Planting the seeds… Just because water is crystal clear doesn’t mean it is clean. Craig Nazor, a citizen who sits on the Animal Advisory Commission, alerted the Environmental Commission on Oct. 2 that the discharge from the Walnut Creek Water Treatment Plant may potentially be harmful to park visitors. The plant, he explained, has a […]
City of Austin Environmental Commission
An advisory board to members of the Austin City Council. Its purview includes “all projects and programs which affect the quality of life for the citizens of Austin.” In many cases, this includes development projects.
Posted inPlanning
Environmental Commission recommends Council include Atlas 14 update in code rewrite
Atlas 14 is a historical rainfall study that alters the city’s flood plains drastically, showing that Austin is projected to receive a 30 percent increase in rainfall. Nevertheless, the study is not something that can change development on its own. To ensure that the updated Atlas 14 maps are considered during any development and redevelopment […]
Posted inEnvironment
Environmental Commission discusses how to make the Heritage Tree Ordinance even more tree-centric
Austin values its trees. According to the city arborist’s office, trees are a $16 billion asset to the community. In 1982, in an effort to better protect its trees, Austin implemented its inaugural tree ordinance, which was unique both then and now for its preservation-first approach. Since then, the city has evolved, and so have […]
Posted inCity Hall
Youth outreach program is cut after city doubled funding
When the city funds grants, should it do so based on achievable objectives or program intent? That question was at the crux of a debate at the July 24 meeting of the Environmental Commission’s Urban Forestry Committee. Last budget cycle, before the city’s Community Tree Preservation Division even had a chance to review all the […]
Posted inEnvironment
Toxic algae blooms expected to recur
Algae in Austin’s waterways is nothing new. In the summertime when the water warms up and flows slowly, it’s common to see tendrils of blue-green algae floating in the current. “It’s a very seasonal pattern. A very regular pattern,” Brent Bellinger with the Watershed Protection Department told the Environmental Commission at its Aug. 21 meeting. […]
Posted inParks
One year later: The new life of the old Onion Creek flood plain
Since 1999, the city of Austin has been working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to buy homeowners out of the Onion Creek flood zone. Last year, when the Watershed Protection Department completed the buyout program, 813 houses had been removed out of harm’s way. Although 10 homeowners refused the buyout offer, Leah Gibson […]
Posted inParks
Environmental Commission gives Walter E. Long Park plan the green light, with conditions
Following the lead of the Parks and Recreation Board, the Environmental Commission unanimously approved the new master plan for East Austin’s Walter E. Long Park. The vote, however, came with a host of conditions. The commissioners expressed concern that the Parks and Recreation Department had not yet performed an environmental assessment of the land nor […]
Posted inEnvironment
Carbon-reducing concrete could come to Austin
Concrete is the second-largest industrial producer of carbon dioxide in the world, according to the International Energy Agency. Yet it is still one of the most popular building materials. Tom Ennis, the sustainability officer with the Watershed Protection Department, told the Environmental Commission at its June 19 meeting that Austin need not continue to contribute […]
Posted inPlanning
Environmental Commission recommends SOS amendment for private development
Under the Save Our Springs Ordinance, which was passed in 1992, all land in the Barton Springs Zone is subject to increased development regulation in order to protect the water quality of the springs and the Edwards Aquifer. One of the stipulations of this increased scrutiny is that variances to development restriction are expressly prohibited. […]
Posted inEnvironment
City shares reason for Barton Springs’ cloudy water last December
After Barton Springs was closed for a few days last December following an unusual level of turbidity in the water, the city immediately began investigating the cause. As the plumes of sediment filling the freshwater pool settled, instruments measuring water quality led staff to discover that some geothermal well drilling about 4,000 feet from Barton […]
Posted inEnvironment
Austin at risk for violating federal ozone standards
Ozone levels in the Austin area have been hovering just below federal violation levels for the last six years. Ground-level ozone – or “bad” ozone – is an ingredient in smog and a primary pollutant that can cause a number of health problems. With weather patterns becoming more extreme due to climate change, Central Texas […]
Posted inEnvironment
Shoal Creek Trail solution coming to Council
After a catastrophic landslide carved a 30-foot-high cliff through residents’ backyards along Shoal Creek last year, the city sprang into action to devise a plan to stabilize what was left. However, the slope shifted again this spring, leaving Austinites wondering how much more damage is coming before a solution can be implemented. Repairing the crumbling […]