The Bastrop Advertiser and County News (Bastrop, Tex.), No. 22, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 13, 1982 Page: 3 of 27
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r •
Thursday, May 13, 1982
BAST ROP ADVKR USER A.NDC'OI MV NKMS
Page 3
Subdivisions bringing erosion, soil district says
Soil erosion problems ill
Bastrop County are steadi-
ly worsening as rural subdi-
visions increase'-- at 'the
rate of J„000 acres a year,
reports The County Soil
and Water Conservation
Service.
Between 1977 and 1982
urban build-up has increase
ed in the 5.00,000 acre
county from 24,719 acres
to 29,912 acres, precipitat-
ing “visible" ecological
changes in the rural envir-
onment.
This urbanization is in
line with the major change
in American migration pat-
terns over the last 10 years.
Rural areas are now exper-
iencing a rate and kind of
growth that is unprece-
dented in recent decades --
one that is not necessarily
tied to agriculture.
Commuters
This change is causing
erosion problems'in coun-
ties adjacent to metropoli-
tan area where a non-
farming urban economy
results from people either
commuting, or being
drawn by recreational facil-
ities.
' Surveys indicate that
erosion is more serious in
these areas undergoing ur-
banization than in nearby
rural counties as land
speculation, for farmland
conversion can drastically,
accelerate the natural wind
and water erosion process.
According to the District
Conservationist with the
Water and Soil Conserva-
tion Service in Bastrop, Bill
McPherson, there are now
300 acre subdivisions being
developed "all the time"
.around Bastrop, Smithsille
"and Elgin.
The influence from the
neighboring metropolitan
areas of Austin and Hous-
ton making Bastrop
County a bedroom com-
munity and recreation area
- is the major cause of the
county’s erosion problem,
he says, and this is “worse
on average, than, other
counties in the state.”
The land being used lor
Bastrop County’s rural
homesites is also often
prime farmland along the
Colorado River bottom
and is usually situated in
prime- recreational areas.
McPherson says the
. problem.starts with people
buying small tracts of land
-- with no knowledge of
the effects Of construction
or overgrazing on Noil ero-
sion.'
These purchasers of five
and 107-acre homesteads
“really don’t know how to
take care of what they’ve
got.,-” he says.
I lie. uther major cause
of this erosion is said to be
poor planning and lack of
environmental planning
and control during “indi-
scriminate” subdivision.
Controversial
“We need to have some
controls so th'iC develop-
ment is not indiscriminate
but urbanization (control)
is controversial like gun
control and abortion - and
hard to restrict- as people
want to have the nght to
buy 10 acres,” he says.
“There is no telling how
many acres are affected
hut people make a pretty
good living selling land in
this town.”
The Agriculture Depart-
ment’s official policy is to
protect prim eland from
premature or unnecessary
conversion to non-
agricultural use - a prob-
lem which is though! to
stem from- poor economic
returns for farmers and
ranchers.
Run-Off
Most erosion is on small
acreage site' iiscd.toi lions
i'ng subdfv ision and m. n-a
tion and the sediment front
this causes more problems
when it pollutes and floods
local waterways, lakes and
reservoirs, lowers land pro-
ductivity, significantly “in-
creasing maintenance costs-
for roadside ditches, gut-'
ters and culverts, burying
roads, fences, and other
structures, as well as caus-
ing a'ir pollution-^
I his can never be totally
eliminated under any feas-
ible management plan but
the answer to the accelerat-
ing soil erosion problem is
thought to be an entirely
new approach to land-use’
planning and growth man-
agement to protect land
resources; and prevent, .the
continuing re-development
of rural landscapes without
any real planning or gui-
dance by any level of gov-
ernment.
... There is also w idespread
concern tlftrt these small,
acreages, are not big
enough to make a_. liv ing
and there are predictions
that this will cause a na-
tionwide food production
Tow away policy
is lambasted
chemical
Cambodia
Russian threat
requires arming
Continued from Rage 2
perienced no national de-
bate, no slowdown, no
moralizing. When we
build, they build; when we
stop, they build. As a
result, they now outnum-
ber us by better than two
to one in almost every
military' category.
We have tried negpiia-
tions and treaties, but Rus-
• sia maintains those that
serve its purpose while v io-
lating those that cramp its
style. Their repeated use of
gas in Laos,
and Afghani-
stan Is..indicative of their
concern for treaties and
humanity.
