Watershed Protection

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Public Hearing about Proposed Drainage Charge Rate

A public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, August 14, 2024, at 10 a.m., at Austin City Hall, 301 West Second Street, Austin, Texas. The purpose of the hearing is to discuss the proposed change to the drainage charge as part of the Fiscal Year 2024-25 proposed budget for the Watershed Protection Department. The proposed rate is $0.06780 / impervious cover square foot per year ($0.00565 / impervious cover square foot per month). That is an annual change of $14.52 for a residential customer with 3,100 square feet of impervious cover and 37% impervious cover.

Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely by telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely.

• Council Meeting Information Center
• City of Austin Budget
• Drainage Charge Information

Floodplain Remapping

The City of Austin, Travis County and other Central Texas communities are updating floodplain maps in the region based on the Atlas 14 study. Our current floodplain maps show where flooding is likely to occur with 10.2 inches of rainfall in 24 hours. The updated maps will reflect flooding from almost 13 inches of rain in some areas. This amount of rainfall has a one percent chance of occurring in any given year (the 100-year storm). Find out more about floodplain remapping efforts at ATXFloodplains.com.

Rain to River

Rain to River is a strategic plan that will guide the work of the Watershed Protection Department for the next 10 years. Our department will use this plan to set goals, prioritize our work, and guide our decision making to tackle urgent challenges such as climate change and racial inequities. The plan will update and replace the current Watershed Protection Strategic Plan. We need your help to draft the plan!

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What's on Facebook?

We’ve observed a lot of potentially toxic blue-green algae mats at Red Bud Isle & Auditorium Shores. This is a rapid change from two weeks ago.

Safety guidelines for people + pets:

Avoid contact with algae

Do not drink water from the lake

Rinse off after contact with water

Do not allow dogs to lick fur prior to rinsing

Help us monitor the situation -- Use the form on our website to report illness in people or pets after swimming in natural water bodies. For more info, visit AustinTexas.gov/Algae. Read more on Facebook.

 

Contact Us

For more information, visit our contact page.