Announcements

April 19, 2018

(Left) Commissioner Cook speaks to constituents after a presentation by Bob Daigh, Senior Director of Infrastructure for Williamson County on an update of road projects within Precinct 1. 

(Right) Bob Daigh speaks to the residents of the BCMUD.

(Below) Mike Petter, General Manager of the BCMUD, speaks about park projects.

April 18, 2018

Commissioner Cook speaks on the expansion of the Brushy Creek Trail at the Dam. Below are her remarks:

We’ve waited far longer than we had hoped to have continuity in the Brushy Creek Regional Trail, however, this section reflects an upgrade in our trail design to resist erosion and continuous maintenance challenges.  With the backdrop of a newly rehabilitated dam reminding us the importance of flood control in the Brushy Creek watershed, this deeply loved trail will prevail thru our many heavy rains and give us many, many years of support for our outdoor endeavors.

I want to thank all of you for coming today.

To Jonathan Wagner and Brent Baker of studio 16:19, thank you for all your work on the landscape design for this trail.

My gratitude to the work of ESD Southwest and Robert Mashewske for the testing of our concrete – counting on it lasting for my lifetime despite the heavy load of people who will be using this section of the trail.

And finally, thank you to Lamont Navarrette and Mark Williamson of Westar Construction for persevering and making this trail a reality.

Right: The Ribbon Cutting with everyone involved in the improvement of Dam 7, six miles west of Round Rock in the Upper Brushy Creek Water Control and Improvement District (WCID) and those responsible for the design and expansion of the Brushy Creek Regional Trail. 

.

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

The Williamson County Comprehensive Parks Master Plan is in the process of being updated. In April, a series of four public townhall meetings are being held to see the results of the citizen survey and share preliminary recommendations of the proposed plan.

Left: Commissioner Cook discusses the Parks Master Plan with Janey Miller, General Manager, and Joe Teiber, Vice-President, of the Fern Bluff Municipal Utility District (MUD)
 

Right: Kathi Wysong, Communications Specialist for Williamson County, Jim Rodgers, former (first) Williamson County Parks Director, and Randy Bell, Williamson County Parks Director

The Saga of the Brushy Creek Water Control and Improvement District Dams

Floods and droughts are the bane of Central Texas. Seems to be either too much water or not enough. Today, we have a series of dams across the southern region of Williamson County in the Brushy Creek Watershed. How did they come to be?

Historical records show that in 1921, a serious storm hit central Texas and the town of Thrall that received over 38 inches of rain in 24 hours. A worst-case storm would rain 44 inches in 24 hours. Of course, there was no warning. About half of Williamson County and western Milam County were under significant amounts of water.

In Milam County the flooding washed out approximately one mile of the International and Great Northern train tracks, including a trestle 20 feet high. A lake about 10 miles wide formed in the area where the Brushy Creek and San Gabriel River converge. Over 200 fatalities were reported.

(Picture of the Coupland Dam)

In 1955, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service (now the U.S.D.A. Natural Resources Conservation Service) conducted a comprehensive study of the Brushy Creek watershed and recommended that 56 dams be constructed, which they would design and pay for. However, they needed a local entity to be the owner/operator of the dams and reservoirs.

National Crime Victims Rights Week was observed the week of April 8-14.

Commissioner Cook reads the Crime Victims Rights Week Proclamation at a ceremony at the Williamson
County Courthouse on April 11, 2018, approved earlier by the Commissioners Court.

Crime Victims Rights Week was observed the week of April 8-14.

Please read the Proclamation at http://www.wilco.org/Portals/0/Departments/CommP1/PROCLAMATION%20-%202018%20Crime%20Victrims%20Righs%20week%20for%20Wilco.pdf?ver=2018-04-12-151040-777