Travis County Commissioners Court
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 (Agenda)
Item 2
>> item number 2, consider and take appropriate action on an order concerning outdoor burning in the unincorporated areas of Travis County.
situation has gotten a whole lot worse and not better, right?
mr. Fire marshal.
>> you're correct, judge.
fire marshal Travis County.
ly the drought index on Travis County on average is 713 and as reminder, on a scale of 0 to 800 with 800 being absence of moisture, average is 713.
some areas in Travis County is as high as 752.
current rate of increase is three four points per day.
the short-term forecast next ten days, a hundred degrees or better.
unless we get some slight effect of the tropical wave coming across, there is a slight possibility of some rain.
the bad news, the long-term forecast for the following winter are out now, and that is warmer than normal and dryer than normal.
so looks like we are in this for a while yet.
the fire danger across Texas now is high to very high, especially Travis County being in the high range.
75 percent of Texas is now in the 700 to 800 kbdi.
there are 247 of the 254 counties in Texas that have burn bans.
cautions for people out there because 90 percent of the wildfires are caused by humans and are preventable.
people doing hot work, use extreme caution.
there are some guidelines on the burn ban order, and they are available on our website.
disposal of cigarettes.
we're seeing more and more roadside fires.
likely a good number are from cigarettes.
dragging chains.
improper maintenance of vehicles.
the recent 22,000 acre fire in east Texas was a result of a wheel bearing going out on a livestock trailer.
discarding of ashes from outdoor cooking operations.
while you can legal cook on some appliances if you are careful, you need to be careful how you discard the ashes.
they should be soaked with water completely before you discard.
current burn ban will exprior tomorrow.
my recommendation is to enact a new burn ban.
and if the court chooses to do so, expiration will be August 2.
>> move we approve a new burn ban.
>> second.
>> discussion on the motion?
all in favor.
that passes by unanimous vote.
thank you very much.
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