Home Care In Llano, TX

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After months of opposition by communities along the Llano River, the former CEO of Houston-based energy company Phillips 66 has withdrawn his permit application to build a private dam on his ranch in Edwards County, according to state environmental regulators.

Greg Garland's Waterstone Creek LLC had sought state permission to dam the South Llano River in an application filed five years ago. The permit, if approved, would have allowed the LLC to create a pond roughly equal to six olympic-sized swimming pools.

The dam would have been the first private dam built in the Llano River watershed since 1976 — and the first built for recreational purposes like swimming, boating and fishing. At a public meeting about the application that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality held in August, Garland said the pool’s purpose was to promote more wildlife and fish on his property.

The agency received a letter from Peter T. Gregg, a representative for Waterstone Creek LLC, with a formal request to withdraw Garland’s application on Oct. 18, a day after The Texas Tribune published a story on the dam controversy.

Gregg and Garland did not respond to requests for comment.

“The dam is dead, the dam is dead,” said Linda Fawcett, president of the Llano River Watershed Alliance and a resident of Junction who lives about 60 miles southwest of Gregg’s property.

Fawcett and others along the river had expressed concerns about the proposed construction of a private dam along the South Llano River. They said it would start a domino effect of property owners building more private dams, which could alter the river's natural flow and send less water into the Highland Lakes.

Up and down the Llano River, local officials also had spoke out against the possible privatization of a section of a public river.

Kimble, Mason and Llano counties, which all rely on the river as their water source, passed resolutions in 2022 urging the TCEQ to deny the dam permit, citing the ongoing drought. A private dam “will seize the flow during sustained dry periods” and “have an adverse effect on the downstream flow of the river,” the resolutions said.

Fawcett said the collective effort of local politicians, activists and residents helped prevent the dam from happening.

“We love nature, we love the river and we want it in its natural state. I thank Mr. Garland for giving us a reason to unite,” Fawcett said.

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LLANO COUNTY, Texas (KEYE) -- The fire that broke out on Thursday in Llano County is fully contained as of Sunday evening.

The Texas A&M Forest Service says the Moore Peak blaze burned 707 acres and is 100% contained.

The Texas A&M Forest Service said no one was evacuated from the area, but we spoke to one resident who came dangerously close to the flames.

John, a Llano County resident who does not want us to use his last name, said he was sleeping when he heard crackling and popping outside of his window as his shed became engulfed in flames.

He shared a video with CBS Austin moments before he was rescued from the fire, showing the shed being completely destroyed by the flames.

Aside from John’s shed, public information officer or the Texas A&M Forest Service Walter Flocke tells us no homes have been damaged or destroyed by the fire.

“Fourteen homes we have confirmed saved that were directly threatened earlier in the fire,” Flocke said.

Local fire departments were able to get us within pretty close, safe range to the fire, and all we could see was black from the brush that had burned and been put out.

While we went on the ride along toward the fire, we came across some hotspots, but the fire department told us they aren’t concerning and would be put out by hand later.

“The fire, as it sits right now, you know, we’re not seeing any active spread at [90]% containment but, of course, you know, anything can still happen,” said Flocke.

Early Saturday afternoon, Flocke said nothing had changed at all since Friday, and crews were still working.

Officials said overnight, the fire held steady but as soon as the sun hit, dried out grass became a concern.

“This weather pattern, you know, makes fires more resistant to control, we say, so that means that operationally we often have to stay at fires a lot longer because we don’t want to risk leaving that fire, putting it out and then something happening,” Flocke said.

When CBS Austin was onsite, a helicopter flew by to aid in the fire.

The Texas A&M Forest Service says state resources have been released and the fire has transitioned back to the local unit.

LLANO COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A brush fire that began burning at a ranch Thursday afternoon grew to scorch 707 acres and is 100% contained as of 9:14 p.m. Sunday.

Officials said no homes have been lost, but 12 were threatened. The blaze was likely started by someone in the area operating machinery, according to the Texas A&M Forrest Service.

Air support and dozers worked to build firelines.

Humidity kept the flames low early Friday morning, which helped the containment process. Even though the majority of the fire was contained by that time, officials said the conditions Friday afternoon were concerning.

“This excessive heat is just making these fuels even dryer,” said Walter Flocke of Texas A&M Forrest Service. “Temperatures over triple digits every single day, multiple days in a row, is going to make what could have been a smaller fire even bigger and harder for crews to control,” Flocke continued.

The Llano County Office of Emergency Management posted on its Facebook page Thursday that at least 10 agencies were responding to the fire located near East Highway 71 and County Road 307. Crews had also shut down CR 307 due to the response.

Initially, first responders told KXAN the fire began on a ranch property.

Air support from the Texas Forest Service is assisted with the fire, according to the Llano County Office of Emergency Management.

At last check, there are no structures were in danger, according to Llano officials.

