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Environment

Even with new funding, parks board says city has a long way to go to repair pools

The year 1996 was the gold standard for Austin’s city Aquatics Division, according to Richard DePalma, a member of the Parks and Recreation Board. Since then, “We’ve just continued to shrink.” At the Dec. 4 meeting of the board, DePalma…

City cemeteries will soon see the light with new bond funding and event space

The city of Austin has operated cemeteries since 1839; however, it was only in 2013 that the Parks and Recreation Department assumed responsibility for cemetery operations, at which point the department made a few changes. Despite funding challenges allowing for…

Austin Energy finishes the year with $50.5M in excess revenue, lower bills for customers

After weathering an erratic Electric Reliability Council of Texas market this summer, Austin Energy finished the year in a financially stable position with extra revenue that will be passed on to the public in the coming year. According to Mark…

Austin Energy discusses how to resolve repercussions of water bill fiasco

It has been over a year since the water bill saga first made headlines in Austin. However, only now are city utilities releasing a post-mortem report designed to help them avoid a similar situation in the future. While the report…

Council approves 100-year water conservation road map

On Thursday, City Council unanimously adopted a plan to guide Austin’s water use for the next century. “This is a tremendous moment for Austin,” said David Foster, director of Texas Clean Water Action. “If we pass this plan, Austin will…

lake travis at sunset

To conserve water amid warming climate, city envisions major underground storage system

For four years, volunteer members of the Integrated Water Resource Task Force have been crafting a plan to conserve Austin’s water supply over the next century. While experts have long warned that a warming climate, coupled with a growing population,…

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The Norwood House may soon get a face-lift

On the northwestern corner of Interstate 35 and Riverside Drive is a plot of land that the city purchased in 1985 and that most Austinites know to be an off-leash dog park. However, also nestled on that same plot of…

PARD unburies contract infringement with cemetery contractor

Recently, city auditors found major flaws in how the city manages its contracts, and based on the testimony by a citizen at the Oct. 23 Parks and Recreation Board meeting, the city’s cemetery contract may fall into that category. “We…

Boil water order may be lifted Sunday

Austin Water Director Greg Meszaros said Thursday he expects a boil water notice for water utility customers to remain in effect until Sunday evening. In the meantime, the utility is working to satisfy all of its internal requirements as well…

As temperatures increase, investment in renewables is already shaving dollars off Austin utility bills

Despite summer 2018 being one of the hottest on record in Austin, energy prices did not spike with the temperature. Instead, energy costs for customers this summer were identical to those of summer 2017, even though temperatures were higher this…

silty water

Boil water rule could end this weekend

Although a Travis County emergency management official told commissioners Tuesday morning that the current boil water advisory for Austin Water customers could continue for 10 to 14 days, city officials said Tuesday afternoon that such a scenario was unlikely. Mayor…

Austin Energy: Storage is the next hurdle to Austin’s renewable energy plan

The big conundrum facing energy utilities today is how to balance supply and demand for every second of every day. Although there are debates around the subject, the answer, albeit simple, seems to lie with storage. In the Austin Energy…

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