Travis County Commissioners Court
January 31, 2012 (Agenda)
Item 3
Item 3, consider and take appropriate action on an action considering outdoor burning in unincorporated areas of Travis County.
>> good morning, herschel lee, Travis County fire marshal.
I've come this morning to lift the ban but with that also to remind citizens that there are some places and some times when it's not going to be appropriate to burn.
we are expecting a couple days next week when the wind will be up.
fortunately the humidity will be up with that.
but always if you choose to burn outdoors, you need to notify the local fire department.
some of those are issuing permits.
they are going to come and look.
if they feel it's not safe they will tell you it's not safe.
other places if the site is not inspected, you need to be sure you are far away from structures and the fires are attended until they are out.
my recommendation today is lift your previous order on outdoor burn ban.
>> that's as a result of the rain we got yesterday?
>> the cumulative rain.
the drought index for Travis County is down in the 70s and we're expecting more rain this week.
remember that drought index means that's how much moisture is in the top eight inches of soil.
not what's in the plant matter above ground.
now, as the days stay warm, and they have been warmer than normal, then the glasses will have an opportunity to grow.
as that moisture is brought above grade, that's what will prevent fires from spreading.
so yes, it's because of the increased amount of moisture we've had recently and prediction of high relative humidities over the next week.
>> I move that we lift the burn ban.
>> second.
>> discussion on the motion?
>> I have a question for herschel.
herschel, even on though our kbdi is in the 70s, can you explain to us the interplay between -- my understanding is from the national oceanic and atmospheric administration we're still considered in severe drought.
severe or in some areas extreme drought.
>> severe, exceptional, extreme, those terms have to do with -- they are talking about the long-term moisture deficit.
in other words, our lakes are still way down, our aquifers are down.
and so that -- those drought categories are measuring not just what is available at the surface for the grass to grow, but how much moisture is getting into the aquifers, into the lakes.
so overall we are still about 20 inches behind where we need to be.
>> and I just wanted to make that distinction that fire danger because of dry fuels is separate from -- the kbdi is separate from our drought assessment.
>> that's correct.
and the way I use the kbdi is to judge what moisture is available for plants to grow.
if we're in the 700s, there's not anything for the plants to grow.
currently we have plenty of moisture.
if we had warmer weather and long sunshiny days the grass would grow.
because the days are short and we're only getting into the 70s grass does not grow as fast.
even though our top eight inch inches of soil is almost saturated, they will come out of that but for the long term we still need that 20 inches of rain just to get out of this exceptional drought category.
>> thank you for making the distinction.
>> any more discussion on the motion?
all in favor?
that passes by unanimous vote.
thank you very much.
The Closed Caption log for this Commissioners Court agenda item is provided by Travis County Internet Services. Since this file is derived from the Closed Captions created during live cablecasts, there are occasional spelling and grammatical errors. This Closed Caption log is not an official record the Commissioners Court Meeting and cannot be relied on for official purposes. For official records please contact the County Clerk at (512) 854-4722.
Subscribe for updates