Low levels on Lake Buchanan are made obvious by receded waters that left a lighthouse far from the new shoreline. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey

Lake Buchanan rose one foot after recent heavy rains, but long-term, consistent rainfall is needed to restore it to a healthy level, according to Lower Colorado River Authority officials. The massive reservoir, which feeds the chain of Highland Lakes, is currently 17 feet below its maximum of 1,020 feet.

Data from the LCRA Hydromet, a system of more than 275 automated river and weather gauges in the lower Colorado River basin, paints a bleak picture of Buchanan’s recovery status. Two to 7 inches of rain have fallen across the regional drainage basin since Nov. 8, resulting in a river flow of nearly 2,000 cubic-feet per second, almost 20 times its current level, in late November. During this time, Lake Buchanan rose to 1,003 feet from 1,002 feet elevation.

“Before the recent rains, the area of the river above Lake Buchanan, including the river’s tributaries, was pretty dry because of the ongoing drought,” LCRA Meteorologist Bob Rose told DailyTrib.com in an email interview. “The rains had to travel down a long stretch … from Winchell through San Saba to get to the river. As the riverbed was basically empty, that part of the river had to fill up before the river started flowing again.”

Burnet County has experienced severe drought conditions over the past year. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 100 percent of the county is currently in a moderate drought. No drought conditions were registered this time last year. 

On Dec. 8, 2021, Lake Buchanan was at 1,015 feet elevation and holding 43.5 percent more water than it was on Dec. 8 of this year.

“I can’t give you a specific amount as to how much rain it would take to make an additional impact on the lake level, because that depends on how it rains and when it rains,” Rose said. “If we get a good four- to five-inch-rain now, when the soil is still wet, we would likely see significantly more runoff than we saw from the prior rain event. If we get four to five inches of rain spread out over the next few weeks, the impact would be less because the soil would dry out between the rain events.”

Further data from the LCRA Hydromet show soil across the Highland Lakes accumulating more moisture, reaching over 50 percent saturation in some areas, but, as Rose said, more rain will be needed to keep the land hydrated.

“The recent rains were welcome and were great for the environment and vegetation. They also significantly reduced the fire danger,” he said. “But as far as changing lake levels, it was a good start, but we’d need to follow that up with a whole lot more rain to have a significant impact on lake levels.”

dakota@thepicayune.com

A house at 2803 Bay West Blvd. in Horseshoe Bay that was designed by Mary Agnes Rudd and her late husband, Ronnie, was set to be demolished Thursday, Dec. 8. After hearing that demolition was imminent, city officials negotiated with the current owners of the property, Horseshoe Bay Resort, to postpone any action until after the new year and allow further discussions regarding the house’s future. No one currently lives in the home, which is affectionately called the ‘Rudd House.’ Staff photo by Nathan Bush

Despite heated opposition to two proposed developments, the Horseshoe Bay City Council on Dec. 6 unanimously approved two zoning changes that would pave the way for both sites.

The Thundercloud and Azurite developments planned for west Horseshoe Bay will have 48 homes between them. Fort Worth-based Crescent will design and build the houses, which developers plan to sell for about $1.4 million each, or $700 per square-foot.

More than 100 residents packed City Council chambers during the regular meeting Tuesday to oppose the developments. About 15 of those residents, led by Applehead Property Owners Association President John Colapret, spoke against the projects.

“The overarching concern that many of us have is the precedent it sets to allow a large, commercial developer to come in and take large pieces of land and be able to develop all of that just by themselves,” Colapret said. “I don’t think we’ve had that sort of thing happen in Horseshoe Bay.”

Opponents said they are concerned about increased traffic and noise and the possible impact the new developments would have on the city’s water supply.

“We’re also concerned because there is the major entrance to the (Caprock) golf course and the Caprock clubhouse right there,” Colapret said. “(Horseshoe Bay Resort) guests are coming in and out, and we want them to have a good experience and not be hung up in traffic or, God forbid, an accident.”

