City leaders and staff from 15 Central Texas communities convened Wednesday, Nov. 13, for the second annual “One Water in the Hill Country” meeting. The event, co-hosted by the Hill Country Alliance and the City of Boerne, provided an opportunity for collaboration on managing scarce water resources amid ongoing drought and rapid growth.
Representatives from cities including Bandera, Blanco, Boerne, Buda, Fair Oaks Ranch, Fredericksburg, Kerrville, Kyle, Lakeway, Liberty Hill, New Braunfels, San Marcos, Wimberley, Woodcreek, and Austin attended the event.
The meeting focused on the One Water approach, a holistic strategy for managing drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater to maximize benefits for communities, the economy, and the environment.
Many Hill Country communities are already implementing One Water principles. Examples include investing in rainwater and air-conditioning condensate collection systems and installing purple pipes to distribute reclaimed wastewater. However, communicating the value of such investments and engaging the private sector remain challenges, according to Marisa Bruno, water program manager for the Hill Country Alliance.
Municipal leaders emphasized the importance of cities setting the example in water management innovation. Boerne City Manager Ben Thatcher noted, “When a developer comes to Boerne and we ask them to include features like rainwater harvesting, it helps to show that the city is making similar investments.”
Participants toured the Headwaters at the Comal in New Braunfels, a 16acre site that marks the origin of the Comal River and once served as the city’s original waterworks. Now managed by a nonprofit, the site showcases sustainable development practices, onsite water reuse, green stormwater infrastructure, and native ecosystems.
“Water-wise landscaping presents a huge opportunity for water savings,” said David Hubbard, chief administrative officer of New Braunfels Utilities. Leaders agreed that native and drought-resistant landscaping is crucial to reducing pressure on water resources, especially as the region faces prolonged drought.
The agenda included presentations by staff from Boerne, Buda, and Austin, who shared their cities’ strategies for advancing One Water in both public and private developments.
The event’s success has sparked plans for another regional One Water conference next year.
The Hill Country Alliance is a nonprofit organization focused on preserving the Texas Hill Country’s open spaces, clean water, night skies, and unique character. For more information, contact Leah Cuddeback at [email protected].
“WATERWISE LANDSCAPING
PRESENTS A HUGE OPPORTUNITY FOR WATER SAVINGS”
- David Hubbard, chief administrative officer of New Braunfels Utilities.