“We do have fires in this area – Llano County – quite often,” Flocke said. “There is definitely plenty of fuel out here that’s available for the fire to burn because of the drought, because of ice storms – all of that,” he continued.

As of July 10, Llano County had a burn ban in place.

The firefighters on the scene have not been alone. Volunteers from Hill Country Auxillary were meters away from the fire, handing out cold drinks and food to those putting out the flames.

“The firefighters – it does not take long for them to get overheated, exhausted, dehydrated,” said Amanda Barnett, Vice President of Hill Country Auxiliary in Llano County. “Our purpose and main goal is to keep them going.”

Barnett said the organization began several years ago by three women whose husbands were firefighters.

“It started out with us just going out with their own little personal coolers, case of water and [handing out] Gatorade,” she said. “Then we just saw a bigger need – the fires out here were getting bigger, worse and taking longer.”

The organization is now a 501(c)(3) organization and volunteers will show up at disasters all over the state to aid in any way they can. Friday, the group had several tables full of snacks and many ice chests full of cold drinks. Volunteers also catered lunch from a popular Llano County Barbeque restaurant.

“These guys, they really are dedicated to what they do,” Barnett said. “Whatever they need so they can do their job effectively – we take care of that. They worry about nothing when they get to my scene.”

LLANO, Texas — Heavy rains overnight caused the Lower Colorado River Authority to partially open floodgates at two major dams, impacting the Llano River which feeds into the Colorado River.

When it comes to fishing, Tommy Dyke says the catfish bite best after heavy rain.

“I love catching fish, but more so I just love being out on the water,” Dyke said. “There are so many nutrients that get washed into the river and the catfish primarily feed by smell.”

A heavy rain Central Texas desperately needed.

“We’re super happy about the rain. It was a brutal summer, fishing was tough all summer,” Dyke said.

Tommy and his friend Joseph were fishing underneath The Enloe Memorial Bridge, which was rebuilt after being washed away by flooding in 2018.

Luckily there were no big flooding issues this time around, according to Llano County Emergency Management Coordinator Gilbert Bennett.

Heavy rains bring relief to Central Texas, caution advised for potential flash flooding

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“The drought has allowed this rain to not really affect us that much, you know, whereas there was plenty of room in the reservoirs and the lakes to take on the water that we had this morning,” Bennett said.

He says a couple of county roads and Riverpark Drive were closed due to water on the roads, but there was only one minor incident involving a car that lost control in the rain.

“Everybody has to know their limits when they're crossing the rivers and crossing creek beds,” Bennett said.

He says there’s still a possibility for more rain and thus more flash flooding. So he is encouraging caution.

“Take your precautions, just don’t fly through it. You know, especially at nighttime," Bennett said. "At nighttime, it’s going to be like black ice, you’re not going to be able to see it. So you need to take your precautions and slow down. It’s best to stay where you are and just wait it out.”

Tommy is thankful for the rain. The rain and fishing.

“I’m grateful to be out here with a good buddy. And grateful to be on the water," Dyke said. "I feel real fortunate to be able to do this.”

The book wars that have pitted residents of a rural Central Texas county against one another have spilled out well beyond the courtroom.

Driving the news: A church recently backed out of hosting a community book swap in Llano after the Llano Tea Party accused the event's organizers of "pushing … pornographic books in our community."

Why it matters: The fight in Llano County distills how America's culture wars have divided communities nationally.

Catch up quick: Alleging a "literary witch hunt," a handful of Llano County residents last year asked an Austin federal judge to stop officials from removing public library books, claiming their First Amendment rights had been violated.

Zoom in: The Fall Community Book Swap was organized by the Llano County Library System Foundation, whose board members include plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit, and was scheduled to be hosted by the Grace Episcopal Church.

Of note: The library system foundation itself is not involved in the lawsuit.

What they said: In encouraging its members in mid-October to press the church to abandon the event, Llano Tea Party officials wrote on Facebook that "Accountability is necessary to insure children's safty and unfortunately, this group putting this swap together is the same group pushing these pornographic books on our community."

Two days later, the church announced it would no longer host the book swap.

"Perhaps in another context, a book swap would not be an actual or a perceived threat to the community, but at this time and in this community, this Fall Book Swap has become something of a lightning rod for controversy, fear, ill intent, deception, and division," the Rev. Betsy Stephenson, the priest-in-charge of Grace Episcopal Church, wrote on Facebook.

The book event proceeded in a local park in early November.

What's next: The friction comes as legal bills mount for supporters of a book ban.

By the numbers: The event organizers say the county has spent "close to $200,000 on this lawsuit."

The other side: Attorneys for the Llano residents fighting the book ban have said they are doing the work pro bono. They declined to answer an Axios question about who, if anyone, is underwriting the cost of the lawsuit.

The bottom line: The Protect Our Children event will raise money to pay America First Legal, headed by former Donald Trump adviser Stephen Miller, and Jonathan Mitchell, the county's outside counsel.