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Town Lake Study Implementation

Summary

Last year the City of Austin's Environmental and Conservation Services Department completed The Town Lake Study, a major water quality study of Town Lake and it's contributing watersheds. The study identified the major water quality problems in Town Lake, set goals for each problem and suggested strategies to reach those goals. The water quality problems identified and the reduction goals are:

Problem	Goal
Chlordane Contamination	Elimination of Health Advisory of fish
Algae Blooms	Reduce to 1 major bloom per year
Toxics in Sediment	Reduce concentration by 50%
Sediment	Reduce sediment load by 50%
Trash and Debris	Reduce trash by 50 to 70%
Oil and Grease	Reduce input load by 25%

Status

To reach the goals, the following projects are currently underway:
1) Public Education Pilot Project
2) Stream and Lake Monitoring
3) Watershed Master Plans: Masterplans for Shoal and East Bouldin creeks.

Description

1) Public Education Pilot Project: Through neighborhood workshops, handbooks, posters, and other efforts, this pilot project has been educating target households in Shoal and East Bouldin Creek watersheds about their creeks and how to keep them clean. The ideas covered include proper use of fertilizer, integrated pest management, safe disposal of household chemicals The results of this campaign will be measured both as changes in knowledge and behavior of the citizenry, and also as improvements in the creeks draining the targeted areas. The results of the pilot project will be used to increase the effectiveness of future, more widely directed education campaigns.

2) Stream and Lake Monitoring: Several sites and depths of Town Lake are monitored by ECSD monthly, or more frequently as conditions warrant. Monitoring of the contributing streams in conducted by city staff, supplemented by the volunteer citizen "Water Watchdog" program. Recently collected data is compared with historical data and data collected by other agencies.

3) Watershed Mater Plans: Masterplans for Shoal and East Bouldin creeks: Masterplans have been written for Shoal and East Bouldin creeks to identify specific water quality problems, suggest solutions to those problems and fit those solutions into an overall strategy for each watershed. Both reports are being reviewed by City Environmental staff. The recommendations are being evaluated for possible implementation.

Basic Data

Project Contact: Fatima Paiva Environmental and Conservation Services Department 499-2632.

Funding: Drainage Utility

Revised May 12, 1995

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