Jun 15, 2022 Environmental Commission

ON AGENDA IS THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES AND ACTION.

NEXT UP

[1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES AND ACTION]

UM, HAVE, HAS ALL THE, HAS EVERYONE HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THOSE MINUTES? I SAID, MOVE TO PASS THE MINUTES.

WE HAVE A MOTION TO PASS THE MINUTES BY, UH, SECRETARY BRISTOL.

DO WE HAVE A SECOND? WE HAVE A SECOND BY COMMISSIONER.

BRIMER ALL THOSE IN FAVOR.

RAISE YOUR HANDS.

[00:05:04]

AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE MOTION IS THAT IT IS UNANIMOUS.

ON, ON THE AGENDA, WE HAVE ITEM TWO, A STAFF BRIEFINGS.

NEXT UP ON, UH,

[2a. Update on Austin’s reservoirs monitoring and management efforts—Brent Bellinger, Environmental Scientist, Watershed Protection Department (30 minutes)]

UM, WE HAVE AN UPDATE ON AUSTIN'S RESERVOIRS MONITORING AND MANAGEMENT EFFORTS BY, UH, BRENT BELLINGER.

AND I BELIEVE WE HAVE A PRESENTATION.

UH, THERE IS A PRESENTATION, UM, ONCE IT'S UP, LET ME KNOW.

WE'LL DO, CAN YOU HEAR ME FINE OVER THERE? YES, WE CAN.

I JUST WANT TO SAY WELCOME TO, UM, COMMISSIONERS NICHOLS AND THOMPSON AS WELL.

HI.

COULD I SAY SOMETHING? HELLO? THAT'LL GO AHEAD.

COMMISSIONER THOMPSON, FORGIVE ME FOR INTERRUPTING, BUT I THINK SOME PEOPLE HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE LINK.

KEVIN ASKED ME TO FORWARD IT.

I'M HAVING TROUBLE FORWARDING THE LINK.

SO COULD YOU PLEASE CALL THEM AND MAKE SURE THEY HAVE THE LINK? I ACTUALLY JUST FORWARDED HIM THE LINK AS WELL, IF THAT HELPS.

OH, I'M SO SORRY TO INTERFERE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

IT'S IT'S UM, SEVERAL OTHER COMMISSIONERS AS WELL.

UM, MISSIONARY THOMPSON.

YEAH, WE APOLOGIZE.

WE'RE HAVING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES, BUT WE ALL WORKING ON TRYING TO SEND THE, UM, THE CORRECT LINK TO THE REMAINING VIRTUAL COMMISSIONERS RIGHT NOW.

WE'RE JUST A, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE TWO MINUTES.

UH, IF THAT'S OKAY.

UM, FOR HIM TO UPLOAD FOLKS TO THE SYSTEM, HE CAN'T BE IN PRESENTATION MODE.

SO IF WE DO TWO MINUTES UPLOAD, WE HAVE THOSE OTHER FOLKS JOINED BEFORE WE DIG INTO DR.

JUST WANTED TO SAY KATIE COYNE, ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICERS.

SO SORRY ABOUT THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES, BUT GLAD Y'ALL HAVE JOINED US AT THIS POINT.

I THINK WE'RE GOING TO BE GOOD FROM HERE ON OUT.

I'LL HAND IT BACK TO, UH, COMMISSIONER BEDFORD.

THANK YOU EVERYBODY.

UM, WE HAVE YOUR PRESENTATION UP, UH, BRANDS, IF YOU'RE READY.

GO.

UH, SO SOME OF THOSE, UH, PROJECTS, I I'LL BE TOUCHING ON SOME OF THESE, UH, TODAY.

UM, I CAN SEE IT.

UH, WELL THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

UM, IT'S BEEN A FEW YEARS SINCE I'VE DONE MY LAST PRESENTATION TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.

UM, SO THERE'S PROBABLY QUITE A FEW NEW FACES OUT THERE, UM, THAT I HAVEN'T BEEN FORMALLY INTRODUCED TO.

UM, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE QUESTIONS AND TO PROVIDE THIS UPDATE, UM, ON SOME OF THE WORK THAT'S BEEN ONGOING, UH, WITH THE RESERVOIRS, UH, I'LL BE FOCUSING ON LAST YEAR, BUT THESE ARE, UH, GENERALLY MULTI-YEAR EFFORTS.

UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

[00:10:05]

UM, THIS IS JUST A, KIND OF A QUICK SUMMARY OF PROJECTS THAT ARE, UH, GENERALLY MULTI-YEAR, UH, IN THEIR SCOPE.

UM, THE FIRST ONE, THE AUSTIN LAKES INDEX, UH, THIS IS KIND OF OUR BROAD, UM, MONITORING OF THE OVERALL HEALTH AND CONDITION OF THE RESERVOIRS, UH, SIMILAR DEVELOPED IN THE SAME VEIN AS THE ENVIRONMENTAL INTEGRITY INDEX, WHICH IS UTILIZED TO SCORE, UM, THE CREEKS AROUND THE CITY.

SO THAT'S BEEN GOING ON, UH, WELL, BEFORE MY TENURE HERE.

UM, SO THERE'S SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, 15 OR SO 20 YEARS WORTH OF DATA FROM THAT MONITORING.

UM, I'VE BEEN, UH, ACTIVELY INVOLVED WITH, UH, NATIVE PLANT RESTORATION, UH, FOCUSED PRIMARILY, UH, ON LAKE AUSTIN.

UM, I KIND OF STARTED HERE EIGHT YEARS AGO, UH, WHICH WAS, UH, AS THE HYDRILLA, UH, WAS MAKING HIS LAST GASP IN LAKE AUSTIN.

AND SO WE'VE BEEN ACTIVELY WORKING TO RESTORE, UH, THE NATIVE VEGETATION, UM, OUT THERE.

UM, WE DO A LOT OF COLLABORATIONS.

UH, ONE OF THE ONES I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IS WITH ARTS AND WILDLIFE, UH, TO MONITOR THE FISHERIES, OBVIOUSLY LAKE AUSTIN IS A WELL-RENOWNED BASS FISHERY.

UH, SO WE, UM, I HELP ASSIST IN THOSE MONITORING EFFORTS, UH, ZEBRA MUSSELS, A NEW INVADER TO THE SYSTEM.

UM, SO IN 2019 BEGAN MONITORING THE ADULT POPULATIONS, UH, THIS KIND OF COINCIDES WITH LCRA WHO MONITORS THE VILLAGERS, UH, WHICH ARE THE LARVAL FORMS AS ZEBRA MUSSELS THAT ARE FLOATING AROUND THE WATER COLUMN BEFORE THEY GET SETTLED, UM, AND GROW INTO ADULTS.

AND THEN, UH, MORE RECENTLY, UM, BUT AGAIN, AS, AS YOU KNOW, AN ONGOING PROJECT IS THE HARMFUL ALGAL PROLIFERATION.

UM, YOU PROBABLY MORE COMMONLY HEAR IT REFERRED TO AS BLOOMS, UM, FOR THE PURPOSES OF KIND OF, UH, NOMENCLATURE AND TO AVOID CONFUSION BLOOMS, WE UTILIZE, UH, DISCUSS PLANKTONIC FREE-FLOATING CYANOBACTERIA GROWTH RAZ PROLIFERATIONS OUR COHESIVE MATS, WHICH IS WHAT WE HAVE HERE IN AUSTIN NEXT, UH, OOPS, TOO FAR.

IT WAS ONE MORE BULLET AT THE BOTTOM OF THAT PAGE.

I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT, YOU KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, BESIDES, UH, THESE, UH, LONG LONGER-TERM MONITORING PROJECTS, UH, WE ARE ACTIVE, UH, WITH, UH, KIND OF SHORT-TERM PROJECTS, UH, BOTH INTERNALLY AND WITH STAKEHOLDERS AND GROUPS.

UH, ONE BEING THE NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT PROJECT THAT'S BEEN GOING ON.

THIS IS YEAR TWO OF A FIVE-YEAR PROJECT, UH, TO MANAGE SEDIMENT, PHOSPHORUS CONCENTRATIONS, UM, AND, UH, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, UH, BEYOND OUR COLLABORATION FOR, UH, STUDYING THE HARMFUL ALGAL PROLIFERATIONS.

UM, WE'VE HAD, UH, UT HAS REACHED OUT TO US, UH, TO LOOK AT A SEDIMENT BED FORM DYNAMICS, UH, SEDIMENT, DEPOSITION RATES, AND MICROPLASTICS, UH, SOME AREAS OF INCREASING CONCERN, UM, IN OUR AQUATIC, UH, BODIES OF WATER NEXT.

UH, SO I'LL KIND OF JUST THE REST OF THE PRESENTATION.

NOW WE'LL KIND OF JUST BE A LOT OF, UH, DATA SUMMARIES, UH, FOR, UH, SOME OF THOSE PROJECTS.

SO, UH, AGAIN, I'VE TRIED TO KEEP THIS IN ORDER OF, OF THE BULLETS AS I PRESENTED THEM, THIS, UH, REPRESENTS, UH, YOU KNOW, SEMI, UH, BUSY, BUT LUCKILY YOU GUYS HAVE PRINTOUTS OF THIS PRESENTATION, SO YOU CAN LOOK AT US AT YOUR LEISURE.

UH, BUT ESSENTIALLY WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS FOR THE AUSTIN LAKES INDEX.

UH, THESE ARE ALL THE DIFFERENT COMPONENTS OF THE AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM THAT WE LOOK AT EVERY YEAR, EITHER IN, UH, ONCE A YEAR, COLLECTING DATA WITH SOME OF THE METRICS, UH, WE SAMPLED MONTHLY OR BI-MONTHLY, AND WE COME UP WITH THIS COMPOSITE SCORE, AS YOU CAN SEE AMONGST THE VARIOUS COMPONENTS, UH, THE BARS THAT ARE IN THERE, THERE'S A LOT OF VARIABILITY, UM, WITHIN A RESERVOIR AND BETWEEN RESERVOIRS, UH, BUT THE HORIZONTAL BLACK LINES THAT GIVES OUR AVERAGE SCORE.

AND, UH, YOU CAN SEE THAT IN 2021, UH, THAT AVERAGE SCORE WE'VE GENERALLY FELL IN THE FAIR, YOU KNOW, KIND OF, UH, UH, CATEGORY, UM, AS, AS WE'VE DEFINED IT PREVIOUSLY NEXT OUT TO PUT THAT DATA INTO CONTEXT, AS I MENTIONED, UH, THIS MONITORING HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A WHILE AND SINCE 2010, IN GENERAL, ALL THREE RESERVOIRS, AGAIN, A LITTLE BIT OF INTER-ANNUAL ANNUAL VARIABILITY, BUT IN GENERAL, UH, THEY MAINTAIN A FAIR TO GOOD, UM, OVERALL CONDITION AT WHICH IT IS NICE.

OBVIOUSLY WE'D LIKE TO SEE THAT A LITTLE BIT HIGHER, UH, BUT THESE ARE VERY COMPLEX ECOSYSTEMS AND THERE'S A LOT OF DRIVERS AND THINGS THAT AFFECT

[00:15:01]

THOSE SCORES.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, THINGS JUST KIND OF TREND TOWARDS THIS, UH, MEDIAN NEXT.

AND JUST TO KIND OF GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.

THESE ARE, AGAIN, TWO OF THOSE SUB COMPONENTS THAT GO INTO THAT OVERALL SCORE.

UH, THIS IS THE WATER QUALITY AND OUR BENTHIC MACRO INVERTEBRATES, THE BUGS THAT LIVE IN THE SEDIMENTS AND WITHIN A RESERVOIR BETWEEN YEARS, YOU CAN HAVE A LOT OF VARIATION.

UM, FOR EXAMPLE, ON LAKE AUSTIN, YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN A WATER QUALITY AS HIGH AS 80, UH, THAT WAS KIND OF AT THE BEGINNING OF THE DROUGHT IN 2011 AND A CRASH, YOU KNOW, DOWN AROUND 62 AS WE'RE COMING OUT OF THAT DROUGHT.

UM, YOU KNOW, AND THIS WAS RELATED TO THE HYDRAULIC, UH, HYDROLOGY, UH, NUTRIENT DYNAMICS.

THIS IS BEFORE THE ZEBRA MUSSELS, YOU SEE THAT THERE IS IN GENERAL ACROSS THE RESERVOIRS WATER QUALITY HAS IMPROVED ALL THESE LAST FEW YEARS, UH, LIKELY INFLUENCED BY THE ZEBRA MUSSELS, UH, THE BENTHIC INVERTEBRATES, UH, THE MOST DRAMATIC KIND OF TREND THERE, UM, LADYBIRD LAKE AND LAKE AUSTIN TO A DEGREE, UM, JUST CHANGES IN, UH, THE RELATIVE COMPOSITION.

SO THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT THAT'S GOING ON OUT THERE WHEN WE'RE PRESENTING THESE OVERALL SCORES, UH, TO KEEP IN MIND EX UH, OUR REVEGETATION EFFORTS.

AGAIN, THIS WAS REALLY STIMULATED BY, UM, ALL OF THESE STOCKING OF THE AAA GRASS CARP, WHICH WERE UTILIZED TO EFFECTIVELY MANAGE THE HYDRILLA THAT WAS, UH, KIND OF GROWING OUT OF CONTROL AND LAKE AUSTIN.

AND WHAT WE WANTED TO DO WAS ESTABLISH FOUNDER POPULATIONS, UM, OUT THERE IN PROTECTED ENCLOSURES, UH, WHERE THE WATERFALL, THE TURTLES AND THE GRASS CARP COULDN'T GET TO THE PLANTS NEXT.

UH, SO THIS IS KIND OF AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT ONE OF THOSE PENS LOOK LIKE, UH, A LONG PUBLIC LANDS.

