Home Care In Blanco, TX

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The City of Blanco said its water supplier is to blame for the city’s water shortage and emergency restrictions.

The city said Blanco City Attorney Tim Tuggey sent a letter to Texas Water Company alleging the city’s water shortage is due to “the company’s decision to prioritize delivery to other customers, causing our water supply to drop dangerously low.”

Texas Water Company told KXAN of the letter in part: “We understand the City of Blanco’s frustration. However, we dispute the statements in the open letter and look forward to formal mediation to find a mutually acceptable solution for The Texas Water Company and the City of Blanco.”

Texas Water Company has provided the city of Blanco with water for more than a year as its own water plant has been down for renovations. In the letter, Tuggey said the city “believes the actions of the company are a violation of the law, as well as a clear violation of a long-established memorandum of understanding between the city and the company.”

The city is asking for formal mediation between it and TWC with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality involved to “permanently resolve these issues.” It’s also demanding that TWC keep at least 500,000 gallons of water in the tank that supplies Blanco, and “never again force Blanco to a higher level of restrictions than other communities on the same system.”

At one point earlier in July, Mayor Mike Arnold said the city had 24 hours of water left when it went into stage six water restrictions. Those restrictions prohibit all outdoor watering and industrial water use. Real Ale Brewing Company and Milam and Greene Distillery were asked to cease operations while the city conserved water.

“I am grateful for our community and our leadership team rising to this challenge,” the letter said. “We have sent this company a strong, unified message, and I am confident we will not again experience another man-made emergency in our water supply.”

A five-story mixed-use project bringing retail, hotel, office, and residential space to more than two acres along West Sixth Street near downtown Austin is headed for the demolition phase. Sixth & Blanco, a new name for the plan first announced last summer as Clarksvillage, imagines a large-scale destination for the neighborhoods west of downtown courtesy of developers Riverside Resources, working in partnership with prolific local hotel and dining firm MML Hospitality and the acclaimed Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron.

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Demolition permits filed over the last few weeks for properties along West Sixth Street show the massive scope of the plan, with affected properties including 1110, 1112, 1114, 1116, 1120, 1124, 1126, and 1130 West Sixth Street. While non-historic structures like the former home of Z Tejas at 1110 West Sixth Street will be fully demolished, due to historic preservation concerns several of the existing buildings on this block will be partially deconstructed or otherwise modified to be integrated into the new development, including preserved and reconstructed facades for the buildings at 1116 and 1124 West Sixth Street. Four buildings close to the corner of Sixth and Blanco Streets will also be preserved, including the storefronts at 1126 and 1128 West Sixth Street and two buildings to the rear of the site at 605 and 607 Blanco Street. The project and its various adaptations of the 1920s-era buildings along this block secured the approval of the Historic Landmark Commission last year.

It’s a lot to take in, but the bottom line is that alongside its hotel use, office space, and residences on the floors above, the plan will bring roughly a dozen new retail and restaurant spaces to this block, all connected by a walkable internal courtyard. Herzog & de Meuron’s design for the space uses mass timber, an engineered wood material that is increasingly popular in lieu of concrete and steel due to its warm aesthetics and sustainable properties. It also smells great!

The Sixth & Blanco project in Austin, Texas encompasses a full city block of mixed-use, infill development in the Sixth & Blanco Street district. Adjacent to downtown and the Colorado river, the project’s location – combined with the existing vernacular store fronts, notable restaurants, stores, galleries, generous tree-lined streets, and the walkable character of the surrounding Clarksville neighborhood – have made it one of Austin’s most desirable districts.

The challenge and potential of the project is to propose an architecture that takes key ingredients from its surrounding context and distributes them throughout a dense yet permeable program: generous greenery, passively-cooled indoor/outdoor spaces, an active neighborhood storefront and the use of a materials palette aligned with the historic fabric.

