Town Lake Study Implementation
Summary
Last year the City of Austin's Environmental and Conservation Services
Department completed The Town Lake Study, a major water quality study of
Town Lake and it's contributing watersheds. The study identified the
major water quality problems in Town Lake, set goals for each problem
and suggested strategies to reach those goals. The water quality
problems identified and the reduction goals are:
| Problem | Goal |
| Chlordane Contamination | Elimination of Health
Advisory of fish |
| Algae Blooms | Reduce to 1 major bloom per
year |
| Toxics in Sediment | Reduce concentration by
50% |
| Sediment | Reduce sediment load by
50% |
| Trash and Debris | Reduce trash by 50 to
70% |
| Oil and Grease | Reduce input load by
25% |
Status
To reach the goals, the following projects are currently underway:
- Public Education Pilot Project
- Stream and Lake Monitoring
- Watershed Master Plans: Masterplans for Shoal and East Bouldin
creeks.
Description
1) Public Education Pilot Project: Through neighborhood workshops,
handbooks, posters, and other efforts, this pilot project has been
educating target households in Shoal and East Bouldin Creek watersheds
about their creeks and how to keep them clean. The ideas covered
include proper use of fertilizer, integrated pest management, safe
disposal of household chemicals The results of this campaign will be
measured both as changes in knowledge and behavior of the citizenry, and
also as improvements in the creeks draining the targeted areas. The
results of the pilot project will be used to increase the effectiveness
of future, more widely directed education campaigns.
2) Stream and Lake Monitoring: Several sites and depths of Town Lake
are monitored by ECSD monthly, or more frequently as conditions warrant.
Monitoring of the contributing streams in conducted by city staff,
supplemented by the volunteer citizen "Water Watchdog" program.
Recently collected data is compared with historical data and data
collected by other agencies.
3) Watershed Mater Plans: Masterplans for Shoal and East Bouldin
creeks: Masterplans have been written for Shoal and East Bouldin creeks
to identify specific water quality problems, suggest solutions to those
problems and fit those solutions into an overall strategy for each
watershed. Both reports are being reviewed by City Environmental
staff. The recommendations are being evaluated for possible
implementation.
Basic Data
Project Contact: Fatima Paiva, Watershed Management Department, 499-2632.
Funding: Drainage Utility
Revised May 12, 1995
Back to the May 1996
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