Horseshoe Bay Mayor Cynthia Clinesmith addressed the residents, explaining her vote to allow development.

“I have a lot next door to me,” she said. “If 100 percent of the neighbors don’t want them to build on it, it doesn’t matter. The property owner has invested in it and has a legal right to build on it. All we can do is work with them and make them a part of the community. There’s no reason to get mad at the neighbor. He’s just building on his property.”

Many of the residents were also concerned about the future of the so-called “Rudd House,” a beloved home at 2803 Bay West Blvd. near the Thundercloud development. The house was designed by Mary Agnes Rudd and her late husband, Ronnie, in the 1990s. 

The couple hosted yearly Fourth of July parties, which were cherished by neighbors.

“I’ve only lived here for four years but was still able to enjoy a Fourth of July (celebration) on their property,” Colapret said. “They opened it up to the community, and it was understood that everyone had an open invitation to go up there and watch all the fireworks. That’s where a lot of the emotional attachment to the property comes from.”

After her husband’s death in September 2020, Mary Agnes Rudd sold the home to Horseshoe Bay Resort, although she told the council at Tuesday’s meeting she thought she was selling it to another family. 

Clinesmith assured Rudd and others at the meeting that discussions on whether to demolish the house would not happen until after the first of the year. 

“(The resort) had promised me that they would engage in those conversations in the new year,” Clinesmith told DailyTrib.com. “They said there was no rush in making those decisions.”

The following day, Clinesmith was alerted via text message of a change in plans.

“I received a text, in a surprise fashion, that they were demolishing the home (Dec. 8),” she said. “Of course, I freaked out and started calling the resort and leadership.”

After speaking with Horseshoe Bay Resort officials, Clinesmith received a commitment from them to postpone demolition until 2023 and allow more time for discussion among the city, resort, and residents. 

Though the council meeting was sometimes heated, Clinesmith was proud of her community’s dedication to participating in civic affairs.

“If there’s any possible takeaway or silver lining to this, it was just reaffirming how the community stepped up to say that they cared about our community and the people in it,” she said. “I thought it was admirable that, as a community, our folks would do that.”

nathan@thepicayune.com

The Palmer Hydrological Drought Index depicts the continued critical drought in Burnet County and much of Central Texas despite recent rainfall. Courtesy image

The Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District will hold a public hearing Dec. 20 on the potential implementation of mandatory groundwater-use restrictions for high-volume users in Burnet County.

The hearing starts at 9 a.m. in the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service auditorium, 607 N. Vandeveer St. in Burnet.

The district’s Board of Directors is considering the restrictions due to the severe hydrological drought conditions affecting the county. This is the first time since the district’s creation in 2005 the board has looked at mandatory restrictions. 

Burnet County has been under Stage 4 critical drought conditions, the most severe stage, since June. Drought stages are based on the Palmer Hydrological Drought Index, which the district uses as a guide when making decisions on groundwater resources in the county.

The board will follow the hearing with a meeting and a vote on whether to implement mandatory restrictions. If approved, the changes will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2023, and last until Dec. 31 of that year, or until terminated by further board action. 

Under restrictions, the county’s permitted wells would see up to a 15 percent decrease on the maximum allowable groundwater use. Exempt wells, those with flow rates less than 17.36 gallons per minute, would not be affected.

The board voted to have district General Manager Mitchell Sodek organize a public hearing on the proposed restrictions after a Nov. 18 regular meeting, which focused on current severe drought conditions in Burnet County. The district’s drought management plan dictates a decision on restrictions be made before the end of the year if they are to be put into effect by 2023. 

The county has 170 permitted wells, accounting for about 50-60 percent of the total allowable groundwater use. Every permit holder will be notified of the public hearing and potential restrictions.

