Res 2006-163 - Laserfiche WebLink

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" I fires to be fought by four (4) fire stations located within the City. The Hays County population is estimated to be 119,359 (2006 Texas State Directory) leaving 77,757 persons within the 649.5 square mile area outside of the City of San Marcos. This 649.5 square mile area is protected by seven (7) VFD's with an average of 92.7 square mile per fire department is subject to wildfire hazards. The 4 City of San Marcos fire stations provide valuable backup for this vast area, however response time in regard to this large service area is a matter of concern. Hays County is located in the South Central Climatic Region also known as the Texas Hill Country and subject to frequent periods of drought. Based on the Texas Almanac (2004-2005), in the last 110 years, this area has experienced fifteen (15) periods of drought over seventeen (17) drought years (thirteen I-year and two 2-year droughts). Hays County and the Texas Hill Country depend on surface water sources to reduce ground water withdrawal, thus reducing the impact on the Edwards Aquifer and the San Marcos River. This dependency on surface water supplies can result in water shortages during dry or drought conditions. The 2004/2005 Texas Almanac lists normal annual rainfall for four 30-year periods for the South Central Region as: 1931-1960 1941-1970 1951-1980 1961-1990 33.24 inches 33.03 inches 34.03 inches 34.49 inches I The highest temperature on record for Hays County is 110 degrees and lowest is -2 degrees. The mean maximum temperature is 95 degrees in July. The Texas Forest Service provides assistance to Texas commumtles and posts technical information on their website: http://www.txforestservice.tamu.edu Regional Fire Risk Levels Fire Department Assistance Information Bum Ban Information Keetch-Byram Drought Index (both statewide and selected counties) I The Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) is a fire potential assessment indicator. The Index number represents the net effect of evaporation and precipitation in producing cumulative moisture deficiency in deep duff and upper soil layers. The KBDI is a continuous index, relating to the flammability of organic material in the ground. The KBDI attempts to measure the amount of precipitation necessary to return the soil to full field capacity. It is a closed system ranging from 0 to 800 units and represents a moisture regime from 0 to 8 inches of water through the soil layer. At 8 inches of water, the KBDI assumes saturation. Zero is ,the point of no moisture deficiency and 800 is the maximum drought that is possible. At any point along the scale, the index number indicates the amount of net rainfall that is required to reduce the index to zero, or saturation. Ha~'s County, Texas Mitigation Plan 68