AWU burns 560 acres in Hays County

HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) - If you see large plumes of smoke rising just south of Austin, don’t be alarmed. The Austin Water Utility says it has everything under control.

Dry conditions in an extended drought prevented AWU from conducting a prescribed burn on any of its nearly 40,000 acres for two years. Hays County lifted its burn ban last week, so crews were able to set fire to about 560 acres northwest of Kyle on Monday.

AWU uses prescribed burns to “manage the density of crush and to encourage the growth of native grasses,” as part of protecting the quality and quantity of water reaching the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards Aquifer.

"We really want to increase the flow into the aquifer,” said Amanda Ross with AWU’s Wildland Conservation Division, which handles about 26,000 acres of AWU’s area. “What happens is that water can flow onto the grassland and actually go down the roots a little bit more and actually reach down to our aquifer a little bit more."

About 30 people were on site to help manage the flames. Most were with AWU, though a handful of other agencies – including the Austin Fire Department, the Texas Forest Service and U.S Fish and Wildlife Service – made up the crew.

Over the last decade, AWU has burned more than 5,000 acres. While reducing wildfire danger is not the agency’s main goal, projects like this help

"We're also getting rid of some fuel that could be building up over time, so that when we do get in drought conditions, we don't have those huge fires,” Ross added.

AWU notified more than 5,000 households beforehand about Monday’s prescribed fire. Officials said the “burned area will be extensively patrolled for a week after the fire.”

There is criticism about AWU’s fire efforts, as the Austin Firefighter’s Association says the risk is still too great without more AFD firefighters on the scene.

Watch the in-depth report on KXAN News at 6 on Thursday for more on this topic.