City Council has agreed to more than double its contribution toward a water infrastructure project that will service a project that recently disannexed from the western city limits. The unanimous approval of an amendment to the cost participation agreement between the city of Austin and Milestone Community Builders increases the city’s financial contribution by an […]
Environment
Posted inWater
Austin is way ahead of the curve on federal effort to replace lead pipes
On the same day the Biden administration set a 10-year deadline for U.S. cities to remove all lead pipes, Austin announced that the city is officially 100 percent free of lead contamination in its public water system. “I am proud of the City of Austin for being a leader in effectively banning lead in our public […]
Posted inParks
City-owned land will be repurposed to add 5 new parks in Austin
Five new parks are joining Austin’s parks system, adding much needed green spaces to areas considered to be “park deficient.” Austin’s Watershed Protection Department has over the years acquired land for things like protecting the environment and managing floodwater. These properties are open green spaces, but because they’re not designated as parkland the city can’t […]
Posted inParks
Audit finds unpaid fees, lax rental practices at six PARD rec centers
The Office of the City Auditor has found widespread issues within the Austin Parks and Recreation Department related to inconsistent fee charges and collections for facility rentals at some community recreation centers. An audit report released Tuesday revealed that from January to July 2023, staff at six recreation centers — Austin Recreation Center, Dittmar Recreation […]
Posted inWater
A malfunction at Longhorn Dam that caused Lady Bird Lake to lose water has been fixed
If you happened to be near Austin’s Lady Bird Lake on Monday, you might have noticed it looked different. The lake level, which usually stays constant year-round, had dropped by about 2 feet, exposing stretches of muddy, sometimes smelly, shoreline. The cause was a problem at Longhorn Dam on Sunday night. “We experienced a control […]
Posted inWater
Report looks at Austin Water leaks, losses that could fill 12,000 Olympic pools
Leaks and inefficiencies throughout the local water system cause Austin Water to lose more than 8 billion gallons per year – enough to fill 12,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The loss totals were some of the findings from a recent outside analysis by Black & Veatch that looked at Austin Water’s existing programs to track losses […]
Posted inDevelopment
SOS variance for aquifer development fails to win Environmental Commission support
A proposal to initiate an amendment to the Save Our Springs Ordinance to increase the allowable amount of impervious cover over the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone failed to win the Environmental Commission’s support Wednesday. Impervious cover is any human-made surface that doesn’t absorb rainfall – such as parking lots, streets and rooftops. Builders of a […]
Posted inEnergy
Austin Energy hopes new solar standard offer can scale up sorely needed local generation
Update 10:35 p.m. Oct. 2: On Monday, the Electric Utility Commission (EUC) approved an update to the city’s solar program after a quick discussion. As Austin Energy grapples with an electric future and unprecedented demands on the grid, the utility is making moves to secure a place for locally generated renewables with a new approach […]
Posted inResources
Council rejects Texas Gas Service rate hike
Despite reining in its initial proposal, Texas Gas Service has still failed to win over City Council in its endeavor to raise prices for Austin ratepayers. The utility faced backlash this summer with news of its plans to aggressively hike fixed monthly fees, prompting Austin and 16 other cities in its service area to join […]
Posted inEnergy
Austin Energy still pondering new generation plan
As part of Austin Energy’s effort to arrive at a new generation plan, the utility has spent this year talking to the public about what is most important to them when they think about electric service. According to Austin Energy’s chief operating officer, Lisa Martin, what the public wants most is reliability in their electric […]
Posted inEnvironment
Texas fatmucket mussel conservation provides significant value in regional water filtration efforts
At its regular meeting Sept. 18, the Environmental Commission heard updates on Austin’s freshwater mussel population from Matt Johnson, Texas freshwater mussel conservation and recovery coordinator with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and Bianca Perez, an environmental scientist with the Watershed Protection Department. Of significant conservation interest was the Texas fatmucket mussel species. Texas […]
Posted inEnvironment
Great Springs Project proposes to partner alongside local government with equity in mind
The Environmental Commission passed a motion at its regular meeting on Sept. 18, recommending local government establish a partnership with Great Springs Project to “serve the City’s interest with respect to connectivity, transportation, conservation, and watershed protection outcomes.” Trails and transportation planner Mikey Goralnik presented an overview of Great Springs Project’s mission and future plans […]