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Tri-Canyon’s Only Weekly Newspaper!
Current Weekly News for Leakey, Camp Wood, Sabinal, Utopia and Surrounding Areas Vol. 6 No. 15
INSIDE
Somewhere in the West
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LEAKEY ISD BOYS AND GIRLS GOLF HEADED TO STATE see full story next week
Tennessee Jane
Meets Chief Bowl
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Yellowjacket Band earns 4th straight Sweepstakes
www.hillcountryherald.net
There’s a New Baler in Town In January, the local recycling and beautification group known as Keep It Real-ly Beautiful (KIRB) acquired the use of a material baler. The baler can crush a variety of materials to include cardboard, plastic, aluminum cans, paper, steel cans, etc. The use of the baler was through the generosity of Patricia and Larry Chisum and family of Chisum Construction and Rio Brewster Waste Management. Keep It Real-ly Beautiful volunteers are actively baling cardboard and have processed 17 bales since November. Each bale weighs about 1000 pounds. In addition to cardboard, KIRB also collects #1 plastic (think: water bottles) and
aluminum cans. Caps must be removed from the bottles – and plastic bottles and aluminum cans materials must be separated and bagged. Recycling reduces garbage, and that may help you reduce your waste disposal costs. Recycling also affects the bottom line of our beautiful Frio and Nueces Canyons. Anyone, resident or visitor to Real County, may drop off cardboard, #1 plastic bottles
By: Joel Pigg, General Manager
two South Llano River locations are in Kimble County but the water that goes through these two crossings originates in Edwards County and flows into Kimble County. The Frio River Crossings are taken on both the East and West prongs of the River so I can look at how much water volume is added by each prong and how much volume there is when they are both converged. All of the crossing that I collect data from have good culverts and are well maintained by either the County Road Crews or the Texas Department of Transportation and all have a constant flow of
ing at times and then going through the culverts on the east end at other times and there is a lot of water that simply goes underground north of the crossing and then comes back above ground just south of the crossing. I hope this explanation helps you to understand the rational for taking these reading and for the choice of the locations. If you have questions or new possible locations give me a call (830-597-3322 office or 830-275-3866 cell) and we can take a look at your site. More data is needed and always welcome. continued page 11
City of Sabinal Organizes Source Water Protection Program
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INDEX Legals/Jail Register ...... Page 3 Community News ......... Page 4-6 Feature Story ................. Page 9 Obituaries ...................... Page 8 Classifieds ..................... Page 12
Today’s Weather
Low: 54°
water; even during the worst of the drought a couple of summers ago water was still flowing at the crossings (at times there was not much flow but there has always been some flow at every location). I am always on the search for more locations across the District and will add locations as needed or found. I was asked why I do not take a flow at second crossing in Leakey and my response is I have tried to take the flow at that location but have found it to be a crossing that fluctuates greatly with water going through the large square culverts on the west end of the cross-
Leakey Lions Club Members Protecting Our Drinking Participate in Texas Trash Off Water Source
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High: 75°
By Mary Forman, KIRB President
or aluminum cans at Rio Brewster Waste Management/ Chisum Construction in Leakey. They accept recyclable materials Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Check in at the office first, and make sure your cardboard is dry and clean – no greasy pizza boxes! Would you like a KIRB member to attend your next community, club, school, or church meeting to discuss recycling? We would welcome the opportunity, and look forward to hearing from you. For more information or to schedule a presentation, contact Mary Forman at 830232-4439 or kirb.maryforman @gmail.com.
Water News and River Flows I have recently been asked why do we take the flow reading and why are they taken at the places they are taken? The flows are being taken to get historical data that tells the story of the Frio, Nueces and South Llano River basins. These numbers will show the highs and lows of our weather patterns and show some of the seasonal trends associated with these rivers. The locations I use for the flow readings are all easily accessible and all located at Public crossings within the area, the Highway 55 Dam location is in Uvalde County but is relevant to citizens of Camp Wood, the
April 13, 2016
editor@hillcountryherald.net
On Saturday, April 9th, thirteen Leakey Lions Club members gathered to pickup trash along the highway on two mile stretch of US Hwy 83 North of Leakey. It was a beautiful autumn morning and just the right temperature for this bi-annual outing! The Leakey Lions Club adopted this section of highway a number of years ago and at least twice a year the club very faithfully picks up all the accumulated litter that has been discarded by inconsiderate motorists! Those Leakey Lions Club members who participated in this bi-annual effort included: Back row LtoR: John Patrick, Ed Mack, Brad Mullen, Clay Atchison, John Jackson, David Weber, Hugh Scott, A.G. Hood, Front row LtoR,Guinn Turner, Julie Becker, Glenn Bradley and Ellen Scott, not pictured (cause he took the picture) Fred McNiel.
This article is the first in a series on drinking water and protection programs available to assure a safe, potable supply of drinking water for the City of Sabinal. One of the most basic needs of any community is safe and clean drinking water. Nearly 2,000 people rely on the quality of drinking water provided by the City of Sabinal and its source of water, the Edwards Aquifer. The Texas Public Water Supply Regulatory Program is administered by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and has a proud legacy of public health protection that dates back to 1913. The dominant characteristic that has sustained the program through the decades has been the cooperative partnership with public water suppliers, river authorities, and groundwater districts. Texas is a nationally recognized leader in water treatment, design and operational criteria, water system operator training and certification, and source water protection, just to name a few. “Clean, clear water makes it possible for us to enjoy the food we eat, the conveniences we have and the pleasures of everyday life. Protecting this vital resource is the responsibility of all of us,” said Jimmy Oranday, Director of Public Works for the City of Sabinal. If our water is good, why do we need a special program to protect it? The reason is that the situation has been changing dramatically during recent decades. Our source of drinking water
has the potential to be endangered by new chemicals or microbiological contaminants. Concurrently, our ability to detect contaminants has been improving. Modern science can now identify specific chemicals in terms of one part contaminant in one billion parts of water. One part per billion is equivalent to one kernel of corn in 12,500 bags of seed corn or one second in 32 years. In case you think such small amounts can’t be very significant, keep in mind that you can get sick from a single microscopic virus. Although we currently know a great deal about the health impacts of drinking water contamination, many questions remain. Ongoing research will no doubt provide new information which will answer some old questions and generate some new ones. Meanwhile, the citizens that rely on the City of Sabinal and the Edwards Aquifer can take steps to reduce the risks to our health. Most of us would agree that a vaccination to prevent illness is well worth the time, expense, and inconvenience. Similarly, communities are using Source Water Protection Program methods to prevent drinking water supply contamination. Communities across the state have found that the less polluted their water is before it reaches the treatment plant, the less extensive and expensive the efforts needed to safeguard the public’s health. continued page 6