People still clinging to battered old lawn equipment may soon see opportunity for an upgrade, as City Council looks to reboot a “cash for clunkers” exchange program to incentivize eco-friendly landscaping. The resolution, sponsored by Council Member Ryan Alter and passed March 7, directs staff to explore new approaches to the city’s electric landscaping rebate […]
Environment
Posted inParks
Austin’s giant troll is finally finished. Here’s where you can find her.
Pease Park’s newest art installation is tucked away in the woods, but she’s hard to miss. Malin is an 18-foot-tall troll made of local and repurposed wood. And in her hands is an offering: a basin full of water to nourish the wildlife. But the water is there only if humans remember to pour it. […]
Posted inEnergy
Austin Energy pauses to analyze path forward for climate plan
Austin Energy General Manager Bob Kahn has informed the mayor and City Council that the utility is pausing the current process of amending its resource, generation and climate protection plan. The utility had been working to provide proposed changes to that plan this month. In 2022, Council directed Austin Energy to work with the Electric […]
Posted inWater
Travis County signs up for more reclaimed water
Last week, City Council authorized Austin Water to move forward with an interlocal agreement with Travis County to share the costs of designing and building oversized reclaimed water mains and pipes within the central business district. This will provide service to Travis County’s Civil and Family Court Building at 1700 Guadalupe St. and the Probate […]
Posted inParks
Council approves changes to environmental protections to upgrade Butler Trail
With little discussion, City Council last week approved amendments to environmental protections to clear the way for capital improvements on the popular hike-and-bike trail at Lady Bird Lake. The code changes allow for exemptions from critical water quality zone rules protecting Lady Bird Lake, thus giving the Trail Conservancy the ability to make upgrades to […]
Posted inParks
There are two big trolls in neighboring Austin parks – and they might be in love
Pease Park will soon get an 18-foot-tall wooden troll sculpture. But ahead of its opening, Austinites can find a similar (if slightly more disheveled) troll at a miniature park just a few blocks away. “When I heard that the Pease Park was going to be installing that incredible troll as part of a big, large art […]
Posted inWater
City Council adopts historic water reuse regulations
City Council on Thursday unanimously and enthusiastically approved mandatory water reuse for most large new developments, with some provisions to exempt affordable housing from the requirement. They also approved an agreement with Travis County to provide reclaimed water connections for the Travis County courthouse, a step forward in partnering with the county on similar projects. […]
Posted inWater
Conservation district has good news on drought level
The Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District has taken a step back from the most severe drought stage – Stage IV – and after a brief stint in Stage III, has declared the area to be at Stage II Alarm Drought, the least severe stage of drought. But aquifer watchers know that a hot, dry summer […]
Posted inParks
Debate intensifies over code changes to Butler Hike and Bike trail
Austin’s Parks and Recreation Board drew a crowd this past Monday, gathering to debate a number of code amendments targeting the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail at Lady Bird Lake. The amendments, prompted by City Council direction last spring, would eliminate the existing 12-foot cap on the trail’s width and mandate a […]
Posted inParks
Parks board blesses bathhouse renaming
More than 60 years ago, Joan Means Khabele jumped into Barton Springs Pool, launching a movement that led to its desegregation. Austin is now set to remember her legacy by renaming the Barton Springs Bathhouse after her. After being denied entrance due to the racist rules in place at the time, Khabele is known as […]
Posted inEnergy
Electric Utility Commission offers climate-friendly recommendations for Austin Energy update
As the deadline approaches for an update to Austin Energy’s Resource, Generation, and Climate Protection Plan, the city’s Electric Utility Commission is joining the conversation, banding behind its own proposal for the coming decade. The proposal, formed in collaboration with the city’s Resource Management Commission and a number of Austin Energy ratepayers, asks that the […]
Posted inParks
City breaks ground on the Barton Springs bathhouse
Many years in the making, rehabilitation of the Barton Springs bathhouse is scheduled for a groundbreaking ceremony at 10 a.m. today. While the majority of attendees will surely cheer for the improvements the city promises under the Barton Springs Pool Master Plan, which City Council approved in 2009, there will be a few swimmers protesting […]