In a nutshell
In an announcement, officials said the event is important to help reduce the risk of wildfires, noting that residents should clear dead vegetation within a 200-foot perimeter around their homes.
A closer look
All brush should be smaller than 6 inches in diameter and at least 2 1/2 feet long.
“For easier unloading, please place the wide end of branches toward the tailgate or back of your trailer,” officials said.
The specifics
According to the announcement, nothing should be in bags.
Other prohibited items include:
- Cactus, yucca or palm fronds
- Pine needles or leaves
- Grass, weeds or vines
- Construction material
- Poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac
- Nails, wires, twine
The county has been under a burn ban since Aug. 26; with commissioners set to reevaluate conditions at their next meeting Oct. 28.
As of Oct. 23, Bastrop County was at a Keetch-Byram Drought Index, or KBDI, of 704, according to Water Data for Texas.
The Texas A&M Forest Service website explains that this level indicates a high potential for wildfires with extreme intensity.
The KBDI ranges between 0-800, with anything over 400 indicating a high wildfire potential.
Hillary Long, assistant emergency management coordinator, said during the Oct. 15 commissioners meeting that the daily average for Bastrop County in October was 685, with a minimum of 621 and a maximum of 725.
For reference, the KBDI on Sept. 4, 2011, the day the Bastrop County Complex Fire ignited, was 789.
- Nov. 2, 8 a.m.-noon
- Free
- Bastrop County Water Control Improvement District No. 2, 112 Corporate Drive, Bastrop
- www.bastropesd2.org