UH, WE BUILD THESE OUT FROM SHORE APPROXIMATELY 20 FEET, UM, IN DEPTH AND, YOU KNOW, UPWARDS OF 50 FEET LONG.

UH, SO THESE ARE FAIRLY LARGE ENCLOSURES NEXT, UH, FROM A PLANTING.

YOU KNOW, IF WE PUT, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, THE PICTURE ON THE BOTTOM LEFT, UH, 36 1 GALLON PLANTS, UH, IN THE BEGINNING OF SUMMER, BY THE END OF SUMMER, THAT TOP RIGHT PICTURE IS WHAT THOSE VEGETATION PENS CAN LOOK LIKE.

SO THERE'S A LOT OF PENT-UP POTENTIAL, IF YOU WILL, UM, FOR PLANT GROWTH IN LAKE AUSTIN, UH, IT REALLY WANTS TO SUPPORT PLANTS.

THERE'S STILL JUST KIND OF ENOUGH HERBIVORY OUT THERE BETWEEN THE TURTLES AND THE WATERFALL AND THE REMNANT GRASS CARP, UM, THAT WE HAVEN'T SEEN SIGNIFICANT SPREAD, UM, OUTSIDE OF THOSE CAGES YET, NEXT IS JUST A, ANOTHER PICTURE.

THIS IS ACTUALLY FROM LADY BIRD LAKE, UM, KIND OF SUFFERED, UH, THE SAME, UM, AS LAKE AUSTIN, AS THE GRASS CARP WERE MOVING THROUGH THE RESERVOIR SYSTEM.

UM, ESPECIALLY DURING SOME OF THE LARGE FLOOD EVENTS, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE RESERVOIRS KIND OF FUNCTIONING AS THESE, UH, TURGID VEINS AND THE GRASS CARP, UH, YOU KNOW, BEING SWOLLEN IN THE RIVERS, BEING PUSHED THROUGH THE DAM.

AND THEY WERE PRETTY HIGH DENSITIES, UM, IN LADYBIRD LAKE.

AND A LOT OF THE VEGETATION THAT WAS THERE WAS ALSO CONSUMED.

BUT SINCE THEN IN THESE CAGES, WE HAVE SUBMERGED PLANTS, FLOATING PLANTS AND EMERGENT PLANTS THAT ARE DOING REALLY WELL OUTSIDE OF THE CAGES.

SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S A TESTAMENT THAT THIS STRATEGY CAN WORK.

IT JUST TAKES A BIT OF TIME NEXT.

UH, I'VE MENTIONED ZEBRA MUSSELS A COUPLE OF TIMES, AGAIN, THERE'S BEAVER MUSCLES.

WE BELIEVE PROBABLY GOT INTO, UH, LAKE AUSTIN AND LADYBIRD LAKE PROBABLY AROUND 2016.

UH, IT DOES TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME, UH, FOR THEM TO REALLY BECOME ESTABLISHED FOR THEIR POPULATIONS AT PEAK.

UM, WE ARE INTERESTED IN SEE YOUR MUSCLES, YOU KNOW, I SHOWED YOU THE WATER QUALITY GRAPH, ZEBRA MUSCLES THAT ARE, WHAT'S KNOWN AS ECOSYSTEM ENGINEERS, UM, BECAUSE EACH INDIVIDUAL, UH, CAN FILTER A GALLON OF WATER A DAY.

AND IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT THAT GRAPH RIGHT THERE, THESE ARE S UM, AVERAGE POPULATION DENSITIES AND LAKE AUSTIN, THE BLACK CIRCLES AND LADY BIRD LAKE, THE OPEN CIRCLES.

AND THAT'S A LOG SCALE THAT YOU HAVE ON THE Y ACCESS.

SO WE'RE TALKING AVERAGE DENSITIES OF THREE TO 4,000 ZEBRA MUSSELS IN A ONE SQUARE METER PLOT.

SO WHERE THEY HAVE ADEQUATE SUBSTRATE, THEY FORM THESE EXTREMELY DENSE, UM, POPULATIONS.

UM, OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE THEN, UH, IF THEY'RE WAITING IN THERE WALKING UP ROCKS, THEY CAN CUT THEIR FEET, THEIR HANDS.

UM, BUT THE SIDE EFFECT OF THAT, OF COURSE, UM, IS THE WATER QUALITY IS WHAT WE'RE MOST CONCERNED WITH AS THEY'RE CLEANING THE

[00:20:01]

WATER OF DESIRED ALLERGY.

UM, TRANSLOCATING ALL THOSE NUTRIENTS TO THE BOTTOM SEDIMENTS, INCREASING THE AMOUNT OF, OF SUNLIGHT GETTING TO THE BOTTOM SEDIMENTS.

THIS CAN RESHAPE FUNDAMENTAL SHIFTS, UH, ACROSS THE ECOSYSTEM.

UH, AND THAT WAS INTERESTING IN THAT GRAPH.

YOU NOTICE, ESPECIALLY IN LADY BIRD LAKE, A CRASH IN 2020 IN THE POPULATION, UH, LAKE GLOSS, AND ALSO A DECLINE IN POPULATION, UH, NOT QUITE AS DRAMATIC, UH, UH, NEXT SLIDE OR NEXT, UM, THING.

UH, THIS IS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF, UH, A BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THOSE PATTERNS AT THE DIFFERENT MONITORING SITES.

SO IT'S, AGAIN, THERE'S A LOT OF VARIABILITY WITHIN THE SYSTEM, BUT WHAT'S MOST INTERESTING IN THIS OVER THE YEARS IS, UH, THE ZEBRA MUSSELS BECAUSE OF HOW WARM IT IS HERE.

THEY'RE REACHING MATURITY AND ADULTHOODS MUCH QUICKER THAN THEY DO, LIKE IN THE MIDWEST WHERE WATER TEMPERATURES ARE COOLER AND THEY'RE ESSENTIALLY EATING THEMSELVES OUT OF HOUSE AND HOME.

AND SO YOU HAVE THESE RAPID POPULATION, BOOM, AND BUST CYCLES, UH, OCCURRING OUT HERE A MUCH DIFFERENT THAN WHAT YOU HAVE TRADITIONALLY OBSERVED, UM, IN, IN THE NORTH NORTHERN LAKES, NORTHERN ECOSYSTEMS. UM, SO I THINK THIS IS JUST A REALLY INTERESTING THING.

UM, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE OF THINGS TO NOTE ZEBRA MUSCLES, GET INTO OUR WATER BODIES, THANKS TO, UH, OR NO, THANKS TO, UH, IRRESPONSIBLE BOATERS.

UM, AT THE END OF THE DAY THAT'S, IT'S PLAIN AND SIMPLE.

AND WHEN WE SET UP OUR MONITORING SITES, UH, WE ESTABLISHED LOCATIONS CLOSE TO, UH, BOAT DOCKS, UH, OR, UH, TWO BOAT RAMPS, SORRY, BOAT RAMPS, UM, CAUSE WE WANT, WE FIGURED THAT THOSE WERE GOING TO BE THE POINTS OF INTRODUCTION AND EARLY IN THE KIND OF INVASIVE CYCLE, UH, THAT IS WHERE WE SAW THE HIGHEST DENSITIES EARLIEST.

AND THEN OVER TIME, UH, THE, THE AMOUNT OF BIOMASS KIND OF RADIATES OUT FROM THAT AS THEY GET ESTABLISHED AND INTRODUCE THE NEW PARTS OF THE RESERVOIRS.

UM, SO JUST A LOT OF INTERESTING DYNAMICS IN THE POPULATIONS GOING ON OUT THERE EX AND OUT TO THE ONE THAT'S KEPT ME BUSY WITH THE MEDIA OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, UH, THE HARMFUL ALGAL PROLIFERATIONS, UH, THESE PICTURES REPRESENT, UM, JUST FROM LAST YEAR, UH, THAT DIFFERENT, UH, KIND OF GROWTH FORUMS, OTHER SIGN OF BACTERIA OUT THERE.

UH, BUT AGAIN, IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THESE ARE ALL COHESIVE MAPS.

YOU DON'T HAVE THE ENTIRE WATER COLUMN BEING STAINED, UM, UH, A BRIGHT GREEN, IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE SPILLED PAINT OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

LIKE YOU WOULD SEE IN LAKE ERIE OR LAKE OKEECHOBEE THAT AFFECTS THE DRINKING WATER SUPPLY.

THESE ARE, UH, VERY KIND OF SITE-SPECIFIC GROWS.

UM, THEY CAN, YOU KNOW, FORM A PRETTY LARGE AMOUNT OF BIOMASS, UM, BUT YOU KNOW, TO BE EFFECTED BY THE TOXINS, YOU HAVE TO CONSUME THAT ALGA MATERIAL.

UM, OBVIOUSLY FOR A PERSON, VERY, VERY UNLIKELY FOR A PET, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE SPLASHING AROUND IN THE WATER, THEY GET A SLIMY GOO IN THERE FOR, AND JUST IN THE PROCESS OF GROOMING THEMSELVES, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN INADVERTENTLY, UH, CONSUME THAT MATERIAL.

UH, BUT THIS KIND OF JUST GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF, YOU KNOW, A PEER OUT AT THE WATER, UH, AT A WATER BODY.

YOU SEE SOME OF THESE WEIRD GREEN BLUE-GREEN GROWTH FORUMS DEFINITELY AVOID THOSE AREAS.

NEXT? OH, THERE WE GO.

UH, SO THIS IS, UH, JUST A QUICK SUMMARY.

UH, SO WE MONITORED THREE SITES, UH, ON LAKE AUSTIN, THREE SITES IN LADY, BIRD LAKE, UH, YOU KNOW, KIND OF SPANNING EACH OF THE RESERVOIRS.

SO WE THOUGHT THAT THESE, UM, WOULD BE EFFECTIVE MONITORING SITES, UH, BECAUSE OF THEIR POPULARITY, BUT ALSO ALL SIX OF THESE SITES ARE NEAR TO LONG-TERM MONITORING SITES.

SO WE CAN LOOK AT PALLET OF WATER QUALITY DYNAMICS AT THESE SITES HAS CHANGED, UH, PREVIOUS TO 2019 WHEN WE HAD OUR FIRST HITS OF THE SIGN OF TOXINS.

SO WE CAN START TO BUILD A PICTURE OF A WHAT'S CHANGED IN THE ECOSYSTEM.

UM, AS A SUMMARY, UH, LAST YEAR, YOU KNOW, SAMPLING STARTED THE FIRST WEEK OF JUNE, WENT INTO NOVEMBER.

AND, UM, THESE ARE THE NUMBER OF POSITIVE SAMPLES THAT WE HAD, UM, AT THE DIFFERENT SITES, UH, RED, BUT I'LL, UM, HAVING THE MOST POSITIVE HITS, UM, THAT FOLLOWED THE TREND FROM 20 20TH.

WELL, NEXT, UH, THERE'S JUST KIND OF A DATA SUMMARY, SO YOU CAN SEE THE AVERAGE AMOUNT OF TOXIN THAT WAS PRESENT, UM, OUT THERE.

UH, THE WALSH ONE IS KIND OF INTERESTING.

UM, I DIDN'T COLLECT VERY MUCH MATERIAL, UH, FROM THAT SITE, UH, BUT WHEN THERE WAS CYANOBACTERIA PRESENT, UH, IT WAS FAIRLY HOT, UH, FAIRLY

[00:25:01]

HIGH CONTENTS.

UH, IN GENERAL, THE CONTENTS WERE LOWER IN 2021 THAN WHAT WE OBSERVED IN 2020.

UM, AGAIN, THESE ARE VERY COMPLEX SYSTEMS. THERE'S A LOT THAT AFFECTS, UH, TOXIN PRODUCTION, UH, 2021, IF YOU MAY REMEMBER, UH, WAS A MUCH WETTER YEAR KIND OF INTO JUNE, A MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES.

I THINK WE ONLY HAD SIX TOTAL DAYS ALL SUMMER, UH, OVER A HUNDRED DEGREES, WHICH WE'VE OBVIOUSLY ALREADY SHATTERED.

UM, AND IT WAS INTERESTING THAT AT THE, UH, PESTLE BEACH, THE FESTIVAL BOAT RAMP, UH, WE HAD THE, UH, EMERGENCE OF A DIFFERENT SIGN OF TOXIN, UM, BESIDES THE DIHYDRO ANTITOXIN THAT WE'VE TYPICALLY OBSERVED OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS AS AGAIN, THESE, THESE PSYCH CONDITIONS, YOU KNOW, REALLY KIND OF, UH, MAKING THINGS COMPLICATED AND, UM, VARIABLE OUT THERE NEXT.

SO TO THAT END, UM, BETWEEN 2020 AND 2021, UH, THERE WAS, UH, UM, KIND OF CLAMORING, UH, THAT, YOU KNOW, WHILE MONITORING, UH, IS EFFECTIVE AND KIND OF GETTING AN IDEA OF WHAT'S GOING ON OUT THERE IS GREAT.

IT WOULD BE REALLY NICE IF WATERSHED PROTECTION COULD BE A LITTLE PROACTIVE AND TRY TO IMPLEMENT SOME ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES TO TRY TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF CYANOBACTERIA OUT THERE, OR THE AMOUNT OF TOXINS OUT THERE.

UH, SO REVIEWING THE LITERATURE, UH, WE CAME UP WITH, UH, WHAT WE HOPED TO BE AN EFFECTIVE NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT PILOT PROJECT.

UM, AGAIN, THERE'S A LOT OF VARIABLES THAT GO TOWARDS STIMULATING A HARMFUL OUTLOOK PROLIFERATION, BUT ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT NEXT IS, UH, THE LIMITING NUTRIENT OF THESE RESERVOIRS.

AND THAT'S PHOSPHOROUS.

