City of Austin - Water Quality :: Education

Fast Facts
Population	2000: 10,173 2030: 23,867
Creek Length	11 miles
Drainage Area	11 square miles
Drains To	Gilleland Creek
Well Known Sites	Dessau Elementary and Middle School
Land Use	Residential Business Civic Parks Roadways Undeveloped	28% 4% 1% 0% 4% 63%

Watershed Facts

In response to citizen complaints, investigators find an average of six pollution spills each year in Harris Branch Creek; the most common spill type is petroleum, followed by wastewater.
Though several sections of this creek are filled with trash, some areas are still in their natural condition.
Before development began over the past few years, Harris Branch Creek ran through farmlands and pastures.
Although Harris Branch watershed has a small drainage area, the creek continues to flow throughout the year because of treated discharge from a wastewater treatment plant.

Creek Assessments
Environmental

Index	Score	Category	Notes
Overall Score	61	Fair	Harris Branch ranks 26 out of 46 watersheds in overall quality
Water Chemistry	34	Poor	Water quality is poor, ammonia is high, nitrate is very high, conductivity is high, orthophosphorus is very high, suspended solids are high
Sediment Quality	84	Very Good	PAHs are very low, herbicides/pesticides are very low, metals are very low
Recreation	82	Very Good	During dry weather conditions, bacteria is not a threat
Aesthetics	55	Fair	Litter is very bad, noticible offensive odor, algae covers 10-20% of creek, water is slightly cloudy
Habitat	61	Fair	Increased sediment deposition, some channel alteration, bank stability is marginal, buffer zone is small
Aquatic Life	51	Fair	Benthic macroinvertebrate community is good, diatom community is fair

Habitat scores improved in Harris Branch more than other watersheds in the City.
Wastewater treatment plant discharges artificially enhance biological communities and contribute to poorer water quality conditions.
Silt and sedimentation may be impacting diatom community.

Environmental scores are based on a full range of chemical, biological, and physical assessments.

Photo Gallery

Harris Branch Creek at Crystal Bend Drive	Harris Branch Creek at Crystal Bend Drive

Harris Branch Creek at Cameron Road	Harris Branch Creek at Boyce Lane


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