Tag Archives: City of Austin Environmental Commission
Tree ordinances continue to take root in Austin
Since 2020, Austin’s tree regulations and protections have preserved a total of 1,397,678 inches of trees within city limits. Thus far in Fiscal Year 2025, 4,670 inches of trees have been surveyed and 4,250 inches have been preserved, with 91…
Environment • By Hunter Simmons • Nov 14, 2024
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…
Environment • By Hunter Simmons • Sep 24, 2024
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…
Environment • By Hunter Simmons • Sep 20, 2024
Austin exploring new ways to look at water quality
A discussion at the most recent meeting of the Environmental Commission revealed that the city is in the process of creating a new way to explain and track how policy decisions impact water quality in Austin. Since 1994, the Watershed…
Water • By Elizabeth Pagano • Aug 16, 2024
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Commission drills down on what disannexation could mean for area water quality
Though the city’s current water quality monitoring system has been in place for an impressive 30 years, changes at the state Legislature mean a change at the city level as well. Andrew Clamann, who works for the Watershed Protection Department…
Water • By Elizabeth Pagano • Aug 13, 2024
Environmental Commission recommends Council’s adoption of food plan
The Austin Environmental Commission on Wednesday approved a recommendation to City Council to adopt the proposed Austin/Travis County Food Plan and ensure its complete funding over the next four years. The recommended resolution, sponsored by Mariana Krueger and approved unanimously,…
Public Health • By Amy Smith • Aug 9, 2024
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Balancing conflicting public interests, Watershed Protection aims to promote native aquatic vegetation
Austin’s reservoirs do a lot of double duty. They’re known both as top-tier recreation spots for Central Texans and our source of dwindling drinking water. Subject to invasive species, drought and big rainfall events that bring in pollutants, they’re still…
Environment • By Lina Fisher • Jul 22, 2024
Environmental Commission looks to make Austin safer for birds
The Environmental Commission voted Wednesday to form a working group to delve into how Austin can live up to its “Bird City” title by creating bird-safe buildings. The near-unanimous vote, with Colin Nickells abstaining, followed a presentation by Heidi Trudell,…
Environment • By Amy Smith • Jun 10, 2024
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Environmental Commission recommends site plan changes
At last week’s Environmental Commission meeting, members gave a positive recommendation for reducing the size of infill residential lots, including changes designed to make the process more efficient and less costly, while ensuring that drainage requirements are sufficient to prevent…
Land Development Code • By Jo Clifton • May 8, 2024
Environmental commissioners air concerns about waterfront district plan
A proposed framework for how the south shores of Lady Bird Lake will build out in future years received a lukewarm response from the Environmental Commission on Thursday. While only the Planning Commission and City Council are scheduled to vote…
Planning • By Amy Smith • Mar 25, 2024
Commissioners seek parking study, Polo Field restoration
Two parking items cleared the Environmental Commission last week, a notable achievement considering that certain parking issues tend to devolve into prolonged debates. At its Feb. 7 meeting, commissioners considered two proposals within the framework of City Council’s elimination of…
Parks • By Amy Smith • Feb 12, 2024
Environmental Commission ponders HOME initiative
Dave Sullivan, a longtime advocate for environmental causes and a member of the city’s Environmental Commission, offered his colleagues a motion supporting City Council’s proposed HOME initiative at this week’s meeting. According to Sullivan’s motion, last month the commission heard…
