Last week, the city’s Watershed Protection Department released its 2023 annual report. The report breaks down the department’s work to manage the city’s creeks, drainage systems and water quality programs.
Regarding building and maintaining drainage infrastructure, the department completed eight pond repairs, 1,900 service requests for clearing debris from creeks and channels and 3,097 commercial pond inspections. The department also reduced flood risk at 17 different buildings, properties and roadways.
The department also issued 60 emergency action recommendations throughout the year, such as road closures during floods. Crews removed 730 tons of debris from Waller Creek Tunnel Inlet Facility, which diverted 19 flood events. Crews also cleared 44 miles of creeks, channels and ditches of debris, which is 10 times more than last year due to the February ice storm.
Additionally, crews installed or replaced 10,131 feet of storm drain infrastructure. As a point of trivia, the report reads, “10,131 feet is the length of 33 UT Towers.”
Watershed Protection also cleaned 76,748 feet of pipeline to remove sediment, trash and other debris from the storm drain pipe system, maintaining functionality of the pipes and reducing the amount of pollution that enters creeks and rivers. “76,748 feet is like driving from the Broken Spoke to the Domain,” the report notes.
As for stream bank stabilization, Watershed Protection rehabilitated and stabilized 3,854 feet of eroding stream channels, restoring the natural function of those streams. The work resulted in 87,143 square feet, or 7,174 linear feet, of unstable stream channels being stabilized. According to the report, “7,174 feet is like 191 MetroBuses lined up end to end.”
The department completed 11 erosion projects and completed various tasks related to the Roy G. Guerrero Park Channel Stabilization project.
With regard to water quality, Watershed Protection improved or protected 8,888 acres of critical environmental features, such as wetlands and karst features, in 2023. Staff completed 1,103 environmental policy and review cases.
The department also reports that it has prevented 7,900 pounds of pollution from entering the Barton Creek watershed since completing the Liberty Park water quality pond retrofits. That, the report says, is “nearly the same weight as 253,000 Mexican free-tailed bats.”
The report also checks in on the department’s ongoing Habitat Management Plan, which is required to protect the two endangered salamander species that live in the area around Barton Springs. The department has completed 91 percent of its goals and objectives required to keep the permit for Barton Springs Pool.
In 2023, the department also sent 120 of its employees to equity-related trainings, made a presentation to the Environmental Commission to highlight its ongoing equity efforts and conducted four equity reviews focusing on time and attendance, records management and land development.
“Watershed Protection’s core mission is to keep our community safe,” said Director Jorge Morales. “I’m proud to serve as the department director as we tackle the new challenges that climate change brings. We look forward to serving our community in 2024.”
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Watershed Protection Department: The city's Watershed Protection Department works to reduce the impact of floods, erosion and water pollution in the city. The department is mostly funded by the city's drainage fee.
