Balcones Canyonlands

Slaughter Creek, Onion Creek, Bear Creek, Boggy Creek, Williamson Creek, and Granada Hills Tributary to Slaughter Creek carry no EPA 303(d) impairment listings as of the 2026 assessment cycle. Slaughter Creek and Bear Creek have some uses attained with insufficient data for others, while Onion and Boggy Creeks have all designated uses attained.

Precipitation through October 16 at Dripping Springs 6 E, 14 km away, was 2.1 inches, 0.8 inches above the month-to-date normal of 1.26 inches. This above-normal rainfall in mid-October contrasts sharply with the extreme deficit documented in late September and represents a partial recovery toward normal conditions in the region.

Red Saddlebags dragonflies and Black Saddlebags were recorded on October 14 at Bluff Springs, Austin. Persistent odonata sightings through mid-October despite severe drought indicate refugial waters and sustained populations of these aquatic insects across the Balcones Canyonlands.

Gulf Coast Toad was recorded 73 times in the past 30 days with the most recent sighting on 2026-10-15, showing continued amphibian presence despite severe drought affecting 78.90% of Travis County. Persistent sightings indicate wetland habitat remains available, though drought-stressed pools may constrain future recruitment.

Severe Drought (D2) affected 78.90% of Travis County in the week ending 2026-10-19, down from 95.44% in late September. Extreme Drought (D3) has receded to 0% after peaking at 37.51%, indicating some hydrological improvement even as severe drought remains the dominant condition.

Tall goldenrod was in open flower on October 14 at Balcones Canyonlands. The past 30 days have averaged 90.1°F for the daily high, 5.6°F above normal, driving phenology early into fall.

Mean daily high at Dripping Springs station averaged 96.2°F, 5.7°F above normal over the past 30 days, while month-to-date precipitation sits at 0.3 in, 1.8 in below normal. The sustained heat and dryness are reducing vegetation moisture and extending the fire season risk window.

Slaughter Creek at FM 1826 near Austin, TX recorded 0.00 cubic feet per second on September 22, 2026, with streamflow across six creeks in the Balcones Canyonlands averaging only 0.15 cubic feet per second over the past 7 days. This extreme low flow reflects month-to-date precipitation of 0.3 inches, 1.8 inches below normal at Dripping Springs 6 E, 14 km away.

Paper Pondshell, Giant Floater, and Yellow Sandshell mussels were recorded in mid-September, while dragonflies and damselflies remained abundant through late September including Red Saddlebags and Blue Dasher on Highway 71. Continued activity despite severe drought indicates some refugial water bodies are persisting, likely groundwater-fed springs or pools in the Balcones Canyonlands karst.

American Bumble Bee, a threatened species, appeared in multiple observations from 2026-09-26 and 2026-09-25 across Balcones Canyonlands locations including Hage Drive and Pioneer Crossing. This native bumble bee has declined sharply across North America in recent decades.