WE'LL GET THERE.

THERE WE GO.

UM, YOU KNOW, ACROSS ECOSYSTEMS AROUND THE WORLD, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE KIND OF, OH, ENRICHMENT OF NITROGEN AND PHOSPHOROUS, UM, YOU KNOW, REALLY ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THESE HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS AND PROLIFERATIONS, UH, BUT THE PHOSPHORUS IS, IS THE ONE THAT'S GENERALLY THE MOST LIMITING NUTRIENT IN OUR WATER BODIES.

IT ALSO HAPPENS TO BE, UH, ONE OF THE EASIER NUTRIENTS TO MANAGE WITHIN AN ECOSYSTEM.

UM, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T DO MUCH ABOUT WATER TEMPERATURES FLOWS AND NITROGEN IS DIFFICULT BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY, UH, BIOGEOCHEMICAL PROCESSES THAT ALTERED NITROGEN AND DYNAMICS.

SO WE WANTED TO LOOK AT IF WE STARTED ALTERING SEDIMENT, PHOSPHOROUS DYNAMICS, WOULD THIS HAVE ANY IMPACT, UM, SUBSEQUENTLY ON THE CYANOBACTERIA NEXT? UH, AND THE REASON WE DID THIS WHEN WE LOOKED AT, UM, THE SEDIMENT PHOSPHOROUS POOLS, LADYBIRD LAKE IS A VERY NUTRIENT RICH ECOSYSTEM.

UH, IT GETS A LOT OF SEDIMENT INPUTS, UH, FROM THE HIGHLAND LAKES AND FROM URBAN INPUTS.

UM, AND SO YOU HAVE THIS REALLY RICH SORES, UM, AND THAT, YOU KNOW, ASIDE FROM FRESH NUTRIENTS THAT ARE COMING IN, IN THE WATER COLUMN THROUGH STREAM FLOWS AND DAM DISCHARGES, YOU HAVE, WHAT'S KNOWN AS INTERNAL EUTROPHICATION, UH, ESSENTIALLY, UH, THE, A POSITIVE FEEDBACK LOOP, THE REEF FEEDING AND REDEPOSITION OF NUTRIENTS WITHIN A WATER BODY.

SO WE WANTED TO TRY TO MANAGE THAT NEXT.

UH, SO THE PRODUCT THAT WE, UH, HAVE BEEN UTILIZING TOWARDS THAT END, UM, TODAY FINISHED UP, UH, DAY THREE OF APPLICATION AND LADY BIRD LAKE OF FOX LOCK.

AND THIS IS, UH, THE COMMERCIAL NAME FOR A PHOSPHOROUS LOCKING COMPOUND.

UH, ESSENTIALLY WHAT THIS IS, IS BENTONITE, UH, WHICH IS JUST A CLAY COMPOUND, THE MATERIAL IT'S A GRANULAR LOOKS LIKE KITTY LITTER, UH, BUT IT'S BEEN CHEMICALLY MODIFIED WITH LANTHANUM, UH, LANTHANUM, UH, IS A KNOWN CHEMICAL THAT VERY EFFECTIVELY BINDS PHOSPHATE.

THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE WANT DO.

SO YOU APPLY THIS MATERIAL.

UM, IT HAS, UH, A SLURRY, IT SETTLES OUT.

YOU CAN SEE THE CARTOON THERE IS SETTLED THROUGH THE WATER COLUMN, BINDING UP WHATEVER FREE PHOSPHATE IS IN THE WATER GENERALLY DOES.

NOT VERY MUCH, UH, WHICH IS FINE.

THE, WHAT WE'RE REALLY GOING AFTER THOUGH, IS THOSE SEDIMENTS EX UM, WE WANT TO, UH, AS ESSENTIALLY, UH, OUT-COMPETE, UH, AGAINST THE CYANOBACTERIA FOR THAT PHOSPHATE.

SO IN THESE NUTRIENT RICH SEDIMENTS WHERE THERE'S NO OXYGEN, PHOSPHATE IS BEING RELEASED, UM, ROM IT'S OTHER CHEMICAL BOMB, UH, BOUNDS AND BINDS, AND THE SIGN OF BACTERIA CAN UTILIZE THAT.

BUT IF

[00:30:01]

THE LANTHANUM GETS TO IT FIRST FINDS OUT THAT PHOSPHATE, IT'S NO LONGER BIOLOGICALLY AVAILABLE AND THEN IT CAN BE BURIED AND YOU NO LONGER HAVE THAT INTERNAL PHOSPHORUS SOURCE FUELING THE CYANOBACTERIA NEXT.

UH, SO AS A SUMMARY, UM, YEAR ONE AND YEAR TWO, WE'LL, WE'LL BE APPLYING A TOTAL OF 120,000 POUNDS OF THIS, UH, ALL OF THAT LAST YEAR WAS TARGETED AROUND, RIGHT.

BUT I'LL, UH, THIS YEAR, UH, WE'RE DOING A TOTAL OF ABOUT 40,000 POUNDS AROUND, RIGHT.

BUT I'LL, UM, AND THE REST WILL BE APPLIED, UH, DOWN AT THE FESTIVAL BEACH, UH, ALONG THE NORTH SHORE LADY BIRD LAKE BELOW.

NEXT.

UM, IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN ANY OF THE FOOTAGE OR MATERIAL, UH, THIS IS WHAT THE APPLICATION LOOKS LIKE AGAIN, UM, ON A BARGE, YOU HAVE A LARGE HOPPER WHERE YOU'RE MIXING LAKE WATER, UH, WITH THE DRY MATERIAL, IT GETS, UH, SPRAYED FROM THE BACK OF THE BOAT, UH, LEAVES THIS KIND OF CLOUD BEHIND THE BOAT, UM, THAT SETTLES OUT, UH, TO THE BOTTOM SEDIMENTS WITHIN HALF A DAY X, UH, IN TERMS OF, UH, EFFICACY.

UH, WE SAW, UH, SOME REALLY NICE RESULTS AFTER YEAR ONE.

UM, WE WENT BACK, UH, ACTUALLY THE SPRING CAUSE, UH, IT HAD BEEN, YOU KNOW, FIXED MONTH, SEVEN MONTHS, UH, SINCE THE LAST APPLICATION WE WANTED TO SEE, WELL, YOU KNOW, IS THERE A LOT OF NEW FOSTERS COMING INTO THE SYSTEM BEING DEPOSITED, UH, OR NOT, YOU KNOW, W WHAT ARE THE DYNAMICS OF THE SYSTEM LOOK LIKE? SO ESSENTIALLY IF YOU LOOK AT THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF PHOSPHORUS, UH, THAT'S IN THE SEDIMENTS, YOU HAVE THIS BIOAVAILABLE AND IS UNAVAILABLE, UH, FRACTIONS, AND WE NEARLY DECLINED BY HALF THE AMOUNT OF BIOAVAILABLE PHOSPHORUS.

SO THAT'S, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR, REDUCING THAT POOL NEXT, AND ONE MORE NEXT, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A DYNAMICS, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'VE BEEN OUT TO REDBUD OR IF YOU'VE SEEN IT FROM THE MAP, THE EAST SIDE OF THE ISLAND IS IN THE MAIN FLOW FLOW PATH.

UH, SO IT'S A LOT ROCKIER, THOSE THINNER SOILS, A LOT LESS ORGANIC MATTER THERE, THE WEST SIDE OF THE ISLAND, WHERE WE HAVE A MUCH LOWER FLOWS, SEDIMENT TENDS TO DEPOSIT THERE MUCH MORE READILY, MUCH MORE ORGANIC MATTER PRESENT ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE ISLAND.

UM, AND SO CORRESPONDINGLY, WE SAW A LARGER RESPONSE ON THE WEST SIDE, UH, WHICH IS ALL WHAT WE WOULD EXPECT.

SO THERE WAS, WAS, UH, GOOD RESULTS NEXT.

UH, SO OF COURSE, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT MANY PEOPLE ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT THE BEHIND THE SCENES, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE SEDIMENTS.

THEY WANT TO KNOW, YOU KNOW, WAS THERE ACTUALLY AN EFFECT ON THE CYANOBACTERIA AND TOXICITY? SO, UH, THESE WERE ALL THIS, UH, MONITORING, UH, SAMPLE EVENTS LAST YEAR AT RED, BUT I'LL, UH, YOU CAN SEE, UH, FROM EARLY JUNE INTO MID JUNE, UH, THE AMOUNT OF ANTITOXIN A WAS REALLY STARTING TO GET RAMPED UP AND THEN IT CRASHED AND IT STAYED LOW THE REST OF THE SUMMER.

NEXT, IF WE JUXTAPOSE ON THAT OUR FOSS LOCK APPLICATION DATES, WE HAVE OUR THREE APPLICATIONS.

UH, THAT'S KIND OF A NICE LITTLE CORRESPONDENCE THERE, UM, THAT, WITH THAT PEAK, THAT WAS RIGHT WHEN WE WERE DOING OUR FIRST APPLICATION AND IT WAS A CRASH AFTER THAT.

UM, SO THAT'S A POSITIVE, UM, VISUALLY, UH, WE KIND OF HAD AN AREA THAT WE WENT TO AND PHOTOGRAPH THE SIGN OF BACTERIA NEXT.

UH, THIS IS WHAT, UH, THE BACKSIDE OF RED, BUT I'LL LOOK LIKE ON THAT FIRST DAY OF APPLICATION, AGAIN, A LARGE BIOMASS OF THESE VERY TYPICAL SPIRES CORRESPONDS WITH A LOT OF ANTITOXIN NECKS, BUT GOING BACK TO THAT SITE, UH, THE REST OF THE SUMMER AFTER OUR TREATMENTS, UH, WE SAW A SIGNIFICANT DIE-OFF OF THAT CYANOBACTERIA.

WE DID NOT SEE, UH, REALLY ANY MORE OF THE SPIRES OR THESE BENTHIC MAPS IN THAT SAME AREA.

UM, AND INTERESTINGLY AND ANECDOTALLY AROUND THE ISLAND, UH, THERE WAS, UH, A SURGE IN THE AMOUNT OF DESIRED, UH, AQUATIC PLANTS, UM, OTHER ALGAE, UH, PRESENT.

SO IT KIND OF SEEMED LIKE AS WE WERE MANIPULATING THOSE SEDIMENT PHOSPHOROUS FRACTIONS, UH, THAT THE ECOLOGY OF THE SYSTEM WAS RESPONDING IN WHAT WE BELIEVE TO BE A POSITIVE WAY.

AND AGAIN, THIS IS GREAT.

IT'S ONE YEAR OF OBSERVATION.

UM, IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY, IT COULD BE BECAUSE AGAIN, IT WAS COOL TO LAST YEAR, RAINFALL DYNAMICS WERE DIFFERENT, BUT THIS WAS A POSITIVE THING TO SEE NEXT.

[00:35:01]

UH, AND EVEN THOUGH THIS ISN'T LAKE RELATED, PER SE, THIS WAS, UH, SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED THAT I INCLUDE SCULPTURE FALLS, UH, LAST YEAR, UH, AN INDIVIDUAL CALLED IN THE 3 1 1, UM, THAT THEY FELL ILL AFTER A SWIMMING IN THE POOL AT SCULPTURE FALLS ON BARTON CREEK, UH, GOING OUT THERE, WE SAW THAT THERE WAS ESSENTIALLY NO FLOW THROUGH BARTON CREEK AND THE POOL WAS EXTREMELY STAGNANT.

UM, AND THERE WAS, YOU SEE IN THE PICTURE, THE PRESENCE OF CYANOBACTERIA, UH, WE MEASURED, UH, THE PRESENCE OF A SIGN, A TOXIN IN THE WATER THERE'S LINDA'S OPTION.

UH, BUT TALKING WITH THE AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, THE SYMPTOMS AT THE INDIVIDUAL DISPLAYED DID NOT FIT WITH THIS LINDA'S PER MOPS.

AND, UM, THOSE ARE THE TALKS AND THAT'S, YOU'D HAVE TO CONSUME A WHOLE LOT OF IT, OR WHAT GENERALLY HAPPENS IF IT'S IN YOUR DRINKING WATER SUPPLY, YOU CONSUME IT OVER A FEW DECADES, THEN YOU DEVELOP, UM, LIVER OR KIDNEY CANCER.

SO IT WAS KIND OF A COINCIDENCE THAT THIS REPORT CAME IN, THAT WE SAW THESE THINGS AND IT WAS LIKE, OH, WE HAVE THESE OTHER TOXINS POTENTIALLY PRESENT, UH, NEXT, UM, HOWEVER, UH, YOU KNOW, AT THE SITE, WE MONITORED IT FOR A FEW WEEKS.

AS SOON AS WE HAD FLOW BACK, UM, EVERYTHING WASHED OUT, WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY MORE HITS IN THE WATER COLUMN.

UH, SO THIS REALLY WAS A, YOU KNOW, AN ISOLATED EVENT, BUT GAVE US SOME INSIGHT THAT OUR CREEKS COULD BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO SIGN OF BACTERIA BLOOMS, UM, UNDER THE RIGHT LOW FLOW CONDITIONS, AND, UH, HAS LED US TO WITH AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH DEVELOP A RESPONSE PLAN, AND WE'RE WORKING ON A MONITORING PLAN FOR OUR CREEKS.

UM, AND AGAIN, JUST A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND INFORMATION THERE ABOUT CYLINDERS PER MOPS, AND AGAIN, A DIFFERENT TOXIN THAN THE ANTITOXIN THE NEUROTOXIN WE HAVE IN LADY BIRD LAKE.

AND LAST WITH THAT, I WILL TAKE QUESTIONS.

THERE ANY, UH, UM, LISTENERS WITH ANY QUESTIONS RIGHT NOW, LET'S START WITH THE REMOTE COMMISSIONERS, COMMISSIONER THOMPSON.