■ At the end of World
War 11, there was one
communist country -- Rus-
sia. today, there are more
than 30. All were created
by force of arms and none
have been sustained by free
elections.
Charlie Nelson
Red Rock. I X
Plumbing advisory
committee named
Smithsille’s City Council
okayed Mayor - James
Reader’s suggestions for
appointments to the Hous-
ing Authority Board and
to the Plumbing Advisory
Council Monday night.
Named to the Housing
Authority were J.B. Cul-
berson and Cristie Nance,
who succeeds herself.
The new Plumbing Ad-
visory Council is made up
of C.R. Miles, master
plumber, Harold Reeves,
journeyman plumber, Don
Meyers,' Utility Manager
for the city, 1 d Mack,
building contractor, Cap
Davis, ex-officio member,
and Dr. .1.\\ . f homas, city
health officer.
Dear Editor:
1 have found (tie wav to
get prompt efficient police
response in Bastrop. All
that is needed is for your
car to break down, and low
and behold, your ear will
he towed in less than four
hours. Also, the payment
ofiheS25 tow charge to the
wrecking yard is not too
bad, if von happen to cart v
over 525 with yon at all
times.
I f sev eral people had not
gone out t»i their wav to
assist tiicyl could not have
gotten my car out of "the
wrecking yard. People
helping- each othet is what 1
would expect to find in a
small town like Bastrop
not having my car towed
off by an over'zealous chief
of police!
f wcm to talk to the chief
of police to find out why
my car was towed, since I
Lone Star invites
I one Slat Baptist
Church in Bastrop invites
the public to attend Reviv-
al Serv ices May 17 through
May 21.jxom 7;30 to 9:30
pan. each evening.
Revet end RTphuel
Smith will be the evangelist
for the services.
To the Voters of Bastrop County Precinct 2
I would personally like to thank the voters of Precinct 2 who voted and
supported me during my campaign for commissioner. Your support was an
inspiration to me and even though 1 was not successful to be in the run-off, 1
would like to let all of my friends know that 1 am very much interested in
county government and the improvement of all of our rural roads. 1 will
devote time to see that some of these things will be accomplished.
Since I am not in the run-off, I would like to urge all of my friends to support
Billy Davis who in my opinion is the best candidate to be your commissioner.
Without raising your taxes and w ith the money available, he has done a good
job - plus, he is civic-minded, always willing to help people in need. Your
vote and support to him will enable us to continue with the best possible
county government.
Richard K. Bubba Sc.huelke
have seen catVabandoned
for several da vs. Knowing I
was not going to accom-
plish much by compaining
to the chief of police since
the tovvwas a matter of his
judgement. However, a
citizen still-lias the right to
complain when he thinks
he has been treated un-
fairly.
The police chief told me
my cat w as ajraffic bazard
and 1 suppose I have to
agree since any car,
mov ing or stopped, can tie
a traffic hazard:
11e.also told me that if 1
had left a note on the car
they would not have towed
it. Would it then not have
been a traffic hazard?
When I informed him
that I had a witness who
also felt it had been left in
as safe a place, and a-s far
'off the road, asTvas
humanly possible, he said
t hat my witness was
‘‘probably no more
reputable" than I was. As
he does not know.. me or my
witness, I feel this.was an
unwarranted insult. 1 in-
tend to make, a 'formal
complaint to whoever is
his superior.
Since my incident I,have
heard of a similar incident
in which the man called the
police department and told
them about the breakdown ,
and told them he was just
going to go get his other car
and he would he right
hack. 11 is car was towed
before he returned!
So; fellow citizens, he
sure not to driv e y our cat in
Bastrop if there is a
possibility that it might,
bleak down. Also-he sure
to carry 525 Vash at. all
times lot two charges. ()r,
if you have bad stmilat ev
p e r-i e ti c e s', p e r h a p s
something should he done
to stop such overzealous
action!
Robert NT. Peters
.......AI uni (reek
GOOD SELECTION OF
Aluminum Flat bottom
Fishing Boats
Aluminum bass
boats also in stock
T -------------
& quick order
237-2432
MonArk
rboats
^----"d Monhcsilo Arkansas
Hwy 71
Smithville
DILLY BOAT TRAILERS
All different tire sizes
Galvanized.& white finish
problem in future years.
