Council approves plan to protect Barton Springs from drought

City Council approved a plan to preserve flow during times of drought at Barton Springs during yesterday’s meeting. The Little Bear Recharge Enhancement Project directs water from Little Bear Creek to a former quarry during times of high flow. There, the water can recharge the Edwards Aquifer, improving its resiliency when water is scarce due to drought and climate change. Construction will start in the next couple months and expected to take seven months. In all, the project will cost $2.6 million. “This unique project has been more than 20 years in the making and is the culmination of a strong partnership between several City departments, including Watershed Protection Department, Capital Delivery Services, and Austin Water. The project site, in Hays County, was purchased in 2002 as part of a voter-approved bond package and is managed by Austin Water. It is one of many open spaces that make up more 34,000 acres of Austin’s Water Quality Protection Lands. Through this project, the site will provide additional environmental benefits to enhance water supply to the aquifer,” explains a press release about yesterday’s approval. “Because Water Quality Protection Lands make up 47 percent of the area upstream, runoff flowing to the creek is very clean and suitable for diverting to the aquifer. In addition, some recharged water can linger for as long as a year in this area before reaching Barton Springs, making the site ideal for storing water to be available during times of drought.”