“The purpose (of the hearing) is to get input from the non-exempt permit holders,” Sodek told DailyTrib.com. “We’re trying to be proactive in conservation. The hardest thing about droughts is that we don’t know when they’re going to end.”

Those interested in learning more about the potential changes can visit the Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District office at 225 S. Pierce St. in Burnet or contact 512-756-4900 or district@centraltexasgcd.org.

dakota@thepicayune.com

The Llano County Library Advisory Board during a Feb. 17 meeting. Meetings were closed to the public in March. A civil lawsuit seeks to reopen them to public, among other actions affecting the county’s library system. File photo

A U.S. district judge on Dec. 1 extended the deadlines for post-hearing briefings in a civil lawsuit involving the Llano County Library System.

Judge Robert Pitman ruled that briefings in Little et. al. vs Llano County et. al. are due on or before Friday, Dec. 9, from the plaintiffs and a response from the defendants on or before Dec. 30. The plaintiffs may reply one last time on or before Jan. 6, 2023. 

Originally, the dates were Dec. 2, Dec. 16, and Dec. 23, respectively.

The hearing was held in late October on a motion for a preliminary injunction filed by the plaintiffs seeking the return of 12 books to library shelves and the digital catalog. The injunction also asks that the judge rule all future meetings of the Llano County Library Advisory Board be open to the public. The board closed its meetings to the public in March. Since the lawsuit was filed, however, board members have not met. 

Defendants in the case include Llano County commissioners, the Llano County Library System director, and certain members of the advisory board, who have been accused of violating the plaintiffs’ constitutional rights in the first and 14th amendments by removing books from the three county libraries based on personal political beliefs. 

A ruling on the preliminary injunction will determine what will be done with the 12 books already removed until that time. The books include “They Called Themselves the K.K.K: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group” by Susan Campbell Bartoletti; “My Butt is So Noisy!,” “I Broke My Butt!,” and “I Need a New Butt!” by Dawn McMillan; and “Larry the Farting Leprechaun,” “Gary the Goose and His Gas on the Loose,” “Freddie the Farting Snowman,” and “Harvey the Heart Had Too Many Farts” by Jane Bexley. Other books on the list involve issues of sexual identity. 

A jury trial in the case has been set for Oct. 23, 2023. 

suzanne@thepicayune.com

The local Tax-Aide chapter is seeking volunteers to help Highland Lakes residents fill out their income tax returns in the spring.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) is a joint venture between the AARP Foundation and the IRS. The nationwide initiative offers free tax preparation services to middle- and low-income households, senior citizens, disabled persons, and limited English speakers.

Once tax season begins in the spring, local volunteers will operate out of three sites in Burnet, Kingsland, and Marble Falls. Clients will need to schedule appointments. (More information will be available at a later date.)

“We learned during COVID that appointment-only was better for everyone,” said volunteer Gene Broadway. “When it was first-come first-served, people would show up at 8 a.m. and there might be 20 other people there, so the wait times could be quite long.”

Appointment times will vary based on the complexity of the client’s finances.

“The entire process hinges on how complicated your tax return is,” Broadway said. “For a lot of people, particularly on a fixed income, the process only takes 30 to 45 minutes. If you come in with a lot of investment transactions and you’re self-employed, you might be in there for an hour and a half.”

Over the past few years, the local Tax-Aide chapter has served more than 1,000 clients in Burnet County.

The group currently needs two types of volunteers: counselors to fill out the tax returns and client facilitators to welcome taxpayers, organize paperwork, and manage the overall flow of service.

Counselors must have computer skills and basic knowledge of preparing a tax return. They must also receive training and pass a certification test administered yearly by the IRS.

All equipment, including laptops and computers, are provided by the AARP Foundation.

To apply to be a volunteer, leave a message for Judy at 512-967-3405 or Bob at 512-666-0320, email HLTaxAide@gmail.com, or register online at aarpfoundation.org/taxaidevolunteer.

nathan@thepicayune.com