PROGRAMS
With rich Blackland prairie in the east to the rolling hills of the Edward’s plateau in the west, Austin’s diverse geography is home to thousands of plant and animal species. Unfortunately, not all of these organisms are beneficial; Austin’s natural resources and economy are being degraded by exotic invasive species.
Lake Austin, Lady Bird Lake, and Walter E. Long Lake are man-made reservoirs (that are also known as lakes)!
Austin has numerous creeks throughout town. All are subject to flash flooding. The creek flooding program undertakes projects to protect lives and reduce property damage when these creeks overflow their banks.
The EII is a program designed to continuously monitor and assess the chemical, biological, and physical integrity of Austin’s creeks and streams. Currently, all watersheds are monitored on a two-year rotating basis.
The primary goal of the Stream Restoration Program is development of safe and stable stream systems that protect the Austin community from erosion and encourage the use and enjoyment of Austin’s creeks and lakes.
The Field Operations Division protects and manages Austin’s natural waterways, engineered channels, drainage pipelines and storm water ponds that together make up our city’s drainage system.
Much of west Austin sits above the environmentally-sensitive Edwards Aquifer which supplies drinking water to more than 60,000 people, feeds countless springs, including Barton Springs, and supplies water to the Colorado River.
We manage vegetation and green infrastructure at properties owned or managed by the Watershed Protection Department.
Before stormwater runoff reaches a creek, it usually flows through a system of smaller ditches and drainage pipes. Austin has over 1,100 miles of such systems. The Local Flood Program evaluates and upgrades these systems to address flooding.
The Regional Stormwater Management Program (RSMP) is an alternative means of compliance to the City of Austin’s detention requirements. Funding the Watershed Protection Department receives through the program is used for planning, designing, and constructing drainage infrastructure improvements to reduce the risk of flooding.
Austin is home to three species of aquatic salamanders that live nowhere else in the world: the Barton Springs salamander, Austin blind salamander, and Jollyville Plateau salamander.
The Stormwater Treatment program designs, implements and evaluates engineered systems that reduce pollution in our creeks, lakes and aquifers. The program seeks to use stormwater as a resource rather than a waste product.
Stretching from Waterloo Park to Lady Bird Lake, the Waller Creek Tunnel helps reduce the risk of flooding in downtown Austin.
We issue permits and conduct routine inspections of specific types of stormwater infrastructure and business activities. The permits and inspections help protect Austin residents and the environment from stormwater pollution, flooding, and erosion.
The Watershed Protection Strategic Plan is the guiding blueprint for our department. The Strategic Plan helps us understand and address existing flooding, erosion, and water quality problems. It helps us prepare for future challenges.