However, local govern-
ment cannot prohibit the
use of prime tarmland any-
where for any type of
development activity as
such a poliev would be
impossible to enforce, so
land use planning is advo-
cated by state and govem-
merit agencies.
Ignorance
McPherson feels that
most of the “very visible”
soil erosion problem on
both’.the large planned and
small unplanned rural .sub-
division in the county are
caused by landowners’ ig-
norance and lack of know-
ledge as to where to get
help and what to-do. He
suggests that developers
and landowners contact
cither the conserv ation and
agricultural agencies or
county officials before
planning or construction is
begun. He also stresses the
need for proper planning
during subdiv ision develop-
ment and for temporary
vegetation in areas of po-
tential erosion problems.
“You can’t just buy this •
land like a city lot,” he
says.
Although the soil erosion
problem is countv-wide,
most fanners have “pretty
good control”, McPher-
son says. “From the stand-
point of conservation on
the ground, control gener-
ally is getting better. Where
there used to be a lack of
c o n sc rv at ion practices,
fanners and ranchers are
now more effective with
their plowing, crop rota-
tion and grazing manage-
ment .
“Now the main problem
is the new subdivision,” he
say s. “It has changed from
one source to another and
we have a 'different prob-
lem in a different direc-
tion.”
However, the new
County regulations restrict-
ing the smallest rural subdi-
visions to more than one
acre "have really helped a
lot. Continued ent’orce-
■ ;
Pill
Checking out soils map are (from left! 1 .( . Sargent, soil conservationist, and Bill
McPherson, district conservationist, the staff members of Bastrop County’s Soil and
W ater Conservation District.
ment of this subdivision
regulation, and ordinances
concerning 'septic tanks
and roads, along with pub-
lic awareness of the poten-
tial problems involved, will
help in the future," he
says.
McPherson suggests that
concerned developers ot
landowners in the county
contact either the Agricul-
ture Department’s Soil and
Water Conservation Ser-
vice, Agriculture Conserva-
tion Stabilization Service or
Texas Agriculture Exten-
sion Service - a State a
gency. - <
“These people arc avail-
able to help any landown-
ers with water, erosion,
plant or animal problems
and can advise on such
diverse questions as health
regulations, animal feed
ing, grass establishment
and erosion control for
construction sites.”
Soil District
McPherson also supplies
technical assistance to the
Bastrop'County Soil and
Water Conservation Dis-
trict No. 340, which has six
members representing local
landowners, farmers, and
ranchers at. local govern-
ment level.
In addition to-being con-
cerned with the county’s
soil erosion problem, the
board feels that urbaniza-
tion is also taxing the coun-
ty’s water resources, ac-
cording to its chairman,
Jim Mogonye of Elgin.
\> ater Problem
” The water problem - is
the biggest one for the
future,”, he .says, “and
people are not even aware
that vve’-rc losing too much
water;"-'
“ The population is in-
creasing so much that the
water table is going down.
This creates a bigger prob-
lem as we can always im-
prove the soil and keep it
from eroding - but we
can't do anything about
w hat "is under the ground.”
How eves, Mdgonve ad
mils that ”‘w'e‘rd-^sttlf in
good-shape around Austin
compared to others all
over the state (and Espe-
cially around Dallas, Hous-
ton and San Antonio) who
arc always hurting for.
wafer.”
”1 think the public
should he aware ot this
problem,” Mogonye said.
“ The country folk are a-
ware of this problem,”
Mogonye said “The
country folk are aware but
the city folks arc not. They
could care less - just as
long as they cart get water.
1 he sooner we educate the
people in town, the better
we will be able to conserve
water.”
V*.
Enjoy
THE
Annual Lake Bastrop Acres
Volunteer Fire Department
SPRING
• •• •. •
• - * - A A *
Sunday, May 16
Starting at 11:30 a.in. until 6:00 p.m.
CHICKEN DINNER-AUCTION-GAMES
Help Support our Firemen
And help your money grow.’
Safeguard it at
Member FDIC
I NATIONAL BANK
...... OF BASTROP
Your independent, locally owned and operated bank
«
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The Bastrop Advertiser and County News (Bastrop, Tex.), No. 22, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 13, 1982, newspaper, May 13, 1982; Bastrop, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth735443/m1/3/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Bastrop Public Library.