I WAS WONDERING WHAT HAPPENS WITH ALL THIS MUCK AT THE BOTTOM.

UM, LIKE IF YOU STEP IN IT, IS IT GOING TO HURT YOU? AND I WAS, YOU SAID THAT SOME OF THE AQUATIC LIFE CAME BACK, BUT I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT, UM, THAT WOULD CAUSE A SORT OF A SLIME ON THE BOTTOM AND IT MIGHT WELL INHIBIT THAT.

AM I WRONG IN THINKING THAT, UH, TO THE LADDER? YES, WE'LL KEEP THAT.

THAT'S AN EASY ANSWER, UH, TO THE FORMER.

WHOA, COULD YOU REPEAT THAT QUESTION? UM, I WONDERED WHAT HAPPENED IF YOU STEPPED IN THIS, UM, AFTER IT HAD BEEN ABSORBED INTO THE BOTTOM OF THE, ON THE ROCKS.

OH, YOU MEAN THE, THE, THE LOCK OR THE ALGAE? UM, THE ABSORBENT, THE BED TONIGHT, THE BENTONITE, UH, NOTHING.

I MEAN, IT'S, YOU KNOW, THERE'S CLAYS THAT ARE NATURALLY IN OUR SOILS AND OUR SEDIMENTS.

UM, IT'S PRETTY MUCH IMPERCEPTIBLE, EVEN THOUGH IT'S A LOT THAT WAS APPLIED OUT THERE.

IF YOU TOOK A SEDIMENT CORE, YOU LOOKED AT THE TOP COUPLE OF CENTIMETERS, YOU WOULDN'T EVEN KNOW IT'S THERE.

SO IS THIS, I KNOW THAT YOU MENTIONED THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF WATER, UM, LAST YEAR, A LOT OF FLOWS.

SO, UM, I MEAN, ARE WE HOPING FOR THE SAME RESULTS, IF THERE'S LESS FUN, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT REMAINS TO BE SEEN, UM, THE, UH, THIS MATERIAL THEY'RE GENERALLY USED IN, UH, IN PONDS AND IN WATER BODIES THAT HAVE LONGER RESIDENCE TIMES.

UM, SO, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE DYNAMIC SYSTEMS, LOT OF FLOW VARIABILITY, UM, THROUGH THE REP THAT THROUGH LADY BIRD LAKE.

AND SO THIS IS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT WILL HAPPEN.

AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE WERE VERY PLEASED TO SEE, CAUSE WE KIND OF EXPECTED OVER THE COURSE OF THE FALL, WINTER AND SPRING WITH, UM, NORMAL RAINS AND SEDIMENT MOVEMENT AND DEPOSITION LADY BIRD LAKE THAT WE MIGHT LOSE A LOT OF THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, FOSTER BINDING THAT WE SAW DUE TO DEPOSITION OF NEW PHOSPHORUS AND NEW SEDIMENTS.

AND WE DIDN'T SEE THAT.

SO THAT WAS ENCOURAGING, BUT YOU NEVER KNOW YOU GET ANOTHER EVENT LIKE IN 2018, UM, WHERE, YOU KNOW, THE HIGHLAND LAKES TURN INTO CHOCOLATE MILK AND YOU COULD COMPLETELY RESET THE SYSTEM IN THAT MATTER.

THAT LIGHT IS USED IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

AND ONE LAST QUESTION, I'M WONDERING IF, UM, THE USE OF LADYBIRD, LIKE, UM, BY PEOPLE PADDLEBOARDING AND SO FORTH, UM, YOU MENTIONED THE ZEBRA MUSSELS EFFECT AND SO FORTH BECAUSE

[00:40:01]

UM, DO YOU THINK THAT THAT HAS AN EFFECT TNF STOP, YOU KNOW, UM, CUMULATIVELY, THERE MIGHT BE SOMETHING THERE? UM, I, IT WOULD BE TOUGH TO DISCERN, UH, FOR THE MOST PART, UH, YOU KNOW, AGAIN WAS WATER RESIDENT TIMES ARE REALLY LOW IN THE RESERVOIR.

UM, SO PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE DOING, I THINK WOULD BE MUCH MORE TRANSITORY AND SHORT-LIVED COMPARED TO ZEBRA MUSSELS, WHICH ARE DEPOSITING ORGANIC MATTER PSEUDO FECES ON THE SURFACE SEDIMENTS REALLY KIND OF CHANGING THOSE SEDIMENT DYNAMICS EVERY DAY, CONSTANTLY ACROSS THE WATER BODY.

SO IT SEEMS OKAY.

IT LOOKS LIKE A CHAIR ROMBERG.

THANKS.

THANKS, BARRY.

YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB.

YOU GOT AGAIN TODAY.

UM, THANK YOU.

UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.

I JUST HAD A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ABOUT KIND OF PUBLIC OUTREACH.

I MEAN, IT SOUNDS LIKE THIS IS A LOT OF GOOD INFORMATION, UM, FROM KIND OF SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT I WAS HEARING IN THE PUBLIC ABOUT, YOU KNOW, PETS IN THE LAKE AND, AND THOSE THINGS, HOW ARE HER? I KNOW THIS IS KIND OF MAYBE ADVANCED TO A, TO BOIL DOWN TO, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, A BOARD OR, UH, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC INFORMATION FLYER, BUT HOW, HOW ARE YOU COMMUNICATING THIS TO THE PUBLIC? UM, KIND OF THE PROCESS THAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH WITH TRYING TO BIND, BIND UP THE ALGAE AND, YOU KNOW, I GUESS REMOVE SOME OF THE TOXICITY FROM THE WATER.

UM, AND, AND HOW HAS THAT GOING? YEAH.

UM, YOU KNOW, THAT I'LL, I'LL PUT THEM, UH, I'LL PUT MY PIO, EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE NOT HERE.

UM, THEY'VE BEEN DOING A GREAT JOB OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS, UH, WITH THE EDUCATION AND MATERIALS, SIGNAGE GOING OUT, UM, OUR, UM, SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE, INTERACTION WITH THE MEDIA ITSELF, UH, TO GET THE MESSAGE BEING ABOUT THE RELATIVE RISK AND SAFETY OUT THERE WHAT'S GOING ON AND HOW WE'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS THESE THINGS.

UM, YOU KNOW, SO, YOU KNOW, GETTING A BRIEFING FROM THAT AND WOULD PROBABLY BE REALLY INFORMATIVE CAUSE IT'S, IT'S BEEN SPECTACULAR, UH, YOU KNOW, SPECIFICALLY TO YOUR POINT, UM, IT'S, IT HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE I'VE, UH, I'VE HAD QUITE A FEW OF THE MEDIA RESPOND BACK TO LIKE, CAN YOU, YOU KNOW, MAKE IT A LITTLE LESS TECHNICALLY, UM, BUT YOU KNOW, WHEN I'M DOING IT ON AIR IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A LITTLE TOUGHER.

UM, WHEN WE ARE DISTILLING THINGS FOR REPUBLIC DISTRIBUTION, LIKE WE HAD, UM, BEFORE WE DID OUR TREATMENTS THIS YEAR AND LAST YEAR, UH, YOU KNOW, WE SENT NOTIFICATIONS OUT TO THE LADY BIRD LAKE NAVY, WHICH WERE ALL THE USER GROUPS.

UM, YOU KNOW, WE, AGAIN WITH, WITH THE PRESS RELEASES AND MY PIO HAS BEEN REALLY GOOD AT MASSAGING, UM, MY JARGON INTO SOMETHING THAT'S VERY, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, KIND OF ATTAINABLE TO THE PUBLIC.

AND IT'S, IT'S BEEN REALLY SATISFYING GOING OUT, BEING OUT AT RED, BUT I'LL, OR OTHER PARTS OF THE, UH, LADY BIRD LAKE, TALKING TO PEOPLE THAT ARE VERY INFORMED ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON, UH, VERY EXCITED TO SEE THE RESULT AND TO SEE KIND OF THEIR, THEIR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK, UM, IN THIS ACTIVE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY.

PERFECT.

THANKS.

I MEAN, UM, I APPRECIATE THE RESPONSE.

I DON'T KNOW IF WE NEED A PRESENTATION, BUT IF THERE ARE SOME COMMON TOILET DOWN FLYERS OR, OR, OR SIMILAR, YOU KNOW, THAT WE COULD KIND OF DISTRIBUTE KIND OF WITHIN OUR NETWORK OF PEOPLE, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.

UM, UM, IN, IN PARTICULAR, UM, WE'RE KIND OF IN ADDITION, UH, I WAS PROBABLY THE ONE ASKING ABOUT THE BARTON CREEK GREENBELT, UM, STUFF.

SO I APPRECIATE YOU ADDING THAT IN THERE, BUT IT SOUNDED LIKE THAT WAS MORE A FUNCTION OF JUST DON'T SWIM IN STAGNANT WATER, UM, THAT ANYTHING ELSE IS DONE IS THAT ABOUT RIGHT? YEAH.

AND THAT'S BEEN OUR MESSAGING, UH, SINCE 2019 IS KIND OF BE AWARE OF WHAT FLOW CONDITIONS ARE LIKE IF YOU VISIT ANY QUARTER BODY, YOU KNOW, YOU GO THROUGH THESE BACK WATER HAS BEEN, YOU KNOW, THE SIGN OF TOXINS, THERE'S KIND OF A NEW AND, YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATE, UH, THING TO LOOK OUT FOR, BUT, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE BACTERIA ECO LIE, THERE'S SWIMMERS ITCH, ALL THESE THINGS, ALL THESE THINGS THAT ARE OUT THERE THAT NEED TO BE AWARE OF WHEN VISITING A NATURAL WATER BODY, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH THE RIGHT PRECAUTIONS, GENERALLY NOT AN ISSUE.

UM, BUT YOU KNOW, JUST, JUST PAYING ATTENTION TO THAT.

PERFECT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.

THAT'S ALL I GOT.

THANKS.

AUSTIN, TEXAS.GOV BACKSLASH ALGAE.

AND I WILL COORDINATE WITH, UH, WITH KATIE AND MY PIO, UM, TO, YOU KNOW, ABOUT SOME OF THE MESSAGING, SOME OF THE FLYERS, UM, OBVIOUSLY I WOULD RECOMMEND, UH, VISITING, UH, THE WEBSITE,

[00:45:01]

UM, THAT'S WHERE THEY PUT REGULAR UPDATES FORWARD FACING.

UM, AND WE HAVE OUR DASHBOARD IS BACKED UP AND BEING UPDATED, UH, YOU KNOW, AS DATA'S COMING IN, UM, AND WE'RE WORKING ON, UH, YOU KNOW, KIND OF AESTHETICALLY, YOU KNOW, MAYBE, UH, SOMETHING THAT MIGHT BE A LITTLE MORE PUBLIC FRIENDLY IS A STORYBOARD.

SO, UM, STAY TUNED FOR THAT.

I BE ABLE TO SEE THE REMOTE IIS.

I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THERE WERE MORE, THERE WEREN'T ANY MISS CONVERSATIONS.

WE WERE SEEING SIGN OF BACTERIA.

I BELIEVE, UH, BARRETT HAD A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.

UM, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.

AND, UM, MY QUESTION, ACTUALLY, YOU GUYS SORTA TALKING ABOUT IT AT THE END, BUT I WAS WONDERING WHAT THE MAIN FORM OF COMMUNICATION TO THE PUBLIC, UM, IS.

AND IT SEEMS LIKE IS IT THE WEBSITE THAT AUSTIN, TEXAS.GOV ACCESS ALGAE? UM, AND I, AND I WAS ALSO, I GUESS, WONDERING IF THERE WERE EVER ANY PHYSICAL SIGNS THAT WERE PUT UP OR IS IT PRIMARILY, UM, BASED ON, UM, CHECKING THE WEBSITE IN DASHBOARD? YEAH, A GREAT QUESTIONS.

UH, WE DO HAVE SOME PERMANENT SIGNAGE, UH, THAT IS OUT, UM, THAT THAT'S BEEN OUT AT A FEW OF THE SITES ALONG LADY, BIRD LAKE, UH, AGAIN, OVER THE COURSE OF THE WINTER, YOU KNOW, AS WE'VE, UH, YOU KNOW, KIND OF SEE HOW ALL THESE SITUATIONS ARE EVOLVING, UM, IN COLLABORATION WITH, UH, AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH AND WITH, UH, THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, UH, WE'RE GOING TO BE PUTTING MORE EDUCATIONAL SIGNAGE OUT AT A FEW DOZEN MORE SITES AROUND THE CITY.

UM, YOU KNOW, THE TRAIL HEADS, POPULAR PARKS, YOU KNOW, AREAS THAT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, UM, FREQUENTLY USED BY, UH, HIKERS WALKERS WITH THEIR PETS.

UM, THERE IS GOING TO BE, UH, QR CODES, UH, THAT CAN GET YOU TO PLACES THERE'S, UM, YOU KNOW, INFORMATION ABOUT, YOU KNOW, CALLING 3, 1, 1 WHERE HE CAN GET MORE, UH, INFORMATION US IN PUBLIC HEALTH.

UM, I BELIEVE THEY'VE DEVELOPED A QUESTIONNAIRE, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, IN RESPONSE IF, IF PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCING SYMPTOMS TO TRY TO HELP US, UM, DIAGNOSE WHAT'S GOING ON OUT THERE.

UM, SO THOSE ARE THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO BE OUT IN THE WORLD, UH, BUT PRIMARILY SOCIAL MEDIA, YOU KNOW, AS THERE'S A NEW DEVELOPMENT, UH, TWITTER, FACEBOOK, UH, WE'LL PUT POSTS OUT TO THOSE.

