County commissioners approve emergency burn ban

Gonzales County commissioners approved an emergency ban on outdoor burning at their regular meeting Tuesday, Oct. 15.

The ban is effective at midnight Friday, Oct. 18, and will remain in place for 90 days or “until such drought conditions no longer exist and this order is hereby lifted by authority of the County Judge.”

County Emergency Management Coordinator and Fire Marshal Jimmy Harless told commissioners the county continues to suffer from dry and hot weather, especially with lower humidity, which has created a high risk for wildfires. He noted there had been more than 30 grass fires reported in the past two weeks alone and he sees no major relief in the immediate future.

Texas A&M Forest Service (TFS), which monitors wildfire conditions for the state, uses the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) for determination of drought conditions within the State of Texas. KBDI was developed by John L. Keetch and George Byram with the US Forest Service Southeastern Research Station to correlate the effects of drought on wildfire potential.

The KBDI is based on a daily water balance, where a drought factor is balanced with precipitation and soil moisture (assumed to have a maximum storage capacity of eight inches) and is expressed in hundredths of an inch of soil moisture depletion. 

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, where 0 represents a saturated soil, and 800 an absolutely dry soil. At any point along the scale, the KBDI value indicates the amount of precipitation it would take to bring the moisture level back to zero, or saturation. 

As of Oct. 15, the county had a KBDI average of 686, which includes a high of 735 near the Lavaca County line, the DeWitt County line, the Caldwell County line and near Nixon and a low of 632 near Ottine and Smiley. This represents an increase of 55 points since Tuesday, Oct. 1 and an increase of 200 points over the average of 486 reported on Sept. 1.

When the KDBI falls between 600-800, this is often associated with more severe drought with increased wildfire occurrence. Intense, deep-burning fires with extreme intensities can be expected. Live fuels can also be expected to burn actively at these levels.

Anyone who violates the burn ban by burning any combustible material outside of an enclosure can be cited at the discretion of Harless or a peace officer for a Class C misdemeanor, which is punishable by a fine of up to $500.

However, there are exemptions in place for non-commercial preparation of food or burning of prickly pear for livestock feed, as well as wildfire mitigation or “prescribed fires conducted in compliance with guidelines set forth by federal or state natural resource agencies and burned under a burn plan approved by such agencies. Prior to a burn, a plan shall be filed in the County Judge’s office and notice given to the local Volunteer Fire Department and the Sheriff’s Office.”

Every county surrounding Gonzales with the exception of Karnes County has already approved a burn ban. Tuesday’s action by the court now means that 156 of 254 Texas counties have established a burn ban.