Learn more about these topics
The resources provided below reflect many of the programs and education initiatives undertaken by UGRA and are provided for those seeking more knowledge.
| Watershed Address | EduScape | Landscaping to Keep Our River Healthy |
| Riparian Areas | Brush Management | Recent Articles |
| Low Impact Development | UGRA Videos | Map of Kerr County Waterbodies |
| Science Day Program |
What is Your Watershed Address?
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.
EduScape
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:
Landscaping to Keep Our River Healthy
UGRA along with Kerr County, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Hill Country Master Gardeners, Beyond Irrigation, Medina Garden Nursery, and Hill Country Master Naturalists hosted the "Landscaping to Keep Our River Healthy" seminar on September 12, 2019. We discussed strategies and incentives to use landscaping to conserve water and control stormwater runoff to protect our waterways. The seminar agenda can be accessed here and links to select presentations and resources can be accessed below:
The One Water Approach to Gardening
Dana Nichols, San Antonio Water System
Making Designing for River Water Quality an Easier Option
Karen Bishop, San Antonio River Authority
Rainwater Harvesting – a piece of the water management puzzle
Billy Kniffen, Texas AgriLife Extension
Rainscaping: The Next Generation of Water-wise Landscaping
Shannon Brown, Ecosystem Regeneration Artisans
Riparian Areas
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
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
Healthy Riparian Area issue paper
Video: Riparian Stewardship in the Texas Hill Country: Strategies for Native Plant Restoration
Understanding Riparian Areas with Steve Nelle
Streamside Landowner Workshop
Water Enhancement through Brush Management
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
Recent "Currents" Articles
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
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
Low Impact Development
Low Impact Development (LID) is a land planning and design approach for managing stormwater runoff as close to its source as possible. LID principles complement, and sometimes replace, traditional stormwater management systems, which historically emphasized quickly moving stormwater off-site with curbs, pipes, and culverts. Stormwater runoff is the primary source of pollution into the Guadalupe River and waterbodies in general. LID practices can manage stormwater runoff to improve the water quality of adjacent waterways. It emphasizes conservation and use of on-site natural features to retain stormwater in order to lessen runoff and to protect water quality.
Examples of LID practices include:
- Bioretention
- Rainwater catchment systems and cisterns
- Rain gardens
- Bio swales
- Infiltration/filter strips
- Pervious pavement
- Soil amendments
Additional Resources:
Example Projects:
Videos
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 - 2021