By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Val Verde County Commissioners Court has approved a countywide burn ban effective until early September.
The court also approved a ban on “fireworks, missiles with fins and rockets with sticks.”
Both actions were taken during the court’s regular meeting on June 5.
County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. announced the first of the two items, “discussion and possible action to enact a ban on fireworks, missiles with fins and rockets with sticks” and called for a motion.
County Commissioner Pct. 3 Beau Nettleton made the motion, with County Commissioner Pct. 2 Juan Carlos Vazquez giving the second.
The motion passed unanimously without comments or questions from the judge or commissioners.
Owens then announced the agenda item dealing with the burn ban: “Discussion and possible action to approve an order prohibiting all outdoor burning in the unincorporated areas of Val Verde County for 90 days due to drought conditions.”
County Commissioner Pct. 4 Gustavo “Gus” Flores made the motion to approve the ban, with Vazquez giving the second.
This motion, too, passed unanimously without comments or questions.
The approved order has been published on the county’s website here.
The text of the order passed by the court notes “the Texas Forest Service has determined that drought conditions exist in Val Verde County.”
The order adds that all outdoor burning is prohibited in the unincorporated areas of Val Verde County for 90 days from the date of the order’s adoption (June 5) “unless the restrictions are terminated earlier based on a determination made by (1) the Texas Forest Service that drought conditions no longer exist; or (2) the commissioners court, based on a determination that the circumstances that required the order no longer exist.”
The remainder of the order notes that “it does not prohibit outdoor burning activities related to public health and safety that are authorized by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for (1) firefighter training; (2) public utility, natural gas pipeline or mining operations; (3) planting or harvesting of agricultural crops; or (4) burns that are conducted by a prescribed burn manager certified under the Natural Resources Code.”
The order also notes that “burning will be allowed only with written permission from the Val Verde County fire chief or the Val Verde County judge,” and a violation of the order is a Class C misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $500.
The current map of the state’s drought conditions show most of the area in southern Val Verde County along the Rio Grande to be in an extreme drought, with central portions of the county considered in a severe drought and northern portions of the county in moderate drought.
The state’s drought condition map can be found at https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?TX
Additional maps and information about the ongoing drought conditions in the state can be found on the website of the Texas Forest Service at https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/DroughtStudy/
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
