Austin Water plans prescribed burn

A 120-acre portion of the Water Quality Protection Lands will experience a prescribed burn on Thursday, March 18. Smoke may be visible southwest of FM 1826, east of Brodie Lane, east of FM 1626, and north of FM 967. Frequent, low-intensity understory fires help reduce brush and promote natural grasslands, and prescribed burns are used to mimic the natural fire cycle in a controlled way. The burns are facilitated by trained wildland firefighters. Those interested in prescribed burn notifications from Austin Water can sign up here, or follow Austin Water on Twitter or Facebook. Austin Water’s Wildland Conservation Division manages 300,000 acres in the Water Quality Protection Lands program to preserve the quality and quantity of water recharging the Edwards Aquifer, which provides water both to Barton Springs and to groundwater wells in Hays and Travis counties.