The project fills the site with a continuous horizontal wooden structure. An urban carpet of shops and restaurants occupy the full ground floor, offices the second floor, a hotel on the third floor and residences on the fourth and fifth floors. From a pedestrian vantage point, the building is perceived as a series of two-story structures organized around planted courtyards. The project steps back from the street and decreases in density as it grows taller, allowing for a network of exterior circulation spaces with gardens, courtyards and porches on all levels. The project brings a human scale and a sense of domestic comfort to all – instead of a singular uniform gesture, the project is a complex sum of its many individual parts.

— Herzog & de Meuron

The recent permits for the site don’t indicate a start date, but documents related to the project from last year state that demolition could begin here sometime this summer. It’s one of the largest single developments we’ve ever seen in this downtown-adjacent region, and it’s hard to imagine anyone taking issue with the impressive design seen here — especially now that the developers aren’t using the name “Clarksvillage,” which apparently ruffled some feathers last year since the site isn’t technically inside the Clarksville neighborhood. Hey, you can’t please everybody!

BLANCO COUNTY, Texas – This is an anniversary we revisit every year. It’s a somber one, but a necessary reminder.

Flash flooding is the number one weather threat we face in South-Central Texas.

This reminder is especially important now, because we are coming off several years of drought. It’s been a while since we’ve had a flash flood event, but, unfortunately, we are due. It’s worth noting that in 2015 we were in an El Nino pattern and it was a very wet year. We are set to enter into El Nino conditions this summer.

Back in 2015, at this point in May, we had already seen healthy rains. The grounds were saturated. Then came May 23 when heavy rain and severe weather began during the afternoon hours. Rainfall totals and rainfall rates were impressive, with widespread 6 to 8 inches. However, there was a bullseye in Blanco County and far northeastern Kendall County totaling 10 to 13 inches. This heavy rain fell in the Blanco River watershed and combined with terrain to create a wall of water. Amazingly, the Blanco River rose from 5 feet at 9 p.m. to 41 feet by 1 a.m. the river rose 5 feet every 15 minutes from 10:45 p.m. to 11:45 p.m..

Sadly, with it being Memorial Day weekend, many people were staying along the river. The rapid rise caught many off-guard and the flood took 13 lives. That included eight in one home where two families were staying for the holiday weekend.

It’s a night that is forever burned in my mind, covering the event. When I saw the river gauge that night and its reading, I remember it sent a chill through me. The event was devastating for the Hill Country. I hope and pray we never seen a flood like that again, but history tells us we need to be prepared.

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BLANCO, Texas, U.S. – The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) officially approved the City of Blanco as an International Dark Sky Community (IDSC). Culminating a grassroots effort that began in 2007, the certification validated the work of the City of Blanco, the Blanco Chamber of Commerce, and the Blanco County Friends of the Night Sky in protecting the night sky above and around the city from the ravages of light pollution.

“The City of Blanco has always been enamored with the night sky,” stated Ashley Wilson, Director of Conservation with IDA. “With their tireless work, paired with the foundation of a tight-knit community and ecstatic partners, their cumulative actions have led to successfully celebrating and protecting the night sky.”

The IDA works to protect the night skies for present and future generations by requiring applicants to follow a rigorous application process to demonstrate robust community support for dark sky protection and document designation-specific program requirements. Blanco’s 295-page application represented a community-wide effort and provided detailed documentation of work done by city staff and community volunteers over many years to reach this goal.

The City of Blanco, with a population of approximately 2,100, prides itself as being the “Heart and Hub of the Texas Hill Country.” Founded by Texas Rangers in 1853 and developed and sustained by waves of German immigrants and numerous others since, the City and its citizens are proud of its rough and tumble ranching heritage and the small-town ambiance that persists into the present day. Surrounded by beautiful, oak-covered hills that are ablaze with wildflowers in the spring, blessed with the wonderfully clear, spring-fed Blanco River that flows right through the City, and strategically located within an easy drive of both Austin and San Antonio, Blanco has a lot to be proud of, its beautiful night skies being one of them.

