With trash and contaminants like dockless scooters rapidly accumulating in city creeks and rivers, Watershed Protection is kicking off a two-year, three-part study to better understand the impact of litter on city waterways. The study begins this month with a background report on trash issues, will transition into a yearlong survey of trash types, sources […]
Watershed Protection Department
The city’s Watershed Protection Department works to reduce the impact of floods, erosion and water pollution in the city. The department is mostly funded by the city’s drainage fee.
Posted inWater
Austin to spend up to $4 million to tackle zebra mussel problem
Austin City Council has approved spending up to $4 million over the next five years on a liquid compound to remove zebra mussels from water intake systems. Zebra mussels are small invasive mollusks that can clog the pipes that pull water from reservoirs. Austin gets its water from Lake Austin and Lake Travis, which are […]
Posted inEnvironment
City reaches milestone for cave site restoration plan
City staff members have completed a draft land management plan to protect the city’s natural resources at the William H. Russell Karst Preserve, the 191-acre Southwest Austin site previously known as the Blowing Sink Research Management Area. The natural features of the land, which was formerly used as a livestock ranch, have been subject to […]
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 inRadio
Austin Monitor Radio: Stream ecologist Mateo Scoggins
This week, Mateo Scoggins, who is a stream ecologist with the city’s Watershed Protection Department, sits down with Austin Monitor reporter Jessi Devenyns. Listen in below to learn all about the city’s natural waterways, their current and future health, and what the city is doing to ensure a bright future for Austin’s creeks and streams. […]
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 […]
Posted inEnvironment
Despite zebra mussels, Austin’s waterways seeing a recovery trend
The news is full of horror stories about zebra mussels invading intake pipes and sediment causing city water to be of questionable quality. Yet statistics show that, overall, the waterways of Austin are regaining their health. According to Mateo Scoggins of the Watershed Protection Department, “We’re seeing an increase in overall health in these systems, which […]
Posted inAustin
Council wants more cooperation, action at watershed homeless sites
City Council members sitting on the Health and Human Services Committee told city staff last week they want more urgency and cross-department team work in the execution of a new pilot program to clean up homeless encampments located in the city’s watershed. Recently the Watershed Protection Department launched the program at nine sites. The program […]
Posted inAustin
Watershed department works with city to clean up homeless camps
The number of people experiencing homelessness is growing in the city of Austin. Last fall, recognizing the crisis on the streets and the pressure on city resources, City Council approved an increased budget to help relieve the situation. In addition to a new “homelessness czar,” the budget includes funding for the Watershed Protection Department to […]
Posted inEnvironment
City’s new flood plain maps would affect building regulations
New federal data on Austin’s rainfall patterns will cause the city to expand the size of areas in the 100-year flood plain and likely lead to a change in development requirements for properties exposed to flash-flooding risk. The city’s Watershed Protection Department held its first public information session on the changes this week and also […]
Posted inRadio
Austin Monitor Radio: Environmental Officer Chuck Lesniak
After 28 years with the city, Environmental Officer Chuck Lesniak is retiring. In this week’s show, he sits down with freelancer Caleb Pritchard and editor Elizabeth Pagano to talk about the lessons that he’s learned during his time at the Watershed Protection Department, and how things have changed at City Hall over the years. The […]
Posted inEnvironment
Watershed Protection budget accounts for approval of CodeNEXT
This year, as the Watershed Protection Department goes through its annual budgeting cycle, things are looking good. At the June 6 meeting of the Environmental Commission, Watershed Protection staff presented an overview of its upcoming projects and the related finances. According to Mike Personett, the interim director of the department, “We’ve got fairly good news with […]