About Watershed Protection
This post is sponsored by the City of Austin’s Watershed Protection Department, which protects lives, property and the environment of our community by reducing the impact of flooding, erosion and water pollution.
Action Box
Click the badge above to take the Your Voice, Shaping Our Priorities: Rain to River Survey.
This post is sponsored by the City of Austin Watershed Protection Department. All Austin Common sponsors are screened by The Austin Common team to ensure they’re doing good for their employees, our community, and the planet.
Rain feeds the beautiful places that make Austin special, but it can also pick up pollutants, erode creek banks, and cause flooding. The City of Austin’s Watershed Protection Department is creating a 10-year plan called Rain to River, and your input is needed.
Why Austin Has Watershed Problems
Austin gets heavy rain and has soil that doesn’t absorb water well.
As the city grows, more impervious cover like buildings, roads, and parking lots means rain can’t soak into the ground and instead rushes into creeks, causing erosion, flooding, and water pollution.
Many developments in Austin were built before there were rules to prevent these problems.
Learn more about watershed problems here.
What Watershed Protection Does
The department’s work includes:
Regulations: Limits on building in floodplains and rules that require filtering polluted runoff.
Programs: Flood safety education, emergency spill response, inspections, and cleanup.
Construction Projects: Improved storm drain systems, creek bank repairs, and rain gardens to treat runoff.
Learn more about the department’s solutions here.
What Is Rain to River?
Rain to River is a plan to guide the department’s work for the next 10 years. Right now, staff use a “worst problems first” approach based on studies and reports from residents. This plan will update how projects are ranked by including community input.
Learn more about the plan here.
Why the Plan Needs an Update
A lot has changed since the last plan was created 20 years ago. This update will focus on these urgent challenges:
Climate Change: Austin is already feeling the effects of heat, floods, droughts, and wildfires. The plan will look at ways to prepare by evaluating and adapting their operations.
Population Growth: More people means more development, emissions, and pressure on natural systems. The plan will look at innovative and equitable ways to manage growth and protect the environment.
Racial Equity: Some communities in Austin face more challenges from flooding, pollution, and past planning decisions. The plan will make sure these voices are heard and included in setting priorities.
Learn more about why they’re updating the plan here.
How to Get Involved
In Phase 1, the department asked about your vision for Austin’s waterways. Find out what they’ve heard so far here.
Now in Phase 2, they’re asking what they should prioritize given their limited resources.
The survey asks questions like:
What will help you feel safer when it rains?
Should they focus on fewer big projects or more small ones?
Take the 10-minute survey by September 15 and sign up for updates at RaintoRiverATX.com.