Starting in 2007, volunteers began working with city staff and various organizations that shared the vision of a pristine night sky. A public education campaign was initiated. Using Sky Quality Meters (SQMs), an active program was established to measure night sky quality so progress in countering light pollution could be ascertained.

In 2018, the Blanco County Friends of the Night Sky (BCFNS) was established to promote night sky preservation and light pollution abatement. That same year, a comprehensive Outdoor Lighting Ordinance was drafted and adopted by the Blanco City Council and the IDSC application process was begun in earnest.

Night sky preservation presentations were made to local schools and community organizations. Night sky information booths were set up at city Market Days, at Blanco’s Twin Sisters heritage dance hall, and at Chamber of Commerce events. Contests were held to include night sky essay contests, art contests, and a songwriting contest that culminated in a 13-song CD of original music extolling the virtues of the night sky.

A Wizard of the Night Sky costumed character was created to animate the message to various groups. A Night Sky Friendly Business Recognition program was initiated that recognizes local businesses for their good outdoor lighting. A Light Bulb Exchange program was also started to encourage residents and businesses to use dark-sky friendly outdoor fixtures.

Outdoor lighting evaluations were conducted for several businesses and organizations to include Blanco State Park. Using GPS receivers and light measurement tools, volunteer groups inventoried every streetlight in the City of Blanco and, finding none that met the City’s Outdoor Lighting Ordinance, coordination was initiated with the Pedernales Electric Co-op, the City’s electricity provider, which resulted in a commitment to replace all the City’s streetlights with IDA-approved fixtures at no cost to the City of Blanco.

In conjunction with the Hill Country Alliance and the Blanco County Commissioners Court, a Night Sky Friendly Neighborhood program was established to encourage developers to include common sense outdoor lighting requirements in their deed restrictions. The Texas Legislature was successfully lobbied to allow for limited use of Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) funds to support night sky preservation efforts in Blanco and Hays counties, funds that were subsequently used to retrofit outdoor lighting fixtures at two local motels.

“The process was a long one for us, but the end goal was worth it,” stated Blanco Mayor Rachel Lumpee. “The City of Blanco sits at the ‘edge of darkness,’ with light polluted large cities to our east and south. We view our still beautiful night sky as a treasured natural resource that deserves protection from light pollution. We want to protect the darkness we have and actually reclaim the even more beautiful night skies enjoyed by our predecessors here in the Texas Hill Country.”

An IDA International Dark Sky Community (IDSC) is a town, city, municipality, or other legally organized community that has shown exceptional dedication to the preservation of the night sky through the implementation and enforcement of a quality outdoor lighting ordinance, dark sky education and citizen support of dark skies. Dark Sky Communities excel in their efforts to promote responsible lighting and dark sky stewardship, and they set good examples for surrounding communities. In its quest to preserve the night sky, Blanco joins the four neighboring IDSC-designated communities in the Texas Hill Country: Fredericksburg, Dripping Springs, Horseshoe Bay, and the Wimberley Valley, plus Lakewood Village in the North Texas area. Additionally, Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park (Ranch Unit), Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, and Milton Reimers Ranch, all a short drive from Blanco, have been designated as IDA International Dark Sky Parks.The City of Blanco was supported through the certification process by many partners including the Texas Chapter of the International Dark Sky Association and the Hill Country Alliance (HCA), a non-profit created to build awareness and community support for the natural resources and heritage of the Central Texas Hill Country.“The Hill Country Alliance is thrilled about this certification, and we send enthusiastic congratulations to the entire Blanco community on this achievement,” said HCA Night Sky Program Manager Dawn Davies. “Our region cares deeply about night sky preservation, and as a designated International Dark-Sky Community, the City of Blanco is an inspiration to us all. We look forward to continuing to support their night sky work and outreach.”

