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- Parks Board recommends vendor for Zilker Café, while voicing concerns about lack of local presence
- City leaders evaluate surprising ideas for water conservation
- Office slowdown sparks new downtown housing ambitions
- Audit: Economic official granted arts, music funding against city code
- Downtown Historic Resource Survey eyes seven new districts eligible for designation
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Environment
Updates to erosion protections coming to Council
During the inaugural meeting of City Council’s newly formed Climate, Water, Environment, and Parks Committee on Feb. 26, members heard a briefing on a proposed ordinance from the Watershed Protection Department (WPD) to increase erosion protections along the Colorado River.…
Environment • By Mina Shekarchi • Feb 28, 2025
Incentives for customer-owned batteries among new programs in Austin Energy’s pipeline
After ending last year with a successful vote for its Climate Protection Plan at City Council, Austin Energy is taking no breaks to celebrate, moving right ahead with plans to make good on its promises for a more sustainable and…
Energy • By Kali Bramble • Feb 25, 2025
Encampment cleanup efforts could cost $1.2 million for dedicated team
Austin may establish a dedicated, in-house team to conduct regular cleanups at encampments across the city’s park system. That’s the recommendation laid out in a memo from three department directors in response to a City Council resolution last year calling…
Parks • By Amy Smith • Feb 5, 2025
Lady Bird Lake’s water levels dropped (again), raising questions about dam’s integrity
If you went out for a walk along Lady Bird Lake on Tuesday afternoon you might have noticed the water level was lower than usual. Muddy stretches of bank extended farther toward the center of the lake. The smell wasn’t…
Water • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Jan 30, 2025
Palm Park improvements are among the next steps for Waterloo Greenway project
A recent city memo and presentation to the Downtown Commission last week offer some up-close looks at the progress and next steps for the Waterloo Greenway project that is making major improvements along Waller Creek’s route through downtown. The memo…
Development • By Chad Swiatecki • Jan 23, 2025
Public health commissioners eye heat resistance steps for city budget requests
Public health proponents for the city and Travis County appear ready to push for more heat mitigation resources in the next city budget, with a recent playbook from the Office of Resilience likely to help prioritize those financial requests. At…
Environment • By Chad Swiatecki • Jan 13, 2025
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Austin Resource Recovery gets ready for the new year
Austin Resource Recovery plans to collect a total of 260,375 tons of waste from curbside and drop-off center operations during Fiscal Year 2025, with an estimated 40 percent of curbside collected materials to be diverted from landfills, according to a…
Resources • By Hunter Simmons • Jan 13, 2025
Golden-cheeked warbler may be downlisted to ‘threatened’ status
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has taken the initial step to downlist the Hill Country’s golden-cheeked warbler from endangered to threatened under the Endangered Species Act. According to a news release from USFWS, there will be a lengthy process…
Environment • By Jo Clifton • Jan 9, 2025
City Council passes new energy plan through 2035. Here’s what it does.
After nearly two years of study, revision, public outreach and intense debate, the city of Austin finally has a new plan for how it will meet its energy needs over the next 10 years. Austin Energy’s Resource, Generation and Climate…
Energy • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Dec 16, 2024
Kirk Watson, Ryan Alter propose competing amendments to Austin Energy plan
Gearing up for a vote Thursday on Austin Energy’s Resource Generation Plan, Mayor Kirk Watson and Council Member Ryan Alter have each proposed amendments to a plan that has gone through a variety of iterations and gained the endorsement of…
Energy • By Jo Clifton • Dec 10, 2024
Austin drinking water testing shows 'forever chemical' levels safer than EPA standards
Austin Water has reported that the city’s public drinking water contains little to no traces of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly called “forever chemicals” because of their persistence. The Water and Wastewater Commission received a briefing from water quality…
Environment • By Hunter Simmons • Dec 6, 2024
Former PARD Director McNeeley resigns from top post at The Trail Conservancy
In a surprising turn of events, Kimberly McNeeley has resigned from her position as CEO of The Trail Conservancy after less than six months on the job. McNeeley had previously served as director of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department…