UM, AND AGAIN IN THE REGULAR MEDIA HAS BEEN, UH, A REALLY GOOD, UH, KIND OF LIASING WITH US, UM, GETTING INFORMATION OUT, UH, VERY EFFECTIVELY AND, YOU KNOW, VERY KIND OF CLEARLY COMMUNICATING SOME COMPLEX STUFF.

UH, YEAH, SO I HAD A QUESTION, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK, UH, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF THERE NOT BEING MUCH RAINFALL, UH, THIS YEAR, YOU KNOW, IN RECORD RECORD HEAT WAVE, UH, THE POSSIBILITY ALSO LIKE, YOU KNOW, UH, A MEGA DROUGHT HAPPENING WITHIN THE NEXT FEW YEARS, UM, WHAT DO YOU SEE IN CASE THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN, RIGHT? OR IN CASE THAT DOES HAPPEN, THAT MEANS THAT, YOU KNOW, FLOWS ARE GOING TO GO DOWN, RIGHT.

TOXINS WILL PROBABLY GO UP.

UM, YOU KNOW, DO YOU THINK THAT THERE'S ANY, AND YOU KNOW, THE ZEBRA MUSSELS, RIGHT.

AND THE, THE NEUROTOXIN, IT SEEMS TO BE LIKE A RELATIVELY RECENT PHENOMENON AND WITH POPULATION GROWTH, YOU'VE GOT MORE HUMANS AND LET'S BE HONEST, MORE CANINES, RIGHT.

THEY'RE GOING TO BE DEPOSITING A WASTE IN THE, IN THE, IN THE RIVERWAYS.

UH, DO YOU THINK THERE'S ANY LIKE, SORT OF UP AND COMING THREAT THAT, UH, THAT YOU ALL SEE OR THAT Y'ALL THINK MIGHT BE AN ISSUE? UM, YEAH.

A GOOD QUESTION.

YOU KNOW, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, THESE, UH, THESE BENTHIC PROLIFERATIONS ARE STILL RELATIVELY, UH, UNDER STUDIED.

UM, THERE, THERE'S JUST NOT A WHOLE LOT OF RESEARCH, ESPECIALLY IN THE UNITED STATES.

UM, SO, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING WE, UH, ARE, ARE MEASURING FINDINGS SEEING IS, IS KIND OF NOVEL AND, UH, WE HAVE GREAT STATISTICIANS INTERNALLY, SO WE'RE TRYING TO BEST MODEL THESE THINGS.

I APOLOGIZE.

I DON'T KNOW WHY MY VIDEO'S NOT WORKING.

UM, I KNOW ALL OF YOU WANT TO SEE MY PRETTY FACE.

UM, SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S OBVIOUSLY A CONCERN, UH, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE REASONS THAT THE CYANOBACTERIA RESEARCH, UH, US AND, UM, AUSTIN WATER, WE HAD ACTUALLY BEGUN, UH, SOME EFFORTS BACK IN 2015 BECAUSE, UH, OBVIOUSLY THE BIGGER THREAT, THE MORE COMMON THING THAT OCCURS IS IN THE DRINKING WATER WITH THE PLANK TONIC BLOOMS. AND DURING THAT LAST DROUGHT, UM,

[00:50:01]

BIO-MASS REALLY SPIKING IN THE PLANKTON AND WE'RE, YOU KNOW, APPROACHING KIND OF THESE RISK LEVELS.

WE THOUGHT BASED ON JUST BIOMASS LOCALLY, WE'D NEVER MEASURED IN, YOU KNOW, ANY APPRECIABLE TOXINS IN THE WATER.

SO THAT'S ALWAYS A CONCERN.

UH, AUSTIN WATER HAS BEEN, UM, VERY PROACTIVE TO KIND OF STAY AHEAD OF THE CURVE ON THAT.

UH, THEY HAVE, UH, EQUIPMENT FOR, UH, TESTING FOR THE TOXINS ON A REGULAR BASIS, UH, TRACKING THE CYANOBACTERIA, UH, THE SIDE OF BACTERIA, BIOMASS AND THE PLANKTON.

UH, BUT THAT'S, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY STILL THERE, UH, ONE OF THE BIG ONES THAT I'M REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT IS, UH, CLOGGED MUSCLES, UH, THE, UH, THE BIGGER, UH, COUSIN OF THE ZEBRA MUSCLE AND WHAT MAKES THEM A GREATER THREAT IS THEY'RE NOT SUBSTRATE LIMITED THE SAME WAY AS ZEBRA MUSSELS ARE A ZEBRA MUSSELS, THEY HAVE TO HAVE A HARD SUBSTRATE, AND THAT'S WHY THEIR POPULATIONS ARE GENERALLY LARGER.

AND LAKE AUSTIN, YOU HAVE A LOT MORE RIP RAP BOAT, DOCKS SHEET PILE BULK, AS ET CETERA, THAT'S OUT THERE EFFECTIVE SUBSTRATE FOR THEM, LADY, BIRD LAKE.

YOU PRETTY MUCH JUST HAVE A LOT OF MUCK AND THE QUAGGA MUSSELS, THEY'RE NOT BOTHERED BY THAT.

UH, THEY CAN KIND OF CREATE THESE LITTLE FLOATING RAFTS.

IT'S A WILD THING ON THE BOTTOM.

UM, THEY ARE NOT AS BOTHERED BY LOW OXYGEN CONCENTRATIONS, UM, OR BY THIS SUBSTRATE SOFT SUBSTRATE.

AND SO THEY CAN EFFECTIVELY COLONIZE THE ENTIRE WATER BODY, UH, WHERE ZEBRA, MUSSELS CAN'T AND THEY'RE FILTERING WATER THE SAME WAY.

UM, YOU KNOW, SO IN PLACES LIKE LAKE MICHIGAN RECEIVER MUSCLES MAY HAVE, YOU KNOW, UH, COVERED SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, 15%, UM, OF THAT LAKE AREA, QUAGGA MUSSELS COVER SOMETHING LIKE 90%.

UM, AND THEY'VE EFFECTIVELY MADE LAKE MICHIGAN, UH, A CLEANER WATER BODY THAN LAKE SUPERIOR.

THERE'S JUST, THERE'S NOTHING LEFT IN THE PLANKTON.

UH, SO THAT WOULD BE A DRAMATIC SHIFT IN THE ECOSYSTEM AND, AND, AND PROBABLY CATASTROPHIC.

AND GIVEN THAT QUAD MUSCLES WERE FOUND IN SOUTH TEXAS, IT WOULDN'T SURPRISE ME IF THEY'RE HERE.

UH, IT JUST TAKES THEIR POPULATION, UM, YOU KNOW, SEVEN TO 10 YEARS FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN IN THE LITERATURE BEFORE THEY REALLY GET ESTABLISHED, UM, ON LEGS, ZERO MUSCLES, WHICH CAN DO IT WITHIN A COUPLE OF YEARS.

SO THEY MIGHT BE HERE.

WE JUST HAVE, NO, WE JUST DON'T KNOW IT YET.

UM, UH, OTHER RISKS, UM, OBVIOUSLY, UH, YOU KNOW, LOOKING LARGER AT THE WATERSHED, UH, YOU MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE MOVING HERE, MORE DEVELOPMENT, MORE IMPERVIOUS, COVER, MORE LAWNS, UM, MORE SEPTIC SYSTEMS, UH, YOU KNOW, ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, OTHERS LCRA FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT TO MAINTAIN.

UH, WE DON'T HAVE, UM, TREATED WASTEWATER DISCHARGE INTO THE HIGHLAND LAKES, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT COULD SUPERCHARGE, UH, BLOOMS OR CAUSE OTHER, UH, ECOSYSTEM SHIFTS.

SO, UM, YEAH, THERE'S QUITE A FEW THINGS ON THE HORIZON.

UH, YOU KNOW, WE JUST TAKE THEM AS THEY COME.

THESE ARE THESE RESERVOIRS, THEY'RE VERY YOUNG AQUATIC SYSTEMS. SO ANY PERTURBATION, WHETHER IT'S CHANGED IN HYDROLOGY IN TEMPERATURES OR AN INVASIVE SPECIES WILL CAUSE A VERY DRAMATIC SHIFTS CAUSE THEY JUST DON'T HAVE THAT.

BUILT-IN RESILIENCY.

YEAH, FOR SURE.

THAT WAS A GREAT ANSWER.

I APPRECIATE THE INSIGHT.

I JUST HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION.

UM, I GUESS, UH, YOU KNOW, IF, UM, I FORGET WHAT THE NAME OF THE, THE PHOSPHOROUS LOCKING MATERIAL WAS, BUT I ASSUME THAT THAT'S MOSTLY TO COMBAT, UH, YOU KNOW, LIKE TOXINS, YOU KNOW, THE HATS, UH, WHATNOT.

UM, WHAT EXACTLY ARE THE ABILITIES THAT WE HAVE TO LIKE, OH, NICE.

I BRED, YOU KNOW, WHAT SORT OF CAPABILITIES DO WE HAVE TO LIKE MITIGATE LIKE MUSCLE GROWTH, RIGHT? IF, UH, THIS OTHER SPECIES THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT CAN POSSIBLY SURFACE, RIGHT.

YOU'VE GOT ZEBRA MUSSELS AS WELL.

I GUESS, YOU KNOW, IF YOU CUT DOWN ON THE ALLERGY, MAYBE YOU CUT DOWN ON THE MUSCLES, FOOD SOURCE OR SOMETHING, BUT, UH, I WAS CURIOUS.

IS ONE OF THESE THINGS WHEN YOU GET TOO MUCH OF IT, TIPS THE ECOSYSTEM OVER TO AN ALTERNATIVE STABLE STATE AND THINGS GO HAYWIRE.

UM, YEAH, A BIT TO UNPACK THERE SO THAT THE FOSS LUCK, AGAIN, WE'RE NOT A, THIS IS NOT AN ALGAECIDE, THIS IS NOT, UM, A TOXIN, UM, MITIGATE PER SE, WE'RE GOING AFTER, UH, THE DRIVER OF THAT PHENOMENON.

UM, SO, YOU KNOW, IT TAKES AN EXCESS OF NUTRIENTS, UH, FOR THE CYANOBACTERIA TO BECOME DOMINANT AND TO PRODUCE, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE METABOLICALLY EXPENSIVE COMPOUNDS, SECONDARY METABOLITES.

AND SO WE'RE HOPING THAT BY SHIFTING THE BALANCE, WE CAN CHANGE THE COMMUNITY DYNAMICS IN FAVOR OF MORE DESIRABLE ALLERGY.

SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE, WE'RE GOING AFTER THE PHOSPHORUS.

UM, WE HAVE SOME GREAT RESEARCH THAT'S COMING OUT, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT THRESHOLDS AGAIN, PHOSPHORUS

[00:55:01]

SO WE'RE LOOKING AT IT FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE.

SO THAT THE FIRST PART OF THAT, THE NEXT, UH, IN TERMS OF, UH, WAYS TO REDUCE, UH, THE ZEBRA MUSSELS, QUAGGA MUSSELS POPULATIONS, UH, CURRENTLY THERE'S NOTHING ON THE MARKET.

I MEAN, THERE'S, THERE'S WAYS TO KILL THESE THINGS.

OF COURSE, THERE'S REALLY EASY TO KILL THINGS, BUT UNFORTUNATELY YOU WOULD KILL ALL THE OTHER INVERTEBRATES OUT THERE THAT ARE ESSENTIAL TO THE ECOSYSTEM.

UH, NOT DESIRED.

THERE IS A LOCAL COMPANY.

UH, THEY HAVE HAD A FEDERAL FUNDING FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS.

THEY WERE TRYING TO, UH, DEVELOP A MICROORGANISM.

THAT WAS, THAT WOULD BE, UH, HAVE US REACT TO ITS GENETICS.

AND WHEN THE ZEBRA MUSSELS WOULD CONSUME IT, UM, IT WOULD, UH, EFFECTIVELY KILLED THE ZEBRA MUSSELS AND ALL THE MAGIC THAT GOES ON INSIDE OF THERE.

BUT IT WOULD BE A ZEBRA MUSSEL SPECIFIC.

IT WOULD BE GOING AFTER THAT ONE SPECIES WITHOUT HARMING OTHER MUSCLES OR OTHER FILTER FEEDERS, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF THE SAME WAY THAT SOME OF THESE, UM, TREATMENTS, YOU KNOW, CAN TARGET JUST SPECIFIC CANCER CELLS, YOU KNOW, WHEN INJECTED INTO THE BLOODSTREAM.

SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S IN FINGERS CROSSED.

UM, YOU KNOW, THAT A TECHNOLOGY COMES ALONG THAT CAN, UH, REMOVE THESE, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE WORKING ON THINGS LIKE WITH THE, UH, UH, C LAMP RE UM, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU INTRODUCE STERILE INDIVIDUALS AND YOU GO AFTER THEM IN THE JUVENILE STAGE.

SO YOU'RE NOT AFFECTING THE ECOSYSTEM.

YOU'RE JUST SLOWLY, UH, CHIPPING AWAY AT THEIR POPULATION DYNAMICS.

SO MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'LL OCCUR, UH, TO YOUR POINT.

YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT.

ZERO MUSCLE POPULATIONS GOING UP AND DOWN, ALGAE BIOMASS GOES UP AND DOWN ON THE AMOUNT OF NUTRIENTS AVAILABLE THAT THEY'RE CYCLING GOES UP AND DOWN.

SO WE COULD SEE, UH, THESE, YOU KNOW, EVERY TWO, THREE YEARS, IRRESPECTIVE OF HYDROLOGY OR TEMPERATURE CHANGES IN, UH, CYANOBACTERIA BIOMASS STRICTLY RELATED TO THE BIOMASS OF THESE AERIAL MUSCLES NOW, UH, OPTIMISTICALLY WITH THE SEDIMENT, PHOSPHOROUS MANAGEMENT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THAT'S ENOUGH TO TIP THE SCALES IN OUR FAVOR.

