San Saba River.

The San Saba River is one of the most scenic waterways in the Texas Hill Country. It contains sparkling, clear water that flows through limestone bluffs and hills, supporting fish, wildlife, agriculture and livestock. The San Saba River forms near Fort McKavett and flows 140 miles through Menard, Mason, McCulloch and San Saba Counties, where it converges with the Colorado River.

The flow of the Upper San Saba River has been threatened since 1994 due to unregulated, excessive, illegal and wasteful pumping and diversion, and often weaker than normal natural spring output, leaving a 45 mile stretch of the river essentially dry many years between June and October. The lack of water flow has damaged the river ecosystem, endangered freshwater mussels and fish found only in the Central Texas Region, and hurt downstream ranchers and businesses who depend on the San Saba River for livestock production and business income.

See San Saba River Threats for information about specific threats to the San Saba River.

San Saba River Threats

Friends of the San Saba

Friends of the San Saba (FOSS) was created in 2012 to protect the water flow of the San Saba River. FOSS members include riparian landowners along the San Saba River and other concerned citizens that have no other agenda than to keep the San Saba River flowing.

FOSS members have taken the following actions to protect the San Saba River:
  1. Commissioned studies on the hydrology of the San Saba River, which identified unregulated and illegal pumping.
  2. Submitted complaints about illegal pumping and noncompliance to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), the state agency responsible for regulating surface water rights and availability.
  3. Reviewed hundreds of pages of TCEQ investigative reports and other documents.
  4. Met with state legislators, TCEQ commissioners and TCEQ senior leadership to discuss unregulated, excessive, illegal and wasteful pumping that turns the San Saba River into a dried-up riverbed.
  5. Participated in TCEQ watermaster evaluations by submitting comments and attending Town Hall meetings.
  6. Supported research on endangered freshwater mussels by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Texas A&M, Texas State University, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and The Nature Conservancy.

San Saba River Map

The San Saba River forms near the Schleicher and Menard County line and flows 140 miles through Menard, Mason, McCulloch and San Saba Counties, where it converges with the Colorado River.

Map Highlights:

  1. San Saba River is formed by confluence of North Valley Prong and the Middle Valley Prong and by
    natural springs at Fort McKavett and Clear Creek Springs.
  2. Menard Irrigation Company (MIC) Canal and alluvial wells in and around Menard.
  3. 45 mile stretch of river east of Menard is essentially dry between June and October in many years since 2000.
  4. Brady Creek converges into San Saba River resulting in consistent water flow in San Saba County.
  5. San Saba River converges into Colorado River 10 miles east of San Saba.

Friends of the San Saba (FOSS) Directors

The FOSS directors are riparian landowners on the San Saba River in Menard, Mason and McCulloch counties

Charlie Granstaff
Charlie Granstaff
Charlie is an attorney that is board certified in estate planning and probate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Charlie is a shareholder of Granstaff, Gaedke & Edgmon, P.C. in San Antonio, a law firm that specializes in estate planning. Charlie is originally from Brady and his wife’s family, with a rich history of ranching, has owned a ranch on the San Saba River for over 60 years.
Griffith Thomas, Treasurer
Griffith Thomas, Treasurer
Dr. Griffith Thomas, M.D. is a board certified general surgeon residing in Llano County. Griff has over 35 years involvement in ranching and farming in Mason, McCulloch, Colorado and Wharton counties. Griff is a fourth generation active rancher on his family’s San Saba River ranch. Griff produced and presented the original petition for a watermaster to the TCEQ in 2001. Griff is a founder of FOSS.
Bob Davee
Bob Davee
Bob is a third generation attorney with over 30 years of experience litigating civil matters in federal and state courts across Texas. He currently practices with Greer, Herz & Adams LLP. Bob’s grandfather spent his entire career practicing law in Brady, Texas and served as the mayor of Brady for many years. Bob and his family have, for more than two decades, owned a ranch on the San Saba River.
Nick Singleton
Nick Singleton
Nick is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Texas. Before Nick’s recent retirement, he worked for Occidental Petroleum for 38 years in the Worldwide Engineering Group. Nick has owned property in Menard County on the San Saba River for over 25 years.
Jamie Smith Jackson
Jamie Smith Jackson
Jamie has a Masters of Fine Arts and resides in San Francisco and on her ranch, JJ’s Rockin’ Retreat. She is a fifth generation rancher and is a Co-Founder of FOSS along with her cousin, Griff Thomas. Jamie has been an active rancher for over 20 years and a fervent conservation supporter of the land and water.
Debbie Nobles
Debbie Nobles
Debbie is a retired teacher and lives on the San Saba River with her husband, a fifth generation West Texas rancher. Debbie and her husband raise cattle and manage wildlife on their San Saba River ranch. They have two sons and three grandchildren.
Phil Chavanne
Phil Chavanne
Phil is the owner of Selah Springs Ranch and Texas Family Reunions.com. He serves as an elder at Redeemer Church in Brady, Texas, and he is a lifetime student of conservation and restorative ecology. Phil spends his time on the ranch with his wife and two daughters writing and restoring the habitat.
Kinnan Golemon, FOSS Consultant
Kinnan Golemon, FOSS Consultant
Kinnan is a nationally recognized leader with almost 50 years’ experience in environmental, energy and natural resources law. Kinnan is the founder and President of KG Strategies, LLC in Austin. Kinnan has represented FOSS since its formation and he is a landowner and rancher in McCulloch County.

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So Future Texans Can Enjoy a Vibrant, Pristine River

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