 

On May 7, 2019, in the creek between Mark Black Wedding Venue project and the Ila Creek subdivision, Hays County, TX

Rain today.
Then this.

Photo credits:

All photos taken by Dr. Carlos Torres-Verdin in the morning, Tuesday May 7, 2019, as he stood on his property, looking into the creek that runs between the Mark Black Wedding Venue project and Ila Creek.

If you get your water from a well that draws from the Trinity Aquifer, please read this

Kyle City Council unanimously condemns Permian Highway Pipeline, requests immediate legislative action

https://communityimpact.com/austin/san-marcos-buda-kyle/editors-pick/2019/02/15/at-kinder-morgans-permian-highway-meeting-state-rep-erin-zwiener-says-new-bill-will-reflect-concerns-about-pipeline/

Hundreds attend Permian Highway Pipeline meeting in Wimberley

CI EXCLUSIVE: Zwiener discusses proposed Permian Highway Pipeline, Hays County priorities ahead of 86th Texas legislative session

Petition: Designate Texas Ranch-to-Market Roads 1826, 150 and 967 “Scenic Highways”

Here’s what our petition says:

From the wildflowers that Lady Bird Johnson adored, to the dramatic rise and fall of tree-covered limestone hills in the Texas Hill Country, our country roads are a treasure. Texas Ranch to Market Roads 1826, 150 and 967 reward travelers with natural vistas, cool clear creeks, and wide open skies filled with stars, sunrises, and sunsets every day.

We the undersigned want to keep the Texas Hill Country SCENIC.

Central Texas is experiencing explosive growth. Data from The U.S. Census Bureau shows Hays County is the 4th fastest-growing county in the United States (see https://communityimpact.com/austin/san-marcos-buda-kyle/city-county/2018/03/22/hays-county-ranked-4th-fastest-growing-county-country/ ).

The increase in the number of motorists along our Ranch to Market roads has triggered a proliferation of billboards on our roads. Billboards are not mere eyesores: their lighting endangers human health and pollutes the night skies that are iconic to this region of Texas.

Further, healthy Texans are productive Texans. We need our nighttime dark. Light pollution has a direct negative bearing on human health and circadian rhythms:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2627884/

Artificial lights at night don’t just affect people. Wildlife is also affected negatively, with impacts on migration and reproduction:
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/full/10.1139/er-2014-0005#.XFxfwdFJnwc

Last but not least, billboards may have a negative impact on property values of nearby homes and neighborhoods.

For these reasons, we ask the Texas Legislature to acknowledge the value of these roads we love by designating Texas Ranch to Market Roads 1826, 150 and 967 as “Scenic Highways” in Hays County.

We ask the 86th Legislature to help preserve the scenic beauty and character of Ranch to Market Roads 1826, 150 and 967 by supporting legislation that keeps the beauty of the Texas Hill Country intact.

The stars at night are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas.
May they be so, forever.

If you agree, please sign our petition here:

https://www.change.org/p/texas-house-representative-erin-zwiener-district-45-designate-texas-ranch-to-market-roads-1826-150-and-967-scenic-highways