THAT'S WHY IT'S RESEARCH.

TOTALLY.

YOU FEEL YOU APPRECIATE IT? NO FURTHER QUESTIONS.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THE REMOTE DIAS? OKAY.

WHAT ABOUT THE IN-PERSON DYESS, MR. BRIMER? YEAH.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, DOCTOR FOR YOUR, UH, PRESENTATIONS.

I'M GOING TO WORK IN KIND OF REVERSE ORDER HERE.

UM, UH, YOU MENTIONED THAT, UH, WITH REGARD TO THE, UH, SCULPTURE FALLS PROBLEM, THAT YOU'RE GOING TO START A, UH, PROJECT AT OTHER AND OTHER CREEKS TO MONITOR SIMILAR BACTERIAL, UH, SITUATIONS.

UH, DO YOU KNOW WHICH CREEKS THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT AND WHEN THAT'S GOING TO START? UM, NOPE, NOPE.

UH, IT'S STILL IN DEVELOPMENT.

UM, WHAT WE'RE, WE'RE EVALUATING, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE, UH, WATER QUALITY DYNAMICS, SOME OF THE FLOW DYNAMICS WE WANT TO SEE IF WE CAN KIND OF, YOU KNOW, MAYBE CREATE A HIERARCHY OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT SYSTEMS WOULD PRESENT THE HIGHEST RISK.

UM, OBVIOUSLY A SCULPTURE FALLS WAS, UH, KIND OF A SHOT CAUSE WE THINK OF BARTON CREEK AS BEING THIS, YOU KNOW, VERY CLEAN, CLEAR SYSTEM, WHICH IT IS.

UM, BUT WHEN YOU GET THESE ISOLATED POOLS, UM, YOU KNOW, THINGS CAN LOOK DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT.

UH, SO THAT'S KIND OF CHANGING OUR CALCULUS IN TERMS OF OUR SITE SELECTION, UM, AND, AND HOW WE'RE PARSING THAT OUT.

SO, YOU KNOW, STAY TUNED AGAIN.

I THINK WE'RE GOING TO TRY FOR SOMETHING BY THE END OF THE SUMMER, UH, AS KIND OF A BASELINE, UH, UH, SYSTEMATIC SURVEY.

UM, AND THEN WE'LL GO FROM THERE AND MODIFY FUTURE, UH, SURVEYS BASED ON, YOU KNOW, KIND OF OUR INITIAL RESULTS.

THEN GOING BACK TO THE PHOSPHORUS THING, UH, I KNOW IT'S DIFFICULT SOMETIMES TO, UH, YOU KNOW, POLLUTION SOMETIMES COMES FROM EVERYWHERE.

THE REASON I ASK IS I'M, THE DISTRICT I AM, WAS APPOINTED FROM, IS IN NORTHWEST AUSTIN.

AND A BULL CREEK IS VERY HEAVILY USED BY THE LOCAL POPULATION AND, UH, OR PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE CITY FOR THAT MATTER, COME OUT THERE TO USE IT.

AND THERE'S A LOT OF AREAS THAT GO STAGNANT OR NEAR STAGNANT IN LATER IN THE SUMMER BECAUSE OF LACK OF THROAT FLOW THROUGH THE CREEK.

AND THAT KIND OF RESEMBLES THE SITUATION YOU HAVE AT SCULPTURE FALLS.

SO MY RECOMMENDATION IS TO LOOK AT AREAS AROUND A BULL CREEK DISTRICT PARK, AND PERHAPS A LITTLE BIT FURTHER UPSTREAM FROM THERE, UH, WHERE THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE RECREATING IN THE WATER THERE, UH,

[01:00:02]

UH, SO IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO DO THIS PERHAPS, BUT IS THE CONCENTRATION OF PHOSPHORUS IN THE WATER? IS THAT A POINT, IS THERE A POINT SOURCE FOR ANY OF THIS OR IS IT JUST COMING FROM EVERYWHERE? YEAH.

YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY THIS IS SOMETHING, UM, AND, AND AGAIN, THIS IS A NATIONAL PROBLEM.

IT'S THE NON-POINT POLLUTION.

NOW, THE EPA, UM, THE CLEAN WATER ACT, THEY, THEIR REGULATIONS, UH, WERE EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE IN CLEANING UP OUR POINT SOURCES OF POLLUTION.

UM, AND UNFORTUNATELY, UH, AND, AND I WORKED FOR THE EPA BEFORE COMING HERE.

UH, THERE'S JUST NOT THE POLITICAL WILL TO GO AFTER NON-POINT SOURCES OF POLLUTION, UH, YOU KNOW, TMD L'S, YOU KNOW, KIND OF ARE A START.

UM, BUT, UH, THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A CHALLENGE, UH, BUT IT'S ABSOLUTELY SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN ON.

UM, YOU KNOW, W WHEN YOU GO INTO THE WATERSHED, ANY, ANY PROPERTY THAT DOESN'T HAVE A BUFFER STRIP NEAR A CREEK, UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, IS, IS CLEAR, CUTTING IS, UH, FERTILIZING.

THESE ARE ALL NON-POINT SOURCES, AND, YOU KNOW, IT, THOSE INPUTS NEED TO BE QUANTIFIED AND MANAGED.

UM, AND IT'S, IT'S A HUGE CHALLENGE.

LCRA HAS BEEN FANTASTIC.

THEY HAVE A LOT OF EDUCATION AND OUTREACH, UM, IN TERMS OF BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, LAND USE PRACTICES TO TRY TO REDUCE THOSE INPUTS.

UM, BUT YOU KNOW, AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT'S, YOU KNOW, EVERY HOMEOWNER THAT'S IN THE WATERSHED, UH, THESE PEOPLE REALLY NEED TO START BUYING IN AND, YOU KNOW, MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICES WITH THEIR LANDSCAPES AND PROPERTIES, PUTTING IN RAIN GARDENS, PUTTING IN CISTERNS, UM, ZEROSCAPING OR PUTTING IN NATIVE PLANTS THAT DON'T REQUIRE ALL THIS EXTRA MAINTENANCE.

UH, WHAT I HEAR YOU SAYING IS THAT THE, THE SOURCE OF THE PHOSPHORUS IS A GENERALLY PROPERTY OWNERS THAT ABUT SOME ASPECT OF THE CREEK UPSTREAM, OR DIRECTLY NEXT TO THE LAKE WHERE YOUR, YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU FIND THIS CONDITION.

AND IT'S USUALLY FERTILIZER IS THE ORIGINAL SOURCE OF THE PHOSPHORUS.

IT'S NOT OCCURRING NATURALLY IN NATURE LEACHING OUT OF THE GROUND FROM SOME SORT OF, UH, EXISTING SOURCE WITHIN THE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE GEOGRAPHY GEOLOGY, CORRECT? YEP.

IT'S YEAH.

AND IT'S NOT JUST HOMEOWNERS, YOU KNOW, GOLF COURSES, RANCH, FARMERS, ET CETERA.

UM, AND YEAH, IT'S, THERE'S VERY FEW GEOLOGIC FEATURES THAT ARE SOURCES OF PHOSPHORUS, YOU KNOW, FLORIDA OF COURSE HAS HUGE PHOSPHATE MINES, PHOSPHORUS, MINES.

UM, YEAH, IT'S, IT'S A, IT'S A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BEAST, UH, GEO CHEMICALLY COMPARED TO NITROGEN.

UM, SO, YOU KNOW, BY AND LARGE, ANYTHING ABOVE BACKGROUND IS ANTHROPOGENIC.

UH, GETTING BACK TO THE ORIGINAL OR THE, THE, THE, THE THING WITH THE, THESE ZEBRA MUSSELS, UH, I HEARD YOU SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THE ZEBRA MUSSELS, UH, I'M AWARE OF MUSCLES, UH, FILTER THE WATER AND THEY REMOVE ALL SORTS OF, UH, POLLUTANTS AND THAT SORT OF THING.

BUT THEY ALSO, I DID, I HEAR YOU CORRECTLY WHEN YOU SAY THAT THEY, UM, THEY DISCHARGE SOME OF THAT POLLUTANTS INTO, INTO THE SEDIMENT BELOW THE, UH, YOU KNOW, BELOW WHERE THEY HAPPEN TO LIVE.

SO IN A WAY THEY CONCENTRATE THE, UH, POLLUTANTS INTO THE WATER OR INTO THE, THE, THE SEDIMENT BELOW WHEREVER THEY ARE THAT CORRECT.

EXACTLY.

UH, YOU KNOW, THAT YOU HAVE NATURALLY YOUR PHYTOPLANKTON, A DIVERSE COMMUNITY OF ALGAE GREEN ALGAE, DIATOMS, RED ALGAE, GOLDEN ALGAE, CYANOBACTERIA, ALL THESE THINGS FLOATING IN THE WATER COLUMN, AND THEY'RE ALL COMPRISED OF, OF NUTRIENTS AS THE MUSCLES ARE FILTERING THOSE OUT.

UM, REMOVING ALL THAT ORGANIC MATTER FROM THE WATER COLUMN.

AND OF COURSE, EVERYTHING POOPS, UH, THEY DEPOSIT FECES PSEUDO FECES AT THE BOTTOM.

SO YOU GET THESE LITTLE NUTRIENT FERTILIZER PELLETS BEING DEPOSITED AROUND THEIR BEDS.

AND THEY'RE ALSO, YOU KNOW, THROUGH OTHER EXCRETION PROCESSES, RELEASING AMMONIA AND PHOSPHATE INTO THE WATER, UH, THERE'S RESEARCH IN SOME OF THE LAKES UP NORTH THAT HAVE SHOWN HOW THOSE, UH, SPECIFIC, UH, DISSOLVE NUTRIENT CONCENTRATIONS INCREASE IN THE WATER SUBSEQUENT TUESDAY FOR MUSCLE INVASION.

AND IT JUST SO HAPPENS.

UH, WE HAVE, AGAIN, I MENTIONED THAT OUR MONITORING SITES CORRESPOND WITH LONG-TERM MONITORING, AND WE SAW A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN AMMONIA CONCENTRATIONS AT OUR MONITORING SITES AFTER THE INVASION, THE ZEBRA MUSSELS AND AMMONIA HAPPENS TO BE THE FAVORITE, UH, FORM OF NITROGEN THAT CYANOBACTERIA LIKE.

[01:05:02]

IN THERE.

UH, AND I BELIEVE YOU SAID THERE'S NO REAL WAY TO, TO GET RID OF THEM OTHER, I MEAN, THERE'S NO REAL WAY TO GET RID OF THEM.

THEY JUST KIND OF ARE THERE INDEFINITELY.

OF COURSE THERE'S A, UM, THERE, THERE ARE AT LEAST THREE MAJOR ONES THAT HAVE BEEN, UH, IN THE NEWS RECENTLY AS, AS BEING A CONCERN, UM, AND ROUNDUP IN THE PROBABLY THE MOST, UH, THE BEST KNOWN OF THE, UM, SOME OF YOUR MONITORING FOR THOSE TYPES OF TAKES TO, YEAH, I CAN, UM, UH, DOUBLE CHECK, YOU KNOW, UH, WHAT OUR, UH, LIST IS.

ONE MORE QUESTION IS, UM, WITH THE, I SKIPPED THIS EARLIER, UH, THESE, THESE ALGAE BLOOMS THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO GET RID OF BY SPREADING THIS, UH, CLAY MATERIAL ON THERE, THAT'S SEEMS LIKE TO BE SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE, THAT THE CITY'S GOING TO HAVE TO DO ON A PERMANENT BASIS.

RIGHT.

UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S THE FEAR, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH THIS WAS SET UP AS A FIVE-YEAR PILOT PROJECT, UH, AT THAT POINT, WE'LL LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, HOW WELL, UH, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THE, WE KNOW WHAT IT'S GOING TO DO, ESSENTIALLY WHAT THE PHOSPHORUS POOLS IN THE SEDIMENT.

UM, BUT THEN IT'S A MATTER OF, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH THAT CHANGE YEAR TO YEAR, UM, YOU KNOW, IS A MAINTENANCE APPLICATION REQUIRED EVERY COUPLE OF YEARS BECAUSE WE HAVE SUCH GOOD BINDING AND THERE'S SUCH LOW INPUTS OF FRESH MATERIAL.

SO THAT COULD BE SOMETHING, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'LL JUST HAVE TO BE EVALUATED ONCE WE HAVE ALL OF OUR DATA.

IT'S, IT'S TOO EARLY TO SAY, OBVIOUSLY, IDEALLY WE WOULDN'T WANT TO DO THIS EVERY YEAR.

UM, BUT THIS MANAGEMENT APPROACH WORKS BEST WITH A WHOLE WATERSHED NUTRIENT MITIGATION APPROACH.

AGAIN, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE KIND OF, UM, UH, ALICE IN WONDERLAND RIGHT NOW, WE'RE JUST RUNNING IN PLACE.

UM, AS WE'RE APPLYING FOSS LOCK APPLY MORE AND MORE FOSS LOCK, WE STILL HAVE FRESH SEDIMENTS AND ORGANIC MATTER COMING IN FROM THE WATERSHED.

UH, SO WE'RE NOT GETTING AHEAD OF THE ISSUE.

SO YOU'RE THEORETICALLY YOU SHOULD BE APPLYING IT OVER EVERY SQUARE INCH OF THE LAKES, UH, YOU KNOW, WITHIN THE CITY OF AUSTIN, BUT YOU'RE ACTUALLY ONLY APPLYING IT OVER THE PLACES WHERE THERE'S, UH, A PROVEN REQUIREMENT LIKE RED, BUT I'LL YEAH.

UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A, THAT'S A GREAT POINT.