Libbey Aly, Executive Director of the Blanco Chamber of Commerce, stated, “Being designated an official International Dark Sky Community will be a real boon to our efforts to promote night sky tourism in and around Blanco. Tourists come here to see our historical Town Square, enjoy our beautiful hills, and fish and play in our spring-fed river. Now they will be more likely to remain overnight to enjoy our wonderful night sky as well. It’s a win-win for us all.”“This was a community-wide team effort from beginning to end,” said Wayne Gosnell, President of the Blanco County Friends of the Night Sky. “It is gratifying and quite appropriate that this designation should come to us during the International Dark Sky Week. Well done, everyone!

About the International Dark-Sky Places Program: The International Dark Sky Places Program was founded in 2001 as a non-regulatory and voluntary program to encourage communities, parks, and protected areas around the world to preserve and protect dark sites through effective lighting policies, environmentally responsible outdoor lighting, and public education. When used indiscriminately, artificial light can disrupt ecosystems, impact human health, waste money and energy, contribute to climate change, and block our view and connection to the universe. Blanco, Texas now joins more than 195 Places that have demonstrated robust community support for dark sky advocacy and strive to protect the night from light pollution. Learn more by visiting darksky.org/conservation/idsp.

About the International Dark-Sky Association: The mission of the IDA is to preserve and protect the nighttime environment and our heritage of dark skies through environmentally responsible outdoor lighting. Information about IDA and the process of becoming a designated IDSC can be found at darksky.org. Information about night sky preservation specifically in Blanco County, Texas can be found on the website of the Blanco County Friends of the Night Sky, www.blancocountynightsky.org.

Additional Contacts:

Ashley Wilson Director of Conservation, International Dark-Sky Association +1 520-347-5804 [email protected]

Mr. Wayne Gosnell 1374 River Run Blanco, Texas 78606 +1 210-557-5804 [email protected]

Mayor Rachel Lumpee P.O. Box 750 Blanco, Texas 78606 +1 830-833-4525 [email protected] [email protected]

BLANCO, Texas (KXAN) — City of Blanco Mayor Mike Arnold said the city’s water reserves have refilled enough to serve the city for the next few days under current Stage 6 water restrictions. He attributes the tightened restrictions to maintenance issues the city’s water supplier is facing.

Friday, the city issued an emergency notice on its website about heightened water conservation efforts.

The restrictions prohibit all outdoor watering and industrial water use. Arnold said the Real Ale Brewing Company and Milam and Greene Distillery are two businesses the city asked to halt operations to conserve water.

Milam and Greene Distillery posted Friday it would be closed due to the water restrictions.

Arnold said the city is monitoring the situation every day and hopes to have the issue resolved soon.

He said the city has worked with the Texas Department of Emergency Management to work out contingency plans if water problems persist.

If the need arises, Arnold said the city’s former fire station will become a temporary water station. There, residents can pick up pallets of bottled water and water for livestock. Arnold said a tanker of non-potable water will be on deck as well.

Arnold said plans to deliver water to some residents have also been made.

“We got a list of all the shut-ins in town and volunteers who can deliver them water if need be,” Arnold said.

Arnold said the city’s water woes are two-fold.

He said the city’s own water plant which purifies water has been offline for renovations for more than a year. He stressed that even if the plant was operating, water would still be scarce given low lake levels.

In the meantime, Blanco has been purchasing water from the Texas Water Company, formerly known as the Canyon Lake Water Service Company.

Arnold said he was told at 8 a.m. Friday by TWC that it’s tank of water for Blanco was near zero and the city’s other tanks would be depleted soon.

“At one time, we had 24 hours of water left,” said Arnold.

He said the TWC is now working to repair some equipment which could take several days.

“They had a filter go down in their processing plant. It’s the kind of thing that takes quite a long time to find parts and repair. So they’re not operating at full capacity,” Arnold said.

KXAN reached out to the Texas Water Company for a statement about these repairs.

Arnold said his last update from the water supplier came around noon Saturday. He said reserves have been replenished enough to last for several days depending on demand.