Tag Archives: Watershed Protection Department
Watershed Protection makes departmental changes
In response to the retirements of key personnel, and to better respond to Austin’s growth while retaining the city’s environmental identity, the Watershed Protection Department has undergone a staff reorganization, Director Jorge Morales told the Environmental Commission at its Tuesday…
Environment • By Amy Smith • Jul 9, 2021
City begins blue-green algae mitigation at Red Bud Isle
Since 2019, dog-lovers in Austin have had to worry about cyanobacteria, more commonly known as blue-green algae, when stories came out of several dogs dying after swimming in Lady Bird Lake during the algae bloom. A particular area of concern…
Environment • By Sean Saldaña • Jun 24, 2021
Herrington leaving his environmental post for new job in Virginia
After 25 years with the city of Austin, Environmental Officer Chris Herrington is retiring and taking a new leadership position in Fairfax, Va. Herrington, who’ll be moving east with his fiancée, Kimberly Horndeski, will serve as director of public works…
City Hall • By Amy Smith • Jun 21, 2021
Council delays considering wastewater service in Bull Creek watershed
City Council put off a decision on whether to grant a wastewater service extension request to CWS Capital Partners in the environmentally sensitive Bull Creek Watershed at Thursday’s meeting. The postponement came after Council Member Leslie Pool announced that there…
Planning • By Jo Clifton • Jun 11, 2021
City devising permanent solution to erosion threat in Guerrero Park
Southeast Austin’s Roy G. Guerrero Park is home to a disc-golf course and baseball fields and is a popular destination for birding. But according to the city, a growing threat poses a risk to the popular park: erosion. The 360-acre park…
Parks • By Sean Saldaña • May 25, 2021
In Earth Day win, Environmental Commission sides with salamanders over developer
At its April 21 meeting, the Environmental Commission fielded discussion over a wastewater service extension request (SER) from a prospective developer of a property located at FM 620 and Anderson Mill Road. Kaela Champlin, an environmental program coordinator with the…
Planning • By Seth Smalley • Apr 30, 2021
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Environmentalists, city say sewage will harm Barton Creek
Houston developer Stephen Cleveland has requested a permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to dump partially treated sewage into Long Branch, a tributary of Barton Creek. Although TCEQ has issued a draft permit, environmental organizations and the city…
Environment • By Jo Clifton • Mar 31, 2021
Guerrero Park bridge delayed again
The long-awaited Guerrero Park bridge is now expected to be finished in 2024, according to the Watershed Protection Department. Watershed anticipates construction to begin next year and to take two years to complete, according to project engineer Janna Renfro. The…
Transportation • By Harrison Young • Mar 8, 2021
With winter coming, city works on treatment for toxic blue-green algae
The Water Oversight Committee met the last week of October to hear an update on the toxic algae that resulted in the deaths of at least five dogs in Austin last year. Brent Bellinger, a research ecologist with the Watershed…
Environment • By Tara Phipps • Nov 19, 2020
Watershed Protection Department seeks to fill gaps in city regulation for creekside health
The Watershed Protection Department recently discovered two pieces of regulation missing from Austin’s land use code that could aid and restore the health of the city’s many creeks. Ana Gonzalez, a senior environmental scientist with the department, presented the issue at…
Environment • By Savana Dunning • Oct 9, 2020
Springdale Farm project earns variance from Planning Commission
At its Tuesday meeting, the Planning Commission passed an environmental variance for 755 Springdale Road. The applicant, StoryBuilt, has sought the change for more than a year, but the case failed to clear the Environmental Commission earlier this summer due to concerns…
Development • By Nina Hernandez • Aug 14, 2020
Dog owners take note: Toxic algae early warning system is in the works
The heat of summer is here and that means toxic blue-green algae may return to Austin lakes and creeks. Last year, at least five dogs died after swimming in parts of Lady Bird Lake containing the algae. This year, the…
