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Environment

City leaders evaluate surprising ideas for water conservation

Paul Robbins said he had two main goals when he presented his water conservation ideas to the Resource Management Commission this month. “First is to convey a sense of urgency,” he said. “Austin is as little as 15 years and…

Water • By Mina Shekarchi • Jun 29, 2025

Parks Board recommends vendor for Zilker Café, while voicing concerns about lack of local presence

The Parks and Recreation Board on Monday recommended city approval of a vendor to operate Zilker Café, the long-vacant concession stand located steps from Barton Springs Pool. The vote comes four years after a previous parks board rejected a local…

Parks • By Amy Smith • Jun 25, 2025

Austin is losing even more water to leaky city pipes than previously thought

Austin’s leaky pipe problem keeps getting worse. In recent years, the city’s water utility has recorded losses of about 7 billion gallons annually due to leaks in its treatment and distribution system. That’s about enough water to fill Lady Bird…

Water • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Jun 22, 2025

Council OKs water, wastewater extension to environmentally sensitive property

In a vote of 7-4, City Council on Thursday approved granting water and wastewater service for a proposed multi-family project outside the city limits and within the Drinking Water Protection Zone. The property at 10656 North FM 620 is in…

Water • By Jo Clifton • Jun 10, 2025

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City saves $2.5M by electrifying fleet with plans to nearly double EV count by 2030

At the Climate, Water, Environment and Parks Committee meeting Monday, Austin officials reported $2.5 million in savings from electrifying the city’s fleet and outlined plans to nearly double the electric vehicle fleet size by 2030 as part of a broader…

Energy • By Madeline de Figueiredo • Jun 5, 2025

Austin Resource Recovery expands waste services and reuse programs

Austin Resource Recovery shared the department’s latest initiatives with the Environmental Commission, detailing expanded waste collection services and sustainability programs aimed at keeping Austin cleaner and advancing the city’s zero-waste goals. Ron Romero, Assistant Director of Austin Resource Recovery, said…

Resources • By Madeline de Figueiredo • Jun 2, 2025

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Austin could soon see more rooftop solar power systems on public buildings

If you thought the city of Austin already had a program to install rooftop solar systems on its municipal buildings, you weren’t alone. Many others believed the same, according to Kaiba White of Public Citizen’s Texas office. ‘I don’t know…

Energy • By Amy Smith • May 29, 2025

Austin gas rates are up and they're set to go higher. Here's why.

Between recording sessions in KUTX’s music studio a while back, sound engineer Jake Perlman brought up something decidedly un-rock-and-roll: his gas bill. The first few months of the year, Perlman said, he paid about double what he had paid during…

Energy • By Mose Buchele, KUT • May 28, 2025

A plan to end night swimming at Barton Springs is over before it ever began

The city’s parks department has backed away from a plan to close Barton Springs Pool an hour earlier this summer. The change would have eliminated the free daily night swims — full moon or not. “While the Parks and Recreation…

Parks • By Lina Fisher • May 28, 2025

Zero Waste Advisory Commission discusses rate changes and projects

Austin’s Zero Waste Advisory Commission (ZWAC) met on May 14 where appointees heard a five-year financial forecast for Austin Resource Recovery and a report on the utility’s current projects. May is typically when city staff present their departmental financial forecasts…

Resources • By Mina Shekarchi • May 16, 2025

New Data Center Planned for Lockhart in 2028

Only a few weeks after Austin City Council passed a resolution requiring various regulations on artificial intelligence operations, a new 2GW data center is coming to Lockhart. Tract, a Colorado-based developer, has secured 1,500 acres for a “megasite” in Caldwell…

Energy • By Lina Fisher • May 15, 2025

Environmental Commission approves heritage tree removal for East Austin housing project

The Environmental Commission voted to approve the removal of a 32-inch heritage pecan tree in East Austin to allow construction of a 120-unit supportive housing project for youth exiting foster care and the juvenile justice system. “This is the exact…

Development • By Madeline de Figueiredo • May 14, 2025

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