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Fast Facts
Environmental Creek Assessments
Photo Gallery |
| Fast Facts |
| Population |
2000: 63,827
2030: 69,571 |
| Creek Length |
9 miles
|
| Drainage Area |
11 square
miles |
| Drains To |
Colorado
River below Town Lake through Walnut Creek |
| Well Known Sites |
Rigsby Park,
Lanier High School, Pearce Middle School, Gus Garcia Park,
Quail Creek Park, Dottie Jordan Park, Austin Community College,
Rutherford Campus, Pearce Middle School |
| Land Use |
Residential
Business
Civic
Parks
Roadways
Undeveloped |
37%
20%
4%
1%
18%
19% |
Watershed Facts
- Little Walnut and Walnut Creeks were the
sites of early clashes between European settlers and Native
Americans.
- Little Walnut and the other eastern watersheds
have long been valued as prime farm and ranching areas, as the
soils in these watersheds are deeper and richer than those in
the more western watersheds.
- A limited number of bottomland and streamside
woodlands are the last vestiges of the natural environment,
preserved because of the floodplain and associated flood hazards.
- 125 Storm Discharge Permits have been issued
in this watershed.
- In response to citizen complaints, investigators
find an average of 73 pollution problems each year in Little
Walnut Creek, with, sewage the primary problem, followed by
petroleum, wastewater and yard waste.
- Water quality is fairly good considering
the nearly complete urbanization of the watershed*(2001 Water
Watchdogs EII Phase 1 Watersheds Report (monitoring conducted
in 2000)
- Little Walnut Creek is a classic example
of a stream in the transitional zone from the Edwards Plateau
to the Blackland Prairie ecoregions.
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| Creek
Assessments
Environmental
| Index |
Score |
Category |
Notes |
| Overall
Score |
63 |
Good |
Little Walnut ranks 20
out of 46 watersheds in overall quality |
Water
Chemistry |
56 |
Fair
|
Water quality is average,
suspended solids are high |
Sediment
Quality |
75
|
Good |
PAHs are high, herbicides/pesticides
are very low, metals are very low |
| Recreation |
66
|
Good |
During dry weather conditions,
bacteria is usually not a threat |
| Aesthetics |
67 |
Good
|
Some litter is present,
slight offensive odors, algae covers 10-20% of creek, water
is slightly cloudy, some of the creek bed is dry |
| Habitat |
57 |
Fair |
Some sediment deposition,
some channel alteration, bank stability is marginal, buffer
zone is small |
| Aquatic
Life |
58 |
Fair |
Benthic macroinvertebrate
community is good; diatom community is fair
|
- Channel stability and erosion problems in
the watershed due to heavy hydrologic modification and dense
development.
- Deeply incised channels, failing banks
and unstable substrate due to dense development.
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More
How to Help
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| Photo Gallery |
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| Little Walnut Creek at
US 290 |
Little Walnut Creek
at Golden Meadow Rd. |
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Little Walnut Creek
at Hermitage Drive |
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