A watershed is the area of land that drains to a common creek or river.  When it rains anywhere within a watershed boundary, water flows into the river and creeks and begins moving downstream.  Knowing your location in the watershed and understanding what watersheds are upstream of you will help you understand your risk of flooding.  In Kerr County, nearly all the land is within the Guadalupe River watershed.  The headwaters of the Guadalupe River are in western Kerr County near Mountain Home and Hunt (areas 1,2, and 5 on map).  Heavy rain in these areas can result in flooding in Kerrville even if it is not raining in Kerrville.  Check out the map below to determine your watershed address.

Brush Management Facts:

A mature Ashe juniper transpires about 33 gallons of water a day.  A live oak of equal size and stature only transpires about 19 gallons per day. 

The removal of juniper may actually increase deep percolation because of the improved soil structure.

As vegetation cover changes from grasses to dense juniper woodland a greater percentage of precipitation will leave rangeland via evaporation and therefore less water for producing herbaceous forage or for deep drainage and runoff.

In rainfall events of <0.1 inch, rainfall was either intercepted by the canopy (96%) or the litter (2%).  Until at least 0.4 inch of rainfall occurred, about 50% direct throughfall didn’t occur.  This also depended on the intensity of the storms.

About 35% of precipitation that falls on cedar trees is intercepted by the canopy and another 5% is intercepted by the litter.  

According to one study, the pattern of storms at the Kerr Wildlife Management Area resulted in an average interception loss of 0.82 acre feet per acre of cedar break.  

For more information on the water enhancement benefits of brush management: Brush Management Articles

EduScape - UGRA's educational landscape

As you stroll along the landscape pathway you will see numerous examples of water conservation and stormwater detention practices that help stretch scarce water supply and protect all our water resources including the Guadalupe River. You can implement these same practices in your home or business landscape.

Featured practices include:

• The Guadalupe River
• Rainwater Harvesting
• Wildflowers
• Pervious Surfaces
• Dry Creeks
• Lawns
• Condensate Collection
• Rain Gardens
• Xeriscape

Learn More

The riparian area is a band of dense, native vegetation along a body of water. This zone can be identified by high soil moisture, frequent flooding, and the unique collection of plants and animals found there. The distinct community of soil and vegetation form a network of roots and ground cover that intercept runoff from upland areas and stabilize the river bank. These areas also act like a sponge and have the capacity to store water for sustained release back into the river. As a result, riparian areas improve both water quality and quantity.

UGRA Articles on Riparian Areas:

Riparian Areas Protect Waterways

Riparian Areas Boost River Flow

Riparian Areas Benefit Wildlife

Preserving Riparian Areas

Your Remarkable Riparian Website:  Contains a collection of riparian resources, publications, and lessons.  The Remarkable Riparian Field Guide is provided free of charge to interested Kerr County landowners. Call UGRA to request your copy (830) 896-5445

UGRA staff composes a monthly article on topics relating to the Guadalupe River, water quality, and state and local water issues and distributes it to the three local newspapers.  View the most recent articles below

UGRA contracts the filming of aerial views of the North Fork, South Fork, Johnson Creek, and mainstem Guadalupe River to document changes in the watershed over time. 

Aerial Videos of the Guadalupe River Corridor in Kerr County: 2011 - 2019