Our Department gets calls from concerned community members about unusual colors seen in creeks. Some of these vibrant colors are natural, so here’s a quick guide to help identify some of the possible sources that cause these unusual sights.
Our environmental scientists encounter a lot of strange and colorful things in our creeks. Orange slime, purple fluffy goo, and rainbow sheens on the water would all appear to be pollution problems, but often it is just a natural phenomenon. Each of these things can be harmless bacteria just doing what they normally do, which is abnormally fascinating. If you suspect what you are seeing is not naturally occurring and a pollution source…
With a healthy creek here and a dirty creek there, how do we measure creek health? The Environmental Integrity Index (EII) is a program designed to continuously monitor and assess the water quality of Austin’s creeks and streams.
Austin’s creeks once ran clear in the wilderness, but now they run through the wilds of the city, picking up pollution and absorbing runoff from impervious cover and heavy rain storms. In order to understand how these urban challenges affect our creeks and develop policies that can protect them, the City of Austin uses a program called the Environmental Integrity Index (EII).
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The shoreline of Lady Bird Lake is home to an amazing array of plants and birds, as well as plenty of turtles, and even a few nutrias. Unfortunately, one non-native nuisance plant has set up shop around the lake and seems to be crowding everything else out.
What it is
Elephant ear (also known as wild taro) is a native of the Asian tropics and has been in Central Texas since at least 1929. On Lady Bird Lake it likes to keep its feet wet right at the water’s edge. It can grow so densely that it prevents oth…
Jollyville Plateau Salamander
Understanding what habitat conditions are important for a species provides valuable information whether you’re trying to prevent it from spreading or make a case for its existence. This is especially true for threatened and endangered species when we are trying to protect them or improve their habitat…
The Mearns Meadow Grow Zone is a beautiful site and would love to be adopted by you!
The Mearns Meadow Grow Zone at Quail Creek Park.
The Mearns Meadow Grow Zone is tucked away in the southwest corner of Quail Creek Park. This park is adjacent to the Restore Rundberg neighborhood revitalization area and has recently been the focus of Keep Austin Beautiful’s Beautify Austin initiative.
(Trivia: The creek running through Quail Creek Park is actually Little Walnut Creek. There’s…
A small-scale lake ecosystem, “microcosm” was designed to learn more about the growth of native cabomba and invasive hydrilla in Lake Austin and Lady Bird Lake.
Have you wondered why over a 13 year period Lake Austin would get choked with mats of the invasive exotic plant, hydrilla, yet Lady Bird Lake, just downstream, never experienced a hydrilla take-over?
Instead, what we have witnessed in Lady Bird Lake over the past five years is the growth of the native plant cabomba, notably between…
The water quality of the Barton Creek Watershed is the best in Austin as evaluated by the 2015 Environmental Integrity Index. Where does your creek stand?
Ladies and Gentlemen, please put your hands together for the 2015 Watershed Winner of the Environmental Integrity Index……Barton Creek!
This was a to…
Austin’s Grow Zones are beginning to transform into urban forests and aid in carbon sequestration.
Our Grow Zone program began in 2012 in about a dozen parks. The creeks were mowed all the way into the channel, like this photo of Bartholomew Park in 2012.
And then, it stopped! No more mowing on the creek’s edge! Massive growth has occurred in these three ye…
This blog was updated in May 2019.
Highly destructive zebra mussels have invaded many popular Central Texas waters, and Austin’s local creeks and Barton Springs Pool are now at risk. Zebra mussels destroy local aquatic ecosystems and hurt visitors (including cutting people’s feet and dogs’ paws). In Barton Springs Pool, an infestation also would likely significantly increase maintenance costs.
Spread the Message, Not the Mussels
People can easily spread this invasive species from one body of water to another without knowing it. Young zebra mussels are invisible to the naked eye, and millions of them can live undetected on wet items for da…