The city is moving forward with its effort to update its floodplain maps, in anticipation of an expected increase in dramatic rainfall and flooding events caused by climate change over the next decade. Earlier this month, the Watershed Protection Department began mailing notices to properties located in or near a potential floodplain once the new […]
Water Forward
Posted inWater
New water-saving requirements take effect Dec. 1
Starting Dec. 1, eligible new developments in Austin will need to include water-conservation measures. The new requirements are in response to City Council actions and subsequent code amendments adopted in recent months. Once the new terms take effect, developments submitting site plans must include a water benchmarking application, while large developments greater than 250,000 square […]
Posted inCity Council
Council members worry water conservation efforts could make development more expensive
City Council advanced several initiatives at last Thursday’s meeting to make the city’s water supply more sustainable and resistant to drought. Some Council members, however, worried that new policies could increase development costs, thereby exacerbating the city’s affordability crisis. “I’m proud that as a city we led the way when it comes to environmental sustainability […]
Posted inWater
Water conservation items move to Council, but not without debate
The City Council committee overseeing Water Forward, Austin’s long-range water resource plan, approved two resolutions last week containing code amendments that would both underscore and expedite the work required to conserve and reclaim water for reuse. One resolution, brought by Water Oversight Committee Chair Ann Kitchen, would revive three measures Council had incorporated into the […]