Kendall County Emergency Management officials this morning lifted the burn ban for most of the county excluding property along the Guadalupe River and flood-affected areas.
Brady Constantine, county fire marshal and director of the Kendall County Office of Emergency Management, Monday said the burn ban would be lifted for the first time since July 8, when the Kendall County Commissioners Court unanimously imposed the countywide ban.
The order, issued at 5 a.m., becomes effective “one hour after sunrise” today. It allows burning outside the “affected area,” which is land between the highwater marks of both banks of the Guadalupe River, to specifically include the river, the riverbed — “the entire Guadalupe River Floodway.”
“It is hereby ordered that ... outdoor burning in unaffected areas is authorized for onsite burning of trees, brush, grass, leaves, branch trimmings or other plant growth by the owner of the property or any other person authorized by the owner,” the decree states.
The burn ban, thus, will remain in effect for riverfront property and areas directly affected by the flood and debris piles.
County Judge Shane Stolarczyk suggested the ban at the county’s July 8 meeting, its first after the devastating flood. County Precinct 2 Commissioner Andra Wisian asked if it could be limited to two weeks, allowing the commissioners to revisit the ban at their next meeting.
At that July 22 meeting, Constantine informed commissioners the county was in line for debris management funding, to help cover the cost of clean-up. But Stolarczyk said the state emphasized that the burn ban as “a critical aspect” in order to receive the relief Constantine described.
“I don’t have all the logistics of that yet,” Constantine said on July 22, “but I can tell you they have asked that we keep the burn ban on.”
That has now been rescinded countywide for landowners who have waited patiently for more than a month, since the July 4 weekend flooding.
At their latest press conference, Stolarczyk and Constantine said clean-up will take at least eight to 10 weeks.
Specifics of Tuesday’s issued burn ban:
• No burning when wind is below 6 mph or above 23 mph.
• No burning during low-level temperature inversions.
• All fires must be extinguished by sunset.
• No burning of treated lumber, plastics, insulation, demolition materials, or hazardous waste.
Violations are a Class C Misdemeanor punishable by fines up to $500.
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