UM, OBVIOUSLY, UH, SEDIMENT SOURCES, YOU KNOW, WERE KIND OF WORKING ON IT, ASSUMPTION THAT THOSE VERY LOCAL SOURCES OF NUTRIENTS OF PHOSPHATE ARE WHAT'S FUELING, UH, THAT LOCALIZED GROWTH OF THE BENTHIC BLOOMS, THE PROLIFERATIONS.

UM, AND SO THAT'S, AND IT WOULD BE COST, YOU KNOW, KIND OF COST PROHIBITIVE TO DO THE ENTIRE RESERVOIR, UH, ON A, ON A FREQUENT BASIS.

SO WE'RE TRYING TO SITE SPECIFIC APPROACH, UH, TO SEE WHAT KIND OF RESULTS WE GET.

AND FROM THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'LL ADAPT OUR MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES ACCORDINGLY.

ANY MORE QUESTIONS FOR THE IN-PERSON DICE COMMISSIONER SCOTT, I THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.

UM, I, UM, I'M WONDERING ABOUT, I AM ASSUMING THAT YOU MONITOR FOR A LOT MORE THINGS THAN WHAT YOU'VE MENTIONED TO US AND TO YOU, YOU JUST HAPPENED TO BRING UP, UM, UH, AMMONIA.

SO, UM, DO WE HAVE ANY REASON TO WORRY, UH, BECAUSE OF EITHER, UM, EXISTING NATURAL SOURCES OF HEAVY METALS, UH, OR, UH, INDUSTRIAL WASTE SOURCES OF HEAVY METALS IN THE, IN THE, UH, IN OUR, UM, WATER SYSTEMS AND IN AUSTIN, UM, YOU KNOW, WE DO MEASURE, UH, WE TAKE SEDIMENT SAMPLES TO LOOK FOR SOME METALS TO LOOK FOR, UH, SOME POLLUTANTS OF CONCERN, LIKE PCBS AND OTHER THINGS.

UM, IN GENERAL, UH, WE REALLY DON'T HAVE THOSE ISSUES HERE.

UM, YOU KNOW, FOR ALL OF THE, UH, PUBLIC PERCEPTION, UM, OF, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, OF, OF THESE TYPES OF POLLUTANTS GOING INTO LADY BIRD LAKE AIMING, THERE IS PROBABLY SOME LEACHING, YOU KNOW, HISTORIC LEACHING, BUT, UH, BY AND LARGE, YOU KNOW, WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT INDUSTRIAL, UM, DEVELOPMENT AROUND AUSTIN WE'D HAVE THESE SUPERFUND SITES, UH, AND THOSE TYPES OF HEAVY METAL CONTAMINANTS LIKE YOU HAVE AROUND THE GREAT LAKES.

UM, SO THOSE ARE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE ON OUR RADAR.

WE DO SOME MONITORING FOR THAT.

UM, UH, RIGHT NOW IT'S NOT, UH, UH, WE DON'T SEE THAT AS A, AS A MAJOR CONCERN.

AND THEN ALONG THE SAME, UM, LINE, UM, I'VE JUST WONDERING ABOUT, OH, WHAT YOU'RE PICKING UP OR, OR, UM, IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE FINDING ANY, ANY, UH, PARTICULAR HERBICIDES, UH, ATRAZINE WAS, WAS, UH, IN THE NEWS IN 2015,

[01:10:01]

UM, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED, I COULD SEND YOU, UM, OUR SEDIMENT RESULTS.

I MEAN, IT'S SOMETHING LIKE 75 OR SO DIFFERENT PARAMETERS THAT WE MEASURE.

UM, SO THOSE ARE PROBABLY ON THERE.

AGAIN, WE, I OFTEN TOP OF MY HEAD, NOTHING IS REALLY JUMPING OUT AS A CONCERN.

UM, YOU KNOW, THE CHLORDANES THE PH IS, IS, YOU KNOW, WE GENERALLY, WE JUST GET NON DETECTS, GENERALLY ARE LOW HITS FOR THESE THINGS.

UH, SO MY, UH, OFF THE CUFF GUESSES THAT WE PROBABLY DO NOT HAVE ISSUES WITH THOSE CHEMICALS THAT YOU'RE MENTIONING, UM, BUT I CAN DOUBLE CHECK THOSE RESULTS, UM, AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU KNOW, THAT THEY ARE ON OUR RADAR AND THAT WE HAVEN'T HAD ANYTHING.

AND AGAIN, MOST OF THIS STUFF, UM, I IS GENERALLY A LEGACY.

UM, YOU KNOW, THE BIG THING WAS THE, UH, THE COAL TAR SEALANTS, OF COURSE, UH, IN, IN THE SEDIMENTS, UM, YOU KNOW, WATERSHED PROTECTION.

UH, MY COLLEAGUES, MY SUPERVISORS WERE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, KIND OF THE FIRST TO REALLY BRING THIS TO THE FORE.

UM, AND, YOU KNOW, AUSTIN OF COURSE, WAS, UM, THE FIRST MUNICIPALITY TO BAN, UH, COAL TAR SEALANTS BECAUSE OF WHAT IT WAS DOING TO THE AQUATIC LIFE AND IT'S ACCUMULATION OF THE SEDIMENTS.

UM, YOU KNOW, AND USG, AS IN THEIR SEDIMENT, PROFILING OF LADY BIRD LAKE SHOWED THAT, UH, THE CONCENTRATION, SINCE THE BAND HAVE DECLINED TO LEVELS, NOT OF CONCERN, THE BAD STUFF IS BURIED OUT OF SIGHT OUT OF MIND.

UM, SO, YOU KNOW, UH, AGAIN, IT'S KIND OF A LOT OF THOSE THINGS I THINK ARE LEGACY ISSUES, BUT I CAN DOUBLE-CHECK THAT FOR SURE.

AND THEN THERE'S ONE LAST CATEGORY, WHICH IS THE, THE, UH, ILLEGAL AND ILLEGAL DRUGS THAT, UM, THAT PEOPLE TAKE.

UM, AND I'VE, I'VE HEARD THAT YOU CAN, YOU CAN TELL HOW MUCH, UH, METHAMPHETAMINE, UH, IS BEING USED IN A COMMUNITY BY TESTING THE WASTEWATER AT, TO, YOU KNOW, TO MUNICIPAL SITE WHERE IT'S, UM, PROCESS.

I'M JUST WONDERING, UM, DOES THAT GET TAKEN OUT AT THE WASTEWATER SIDE, OR IS THAT ANYTHING THAT, UM, PEOPLE SHOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT OR IS THAT AFFECTING, UM, WILDLIFE, ET CETERA? UH, I'LL GO, UM, I CAN'T ANSWER THAT DIRECTLY.

UM, TWO REASONS, UH, THAT IS, UH, AUSTIN WATERS, UM, UH, IN, IN THEIR WHEELHOUSE, UH, THEY MANAGE THE, UM, AND, AND TREAT THE WATER, THE WASTEWATER, UH, AND THAT IS ALL DISCHARGED, UH, BELOW LONG, UH, LONGHORN DAM.

UM, AGAIN, FLUSH IT DOWN THE RIVER OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND.

UM, SO I, I WOULD SAY, UH, ASK AUSTIN WATER, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEY LOOK FOR, WHAT THEIR PROCESSES CAN AND CANNOT REMOVE.

UM, THAT'S, THAT'S THE BEST I CAN DO WITH THAT.

YEAH, WELL, I WAS THINKING THERE'S PROBABLY PEOPLE LIVE UPSTREAM FROM US AS WELL, SO, UM, JUST, IT DOESN'T TAKE YOU VERY MUCH, THOSE HER, UH, YOU'VE PRETTY MUCH ANSWERED ALL MY QUESTIONS.

APPRECIATE IT.

IF YOU'RE A, FOR THE DRINKING WATER ASPECT OF THINGS, AGAIN, THAT WOULD ALSO BE AUSTIN WATER.

UM, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN ASK WHAT THERE, YOU KNOW, CHECK, CHECK IN WITH THEM, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEY'RE MEASURING LOOKING FOR AND CAN REMOVE IN THEIR PROCESSES, UH, SECRETARY BRISTOL, THANK YOU.

AND THANKS FOR YOUR WONDERFUL AND VERY IN-DEPTH PRESENTATION.

AND, UM, I DO WANT TO, UM, PIGGYBACK A LITTLE BIT ON, UH, WHAT, UH, CHAIR ROMBERG WAS SAYING IN THE, UM, GETTING THE WORD OUT AND, AND, UM, MARKETING, I'VE SEEN SEVERAL, UM, NEWS REPORTS ON THIS, WHICH IS FANTASTIC.

UM, AND, BUT, UH, THEY DON'T TAKE IT FAR ENOUGH AND THEY DON'T REMIND PEOPLE TO CLEAN DRAIN AND DRY THEIR BOATS.

AND SO I'D LOVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT IS JUST HIT TIME AND TIME AGAIN, SO THAT WE'RE NOT TRANSFERRING THESE, YOU KNOW, UH, MORE AND MORE, UM, JUST WANTING TO, YEAH, THEY, THEY DO A GREAT JOB WITH TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, Y'ALL ARE OUT THERE, EVERYTHING'S BEING PROACTIVE, UM, BUT JUST, HOPEFULLY WE CAN, UH, CONTINUE TO HIT THAT HOME.

SO JUST WANT TO SAY THANKS AGAIN FOR ALSO, YOU KNOW, GETTING, GETTING WITH THE NEWS AND STUFF AND HAVE THEM DO, UM, MULTIPLE REPORTS.

WE, UH, YOU KNOW, WORK ALONGSIDE TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE.

UH, YOU KNOW, THE CLEAN DRAIN AND DRY CAMPAIGN.

[01:15:01]

THEY'RE REALLY THE DRIVERS OF THAT.

THEY'VE DONE STENCILING AND SIGNAGE AT ALL THE BOAT RAMPS.

UM, UH, MY PERSONAL ASIDE AND SOAPBOX IS THAT THIS IS A STATE ISSUE AND THE STATE OF TEXAS HAS JUST, UH, VERY BLATANTLY SHRUGGED AT THE WHOLE MATTER.

UM, AND IT'S ALLOWED THESE NON-NATIVE SPECIES VERY EASILY, VERY QUICKLY MOVE BETWEEN WATERSHEDS THROUGHOUT THE STATE.

UH, JUST BECAUSE THERE'S NOT ENOUGH, UM, ENFORCEMENT AND CHECKING AND, UH, PROACTIVE CLEANING.

UM, YOU KNOW, YOU GO TO ALMOST ANY BOAT RAMP IN THE UPPER MIDWEST, UH, IN THE SUMMER, AND THERE'S CLEANING STATIONS.

THERE'S DNR STAFF THAT ARE OUT THERE.

UH, IF YOU DRIVE OUT WEST, UH, CAUSE THERE'S SO WORRIED ABOUT THEIR RESERVOIRS, UM, THEY WILL STOP, UH, EVERY BOAT AND TRAILER ON THE HIGHWAY, INSPECTED DOGS, ET CETERA, UH, WITH MASSIVE, MASSIVE FINES.

UM, IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE TRANSPORTING THESE THINGS.

SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE DON'T TREAD ON ME ATTITUDE GREAT.

IN SOME ASPECTS AND OTHERS, UH, ECOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES.

I JUST HAD ONE QUICK QUESTION.

I WAS KIND OF CURIOUS IF THERE HAS, IF THERE'S BEEN ANY TESTING ON IF THE, UM, ALGAE BLOOMS, IF THEY CAN BE, UM, INHALED, UH, LIKE ONCE IT DRIES UP, IF LIKE, IF IT WASHES UP ON SHORE WE'RE RIGHT NOW IN A DROUGHT.

SO I COULD JUST THINK OF RECEDING WATER AND LIKE THE ALGAE BLOOMS, JUST STAYING ON BY CONCRETE OR ROCKS OR SOMETHING.

AND SO I WAS JUST CURIOUS IF THERE'S BEEN ANY TESTING ON IF IT'S POSSIBLE THAT IT COULD BE AIRBORNE, RIGHT.

UH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE FORTUNATE.

UM, AND, UH, I'LL, I'LL IGNORE LAKE TRAVIS FOR NOW.

UH, THAT'S LCRA PROBLEM, UM, LAKE LAKE, AUSTIN, LADY BIRD LAKE, OR CONSTANT LEVEL RESERVOIRS.

UH, SO EVEN THOUGH WE ARE IN A DROUGHT, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE THOSE, UH, KIND OF FLUXES IN THE WATER LEVELS.

SO, UH, YOU KNOW, WE GENERALLY SHOULDN'T HAVE THAT KIND OF, UM, STRANDING OF THE CYANOBACTERIA MATS.

UM, THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW STUDIES, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE BIGGEST ISSUE IS, HAS BEEN IN SOUTH FLORIDA, UM, ON THE WEST COAST OF SOUTH FLORIDA, ALONG THE GULF OF MEXICO, UH, IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE RED TIDES, UM, AND PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, HAVING, UH, RESPIRATORY ISSUES, UH, FROM AN INHALING, THE TOXINS ASSOCIATED WITH THE RED TIDES.

UH, BUT YOU HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND, YOU KNOW, KIND OF SCALE HERE.

UM, THOSE ARE FETCH AREAS MASSIVE, AND YOU HAVE WIND THAT'S MOVING ACROSS THESE WATER BODIES FOR MILES AND MILES AND MILES ABLE TO AEROSOLIZE, UH, THAT MATTER.

AND IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT THOSE ARE ASSOCIATED WITH PLINK TONIC BLOOMS. UM, THERE'S ONE STUDY, I THINK, UP IN THE NORTHEAST, UH, THAT AGAIN, IT WAS A PLANKTONIC BLOOM.

