On August 29, 2024, the Austin City Council approved a project to help protect Barton Springs during times of drought. The Little Bear Recharge Enhancement project will divert water from Little Bear Creek during times of high flow. The water will be directed to a former quarry, where it will recharge the Edwards Aquifer. This will help preserve flows at Barton Springs during drought conditions and improve the resiliency of the aquifer from impacts due to climate change.

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.

“I am very proud of all the collaboration that has taken place to make this project a reality,” said Jorge Morales, Director of the Watershed Protection Department. “It’s so important for us to all work together if we want to tackle the complex challenges facing our city. I’m grateful for the support of LCRA and the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District as well as the many dedicated City employees from multiple departments.”

The project consists of building a diversion channel from Little Bear Creek that will direct some water from the creek to the former quarry pit via a newly constructed rock ramp. Diversion of creek water will only occur when there is high flow in the creek. The project will not impact normal flows in the creek or the current recharging of the aquifer from the creek.

Another environmental benefit of this project is reuse of construction material on-site. The rock ramp will be constructed from material excavated for the diversion channel on site.

The construction cost, including contingencies, is $2.6 million. Construction is likely to start in the next six weeks and is expected to take seven months.

“We are pleased to be a part of this project, an important piece of the City’s Water Quality Protection Lands that will improve water quality for our aquifers and Barton Springs,” said Shay Ralls Roalson, Director of Austin Water. “Converting this former quarry to a site that provides environmental benefits is a win for the entire region.” 

The Little Bear site is ideal for this type of project. The former quarry pit is very close to Little Bear Creek, making the construction footprint relatively small. 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.

The Little Bear site is 84.62 acres and composes a small fraction of Austin’s Water Quality Protection Lands. These lands, managed by Austin Water, are an important tool to preserve and protect water quality at Barton Springs. The lands have guided hikes and volunteer events. Volunteers will be harvesting seeds at this site from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 7. To register for this event or find a list of other guided hikes and volunteer opportunities, visit AustinTexas.gov/wildlandevents.

ABOUT WATERSHED PROTECTION

The City of Austin Watershed Protection Department protects lives, property, and the environment of our community by reducing the impact of flooding, erosion, and water pollution. Visit AustinTexas.gov/Watershed to learn more.

ABOUT AUSTIN WATER

Austin Water provides safe, reliable, high quality, sustainable and affordable water services that have met the community’s needs for over 100 years. We manage more than 34,000 acres of wildlands to protect the groundwater that recharges the Edwards Aquifer, feeds groundwater wells in Hays and Travis Counties, and provides cool, clean water to Barton Springs.

ABOUT CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES

Capital Delivery Services builds public projects to support the community. Our team comprises engineers, architects, and construction professionals with extensive experience in managing projects of varying sizes. We collaborate with community members, consultants, contracting teams, and other City departments to ensure projects are delivered on-time and on-budget. Our approach centers on the philosophy of one City, one team, one approach.