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Environment

Zilker's botanical garden admission remains unchanged for now

City Council claimed to have residents in mind at its June 19 meeting when it denied a chance to save some money by giving the Zilker Botanical Garden Conservancy a little more control over the garden’s operations and finances. In…

Parks working group to look for new revenue options

The city’s parks board is set to look for new ways to fund the needs of the city’s parks system, in an attempt to deal with anticipated tight city budgets as a result of coming caps on revenue enacted by…

Carbon-reducing concrete could come to Austin

Concrete is the second-largest industrial producer of carbon dioxide in the world, according to the International Energy Agency. Yet it is still one of the most popular building materials. Tom Ennis, the sustainability officer with the Watershed Protection Department, told…

Council denies request for mobile energy community center

City Council rejected a costly Austin Energy mobile outreach program in June that would have acted as a “community center” on wheels for customers to learn about energy programs offered by the utility. Austin Energy currently uses two sport utility…

City shares reason for Barton Springs' cloudy water last December

After Barton Springs was closed for a few days last December following an unusual level of turbidity in the water, the city immediately began investigating the cause. As the plumes of sediment filling the freshwater pool settled, instruments measuring water…

Austin City Council vote brings new management to Butler golf course after 70 years under one family

The Austin City Council voted 8-3 on Thursday to lease Butler Pitch and Putt golf course to Pecan Grove Partners, marking the end of an era for the Kinser family, who have run the course since construction began in the…

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Visions of Zilker Park split over parking

After months of meetings beginning in September of last year, the Zilker Park Working Group was not able to reach a consensus on recommendations for the Polo Fields and Butler Landfill, two areas currently used for overflow parking. According to…

Amphitheater, planetarium among $880M in improvements planned for Walter Long Park

Money from last year’s bond package approved by voters in November is expected to be used to fund the first of hundreds of millions of dollars in improvements and development at Walter E. Long Metropolitan Park in East Austin. Family-style…

Austin at risk for violating federal ozone standards

Ozone levels in the Austin area have been hovering just below federal violation levels for the last six years. Ground-level ozone – or “bad” ozone – is an ingredient in smog and a primary pollutant that can cause a number…

Shoal Creek Trail solution coming to Council

After a catastrophic landslide carved a 30-foot-high cliff through residents’ backyards along Shoal Creek last year, the city sprang into action to devise a plan to stabilize what was left. However, the slope shifted again this spring, leaving Austinites wondering…

No decision on Butler Pitch & Putt contract

With Mayor Steve Adler and Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison both absent for a vote at Thursday’s meeting, City Council has postponed approving a contract of up to 20 years for Pecan Grove Golf Partners for managing Austin’s nearly 70-year-old Butler…

Environmental group sues federal government over endangered Central Texas salamanders

An environmental advocacy group has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, claiming federal officials are failing to protect threatened species of salamanders in Central Texas. The Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity argues the federal agency has…

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