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Fast Facts
Environmental Creek Assessments |
Photo Gallery |
| Fast Facts |
| Population |
2000: 4,232
2030: 18,341 |
| Creek Length |
15 miles
|
| Drainage Area |
23 square
miles |
| Drains To |
Bear Creek |
| Well Known Sites |
|
| Land Use |
Residential
Business
Civic
Parks
Roadways
Undeveloped |
8%
4%
0%
0 %
0%
88% |
Watershed Facts
- 78% of Little Bear Creek watershed passes
through the environmentally sensitive Edwards Aquifer Recharge
Zone (Barton Springs Segment) where water travels through caves
and sinkholes to “recharge” the aquifer.
- The City of Austin and the Hill Country Conservancy
have recently purchased land that was a former quarry next to
Little Bear Creek. Long-range plans call for using the quarry
to increase the amount of water entering the Edwards Aquifer
by diverting floodwaters into the quarry.
- Dye trace studies have been conducted on
Little Bear Creek watershed to help identify groundwater flow
paths; the study indicated that groundwater in Little Bear watershed
flows to Barton Springs (in as little as 3 weeks), Eliza Spring,
and Old Mill Spring.
- There are several springs at the upper end
of the Recharge Zone that help keep the creek flowing year round.
- Little Bear Creeks flows into Bear
Creek, which then enters Onion Creek south of Austin.
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|
Creek Assessments
Environmental
| Index |
Score |
Category |
Notes |
| Overall
Score |
69
|
Good
|
Little Bear ranks 13
out of 46 watersheds in overall quality |
Water
Chemistry |
58 |
Fair
|
Water quality is above
average, ammonia is high |
Sediment
Quality |
81 |
Very
Good |
PAHs are very low, herbicides/pesticides
are very low, metals are very low |
| Recreation |
81
|
Very
Good |
During dry weather conditions,
bacteria is not a threat |
| Aesthetics |
80 |
Very
Good |
Litter is not a problem,
no odor, algae covers 20-30% of creek |
| Habitat |
57 |
Fair |
All components of the
habitat index are good to excellent |
| Aquatic
Life |
54 |
Fair
|
Benthic macroinvertebrate
community is good, diatom community is good
|
- Conservation easements have been purchased
in this watershed to protect aquifer recharge.
- Little Bear Creek generally maintains flow
only in portions of the watershed upstream of the recharge zone;
in the recharge zone, water flows through caves and sinkholes
into the Edwards Aquifer.
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More
How to Help
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| Photo Gallery |
|
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| Little Bear Creek at FM 967
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