Tag Archives: Watershed Protection Department
Two districts now oppose sewage permit
The board of directors of the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District voted Monday night to protest Dripping Springs’ draft permit to discharge 995,000 gallons of wastewater per day into a tributary of Onion Creek. The vote means that the district…
Environment • By Jo Clifton • Nov 29, 2017
AISD seeks environmental flexibility in redevelopment of Barton Springs schools
The Austin Independent School District is one step closer to reaching an agreement with the city that would allow it to redevelop some of its overcrowded campuses in order to accommodate growth in student populations. At its meeting last Wednesday,…
AISD • By Joseph Caterine • Oct 23, 2017
In a gesture of goodwill, the city wants to reward those who are reusing their stormwater
Most Austin residents are aware of the sometimes economically painful reality of fixed stormwater drainage charges adding up on their monthly bills. However, after years of operating under this system, the Watershed Protection Department is changing its approach by rolling…
Water • By Jessi Devenyns • Sep 27, 2017
Watershed Protection begins testing to change Waller hydrology
After two years of toying with the possibility of emulating the natural hydrology of Austin’s pre-urbanized watersheds through man-made controls, the Watershed Protection Department is finally putting its theories to the test at Reilly Elementary School. Reilly Elementary sits at…
Water • By Jessi Devenyns • Sep 18, 2017
Watershed Protection reports on youth outreach successes
Just as it does every year, the Watershed Protection Department came to present a summary of its Youth Education outreach program to the Environmental Commission. Susan Wall, who is the department’s conservation program coordinator, on Wednesday updated the commissioners on…
Environment • By Jessi Devenyns • Aug 18, 2017
How zebra mussels will change Austin lakes (and maybe Barton Springs) forever
The invasive zebra mussel has been moving south for years, leaving destruction in its wake. Now, it’s in Lake Travis, and it will soon make its way downstream, changing the look, feel and maybe even the taste of Austin’s lakes…
Environment • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Aug 17, 2017
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City looks to bond to protect water, reduce flooding
The city needs to do a lot more to protect its water supply from contamination and its residents from flooding, officials from the Watershed Protection Department told members of the Environmental Commission Wednesday. They believe that a bond package that…
Water • By Jack Craver • Jul 24, 2017
EPA drops objection to Dripping Springs' permit
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has withdrawn its interim objection to Dripping Springs’ application to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to discharge 995,000 gallons of treated wastewater into a tributary of Onion Creek. Dripping Springs officials have always said…
Water • By Jo Clifton • Jul 11, 2017
Environmental Commission calls for investigation into hidden junkyards
In the same way that it’s hard to pinpoint how many pieces of garbage it takes to make a heap, the Environmental Commission deliberated Wednesday night how many instances of localized dumping in the city would amount to a serious…
Environment • By Joseph Caterine • May 19, 2017
Environmental Commission holds off on water quality requirements (again)
Despite the Environmental Commission’s efforts to remove controversial amendments to the Watershed Protection Ordinance at previous meetings, the commission was unable to resolve an amendment relating to water quality control at its regular meeting May 3. Andrea Bates, the environmental…
Environment • By Sommer Brugal • May 11, 2017
Austin's inaugural artist-in-residence takes up her post
Rehab El Sadek marries silly and sober. Take her outfit: a colorfully patterned turtleneck atop a stern dark skirt. Her straight, black hair in low pigtails. Glasses. And while her paintings and prints dot the walls throughout the home she…
City Hall • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • May 8, 2017
Environmental Commission gets chance with CodeNEXT updates, concerns
CodeNEXT is the talk of the town. So it’s no surprise the main topic of conversation at the Environmental Commission meeting Wednesday evening was no different. The commission heard recommendations from the Watershed Protection Department, but took no formal action…
