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Browsing Centers and Institutes by Subject "Blanco River"
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Item Aerial Assessment of Aquatic and Riparian Habitat in the Brazos River and Blanco River, Texas(2012-04) Hardy, Thomas B.; Kollaus, Kristy A.; Tolman, Kristina; Heard, Thomas C.; Tennant, JamesUse of small, autonomous UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) in fisheries, watershed management, and restoration practices has gained increasing attention. This is, in part, to the UAV’s (Aggieair™) relatively low cost, versatility, and instantaneous acquisition of multispectral digital aerial imagery (Chao et al. 2009; Jensen et al. 2009). Recent and current applications of the UAV include management of invasive plant species and mapping riparian habitat (Zaman et al. 2011; Jensen et al. 2011). The purpose of this study was to use the UAV to capture high resolution multispectral aerial imagery of two Texas rivers. Specifically, we sought to capture images of riparian and instream habitat within selected reaches of the Brazos River and the Blanco River. Our goal was to obtain imagery ≤ 25 cm pixel resolution and produce geo-referenced mosaics of the UAV imagery. Imagery collected by the UAV will be used by Texas Parks and Wildlife to identify available fish habitat at selected Brazos River sites and to locate areas of isolated pools within the Blanco River to facilitate removal of non native smallmouth bass.Item Blanco and Upper San Marcos Watershed Strategic Conservation Prioritization Report(2017-04) Warren, Emily; Miller, Meredith; Ogren, Jonathan; Osting, Tim; Wierman, Douglas A.; Hegemier, Tom; Prince, Benjamin J.No abstract prepared.Item Cypress Creek Water Quality(2012-03) Vogl, Adrian L.Fairly rugged terrain, narrow canyons, and springs dominate the landscape around Cypress Creek and contribute to its natural beauty. The terrain also reflects the underlying karstic, faulted, and fractured limestone geology of central Texas. The limestone geology creates fissures and fractures that store vast amounts of water underground. The Wimberley Valley is entirely dependent on the Trinity Aquifer for its water supply, which is pumped out from underground through wells and delivered to homes and businesses. Rivers and streams, like the Cypress Creek and Blanco River, are almost entirely dependent on water from the aquifer, too. The flow of these streams will swell during wet periods, but recede again when there is no rain. The water that remains during dry periods comes directly out of the Trinity Aquifer through springs and at places where the base of the river intersects the level of the aquifer, or water table. The picture below illustrates how the groundwater and surface water are intricately connected here. Water quality in the Wimberley Valley is very dependent on these two factors: water running over the surface after rainfall, and water coming out of the aquifer to feed seeps and springs. Water quality is a concern because adequate temperature and enough oxygen in the water are essential to maintain fish and other aquatic life, low bacteria levels are important for people to swim and recreate safely in the creeks, and nutrients need to be in balance to keep aquatic life healthy and to prevent too much algae from destroying the beauty and health of the water. In general, good water quality in the Cypress and Blanco Rivers near Wimberley is very dependent on a continuous supply of clean, clear base flow from its many seeps and springs. Water in streams can also directly affect water quality in the aquifer because of rapid recharge through fractures and sinkholes in streambeds. Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution is a term that describes diffuse nutrients, bacteria, and other pollutants that can be part of infiltration or surface water runoff from development, animal waste, failing septic systems, treated effluent irrigation systems, spills or dumping of chemical pollutants, fertilizer or pesticide applications. Watershed protection, or water catchment protection, is critical to reduce nonpoint source pollution and to maintain the health of the Wimberley Valley and the streams and springs that give it life. Protection of the entire area that contributes to the stream (the water catchment) is important because of the direct and well-established connection between what happens on the land and what ultimately ends up in the water.Item Ecological Characterization of the Blanco River Basin, Texas(2004-10) Arsuffi, Tom; Bonner, Timothy H.; Groeger, Alan; Rose, Frances; Simpson, Randy; Bryan, Debbie; Curran, Joanna; Caldwell, Sally; Longley, Glenn; Jennings, Marshall; Sansom, AndrewThe Nature Conservancy of Texas has developed a partnership with Texas State University – San Marcos, Texas to fill these important data gaps so that the Conservation Area planning may be successfully completed. These data gaps include specific information on aquatic habitat but also on the hydrological processes of rainfall-runoff, spring flow from local aquifers, and base-flow definition in the River and its tributaries. In addition, it was recognized that socio-economic analyses must be a part of the planning process. Under the direction of the International Institute For Sustainable Water Resources, Texas State University – San Marcos, a team of faculty and students was assembled from four Departments (Aquatic Biology, EARDC, Geography, Sociology) and from the facilities of the Edwards Aquifer Research & Data Center. This report represents the first year interim report of this team. It should be recognized that this report is a work in progress -- data collection and analysis is continuing for some study elements and is just beginning for others. A final report will be completed in 2006.Item How Much Water is in the Hill Country?(2014-09) Wierman, Douglas A.; Bolfing, Kelsey; Haggerty, MichaelThe Hill Country is a unique region of Texas where rivers rise out of the limestone, spilling the means for life onto what would be an otherwise dry and difficult place to survive. The conservation of the Hill Country’s hydrologic systems is not only important to protecting the diverse wildlife indigenous to this area but also to the growing population moving into the expanding urban corridor between Austin and San Antonio and west into the Hill Country. The current period of prolonged drought has depleted many reservoir levels to historic lows and created a growing reliance on groundwater to support the escalating population of Central Texas. Since there are few regulations that can be placed on aquifer pumping, there is a very real possibility that unsustainable groundwater development and drought could endanger major springs that are instrumental to the base flow of the major rivers in the Hill Country region. There is still much to learn about the interconnected nature of these aquifers, rivers and lakes. The purpose of this project was to develop a methodology for hydrogeologic research that will help scientists, decision-makers, and stakeholders better understand how the aquifers, springs, and rivers in the Hill Country interact.