THEY PUT OUT, UH, FILTERS AND, YOU KNOW, UNDER A CLA A FOGGY DAY WAS STRONG WINDS, NO SUN OUT THERE.

THEY WERE ABLE TO MEASURE, UH, SOME LEVEL OF TOXINS, UH, ON THEIR FILTERS.

UH, BUT AGAIN, THE CONDITIONS GENERALLY AREN'T RIGHT FOR THAT HERE.

UM, WE DON'T HAVE THAT LARGE OF A FETCH AREA.

UH, IMPORTANTLY, WE HAVE THE BENTHIC PROLIFERATIONS, SO THEY'RE NOT KIND OF FLOATING OUT ACROSS THE ENTIRE WATER BODY.

THEY'RE TUCKED AWAY IN THESE STAGNANT AREAS OR LONG SHORE.

SO THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE BUFFERED.

AND WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE IN ONE ASPECT.

THE ANTITOXIN A COMPOUND IS VERY LIGHT SENSITIVE.

UH, SO ONCE IT'S RELEASED FROM THE CELLS, IT BREAKS DOWN VERY RAPIDLY, UH, IN THE SUN.

SO, YOU KNOW, WITH THESE RIGHT SUNNY DAYS, UM, IF THERE IS CELL LYSIS OCCURRING, UH, THE UV ACTION IS GOING TO BREAK DOWN THOSE TOXINS PRETTY QUICKLY.

AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.

STEP, WE HAVE ITEM TO BE APPLIED ON RESOLUTION RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS OF WATER QUALITY, UM, AND, UM, BY ELLIS JOHNSON.

UH, NEXT

[2b. Update on resolution relating to environmental protections and water quality; and initiating amendments to the City Code—Liz Johnston, Deputy Environmental Officer, Watershed Protection Department (30 minutes)]

AND I BELIEVE WE HAVE A PRESENTATION, GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS, KATIE COIN, ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICER.

I JUST WANTED TO OPEN THINGS UP WHILE WE GET THE PRESENTATION LOADED AND SAY THAT I COULDN'T BE MORE EXCITED ABOUT THIS ITEM.

UM, SO WE'RE COMING TO YOU LESS THAN A WEEK SINCE THIS RESOLUTION PASSED AT COUNCIL, PARTIALLY BECAUSE THIS IS A TIGHT TIMELINE, BUT ALSO BECAUSE WE WANT TO MAKE SURE Y'ALL HAVE, UH, BEEN VERY WELL PLUGGED INTO THIS PROCESS.

UM, THIS ITEM INCLUDES A SUITE OF CODE AMENDMENTS, UM, THAT ARE INITIATED THAT, UH, COUNCIL IS ASKING

[01:20:01]

US TO INITIATE, UH, THAT WOULD HAVE A HUGE POSITIVE IMPACT TO OUR ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS IS A CITY.

UH, THESE ARE ALSO, UH, ITEMS THAT THEY'RE ASKING US TO COME BACK TO COUNCIL WITH COMPLETED DRAFT ORDINANCE LANGUAGE BY FALL.

AND, UH, OUR DEPUTY ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICER WILL OUTLINE A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL OF WHAT THOSE CODES ARE, UH, AND THEN ALSO THE TIMELINE.

UM, BUT PART OF THE REASON ON THAT TIMELINE IS BECAUSE A LOT OF THIS IS WORK THAT, UM, WE'RE BUILDING ON FROM CODE NEXT DISCUSSIONS FROM THE LDC DRAFT LANGUAGE THAT WAS DRAFTED YEARS AGO THAT HAD ROBUST STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT AND CONSENSUS DRIVEN WORK ALREADY DONE AROUND IT.

UH, SO JUST REALLY WANTED TO SET THE STAGE FOR REALLY JUST HOW IMPACTFUL, UH, THESE CODE AMENDMENTS, UH, CANON WILL BE, UH, THE TIMELINE THAT WE'RE BEING ASKED TO, UH, UH, UNDERTAKE, UH, FOR GOING BACK TO COUNCIL BY FALL.

UM, AND I WILL HAND IT OVER TO, UH, OUR DEPUTY ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICER.

GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.

I ALSO HAVE, UH, PAMELA ABBY TALI AND ANDREA BATES, UM, UH, HERE AS WELL.

UM, IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, ALL RIGHT.

SO LIZ JOHNSTON WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENT, UM, THIS IS JUST A BRIEFING OF A RESOLUTION AS, UM, UH, DORMANT OFFICER QUEEN MENTIONED THAT WAS PASSED, UM, THURSDAY BY CITY COUNCIL, UM, BECAUSE THE VERY QUICK TURN AROUND TIME, UM, WHERE WE NEED TO BRING FORTH A RESOLUTION TO CITY COUNCIL, UM, UH, AS WELL AS A LACK OF MEETINGS IN JULY, I WANTED TO GET THIS IN FRONT OF YOU SOONER RATHER THAN LATER, JUST SO THAT IT'S ON YOUR RADAR AND WE CAN START, UM, ANSWERING QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE AND, AND, AND LEARNING HOW TO ENGRAVE, GAUGE YOU MORE.

AND ALSO TO LET THE COMMUNITY KNOW THAT THIS IS COMING.

SO NEXT SLIDE.

UM, SO THE, THE COUNCIL RESOLUTION AGAIN, PASSED ON THURSDAY, UM, WHEN THAT HAPPENS, THERE WERE A NUMBER OF RESOLUTIONS OR, UH, MOMENTS, UM, THAT WERE INCORPORATED INTO THE RESOLUTION BY VARIOUS COUNCIL MEMBERS.

AND SO WE DO NOT HAVE THE FINAL RESOLUTION RIGHT NOW.

UM, WHAT WE HAVE UPLOADED TO THE, UM, ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION SITE IS THE BACKUP THAT WAS POSTED FOR THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING THURSDAY, AS SOON AS WE DO HAVE THE FINAL RESOLUTION, WE'LL, UM, MAKE SURE THAT WE DISTRIBUTE THAT TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSIONERS.

UM, SO THE, THE RESOLUTION DID INCLUDE SOME ELEMENTS THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO DISCUSS TODAY, UM, THAT WERE NOT RELATED TO CODE CHANGES, BUT RATHER PROCESS CHANGES, UM, INCLUDING INCREASED MONITORING OF, UM, HIGH-RISK INDUSTRIAL SITES, IMPROVE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN, UM, WATERSHED PROTECTION AND AUSTIN WATER WHEN BACTERIA, UM, LEVELS OR SORRY, INCREASED AT EQUAL LEVELS ARE FOUND DURING OUR MONITORING AND, AND, UM, DEVELOPING A PLAN TO ADDRESS, UM, ENVIRONMENTAL EQUITIES INEQUITIES WITHIN OUR ATLANTA DEVELOPMENT CODE, UM, SO THAT WE WILL BE BRINGING FORTH MORE INFORMATION ONCE THOSE ITEMS ARE FURTHER ALONG.

UM, SO CURRENTLY I'M JUST GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT THE, UM, THE FURTHER RE VOTE FOR BEER RESOLVES, UM, ON, I THINK IT WAS ON PAGE SIX OF THE DRAFT, WHERE THERE ARE 11 ITEMS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED FOR CODE CHANGES AND THEN ANOTHER ONE, UH, B UH, UM, AMENDMENT RELATED TO THE COLORADO RIVER.

AND SO, UM, AND ADDITIONALLY, THE IMPACTS THAT THESE AMENDMENTS MAY HAVE ON AFFORDABILITY HOUSING, AND ALSO THE COST OF NOT DOING THESE, UH, ORDINANCE CHANGES, NEXT SLIDE.

THAT INCLUDES IMPERVIOUS COVER CREEKS, SETBACKS, CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES, SET BACKS SUCH AS WETLANDS AND SPRINGS AND CAVES INSTRUCTION ON SLOPES CUT AND FILL.

SO THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE, IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH IT IS DIVIDED INTO DIFFERENT CHAPTERS THAT ARE, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT, UH, UH, REVIEW DISCIPLINES WITHIN THE CITY.

UM, THE EFFECTED CHAPTERS FOR THIS PARTICULAR RESOLUTION ARE TWENTY-FIVE TO ZONING, WHICH, UM, IS WHERE THE LANDSCAPE CODE IS HOUSED.

THERE'S.

UM, ONE OF THE AMENDMENTS, UM, IS RELATED TO LANDSCAPING FOR OUR HIGH IMPERVIOUS SITES.

UM, AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT.

UM, THE, UH, YOU KNOW, FIVE SEVEN IS RELATED TO DRAINAGE.

SO THAT IS WHERE OUR FLOOD PLAN REGULATIONS ARE HOUSED.

AND THAT IS WHERE THE NO ADVERSE FLOODING IMPACT, UM, REQUIREMENTS ARE LOCATED.

AND AGAIN, UM, CHAPTER 25, 8 SUB CHAPTER A WATER QUALITY.

SO THAT'S OUR KIND OF THEIR STANDARD ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS RELATED TO WATER QUALITY.

[01:25:01]

SO THERE'S A KIND OF A, UM, A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT, UM, CODE REQUIREMENTS WITHIN 25 8.

THAT'S WHERE THE MAJORITY OF THE CHANGES WILL BE.

UM, THESE CRITERIA MANUAL STARTED CODE MANUAL, AND THE ASSOCIATED CRITERIA MANUAL ENVIRONMENTAL CRITERIA MANUAL ARE ALL ON, UM, THE INTERNET AS WELL.

SO IF YOU WANTED TO LOOK THROUGH THEM, UM, YOU COULD, UM, AND WAS LAUGHING, BUT, YOU KNOW, YOU SHOULD REALLY FAMILIARIZE WITH YOURSELF WITH WHAT IS EXISTING ON THE BOOKS NOW.

UM, NEXT SLIDE.

SO WHY IS THIS COMING FORWARD NOW? UM, SO SOME OF YOU WERE DEEPLY INVOLVED IN WHAT WAS CALLED CODE NEXT, AND THEN THE SUBSEQUENT LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE REWRITE, UM, THAT GOT TO A CERTAIN POINT.

IT WAS A YEARS LONG PROCESS.

UM, ANDREA BATES HERE WAS DEEP IN THE WEEDS ON THAT, AND CAN TALK MORE ABOUT THAT PROCESS.

IT GOT TO A CERTAIN POINT AND, UM, WELL THERE WAS A LAWSUIT BECAUSE OF, UH, UM, HOW THE CITY APPLIED, UM, UH, UH, INFORMED THE, THE COMMUNITY ABOUT CHANGES TO THE, TO THE ZONING.

SO THAT WHOLE EFFORT HAS STALLED AND IS NOT GOING TO COME BACK AS FAR AS I KNOW.

UM, HOWEVER, THERE WERE A LOT OF, UM, THINGS RELATED TO THE ENVIRONMENT AND DRAINAGE IN THAT, UM, THAT WE WERE ALSO BRINGING FORWARD WITH THE SUB, THE ASSOCIATED CHANGE TO THE, THE ZONING REGULATIONS, UM, THAT AREN'T NECESSARILY PART OF THAT LAWSUIT THAT CAN COME FORWARD.

UM, THERE'S A LOT OF SUPPORT FROM ENVIRONMENTAL STAKEHOLDERS THAT ARE LISTED HERE, UM, ENVIRONMENT, TEXAS GABA, NATURE CONSERVANCY, PODER, UM, AND, AND, UM, DIVISIONALLY DURING THE PROCESS FOR CODE NEXT, WE DIDN'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO KIND OF THE REGULAR UPDATES TO FIX, UH, KIND OF THE MINOR, MINOR THINGS THAT COME UP, THE GRAY AREAS, THE LOOPHOLES THAT COME UP THAT WE FIND.

UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN A NUMBER OF YEARS SINCE WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO UPDATE THE CODE.

AND SO BECAUSE OF THE LARGER THINGS AND THEN THE SMALLER THINGS, UM, IT'S, UH, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE, THAT'S WHY IT'S COMING FORWARD NOW, NEXT COUPE.

EXCELLENT.

ALL RIGHT.

SO THE LIST OF 11 ITEMS, AND THEN THE, THE SUBSEQUENT, UM, REQUESTS.

UM, SO THERE'S BASICALLY 12 CODE CHANGE BUCKETS, UM, CAN BE FURTHER DIVIDED INTO WHAT I'M SAYING, KIND OF THREE SUBJECT AREAS.

THE FIRST ONE, UM, I WILL TALK ABOUT IS FUNCTIONAL GREEN.

UM, SO FUNCTIONAL GRANT, AND I'M NOT GOING TO GET TOO INTO THE WEEDS ON THIS, BUT THIS IS A, A CHANGE TO THE LANDSCAPE CODE THAT WAS ORIGINALLY PROPOSED WITH CODE NEXT THAT WOULD APPLY TO SITES THAT HAVE VERY HIGH LEVELS OF IMPERVIOUS COVER 80% OR MORE.

AND THE REASON THAT IS, IS A LANDSCAPE CODE THAT WE HAVE ON THE, UH, ON THE BOOKS NOW WAS ADOPTED IN THE EARLY EIGHTIES.

IT WAS WHEN DEVELOPMENT WAS VERY AUTOCENTRIC, BIG PARKING LOTS IN FRONT OF A BIG BUILDING.

AND SO IT TALKS ABOUT LIKE, YOU KNOW, TREES IN THE PARKING LOT AND BUFFERING VEHICLES FROM VIEW AND STREET YARD, HAVING ENOUGH GREEN AREA IN THE STREET YARD, BUT THAT DOESN'T REALLY APPLY TO LAR THAT KIND OF THE, THE PROJECTS THAT WE SEE NOW, WHERE IT'S A LARGE BUILDING AND IT'S BROUGHT UP TO THE STREET AND THE PARKING'S IN THE BACK OR IN A GARAGE.

AND SO THIS IS A, UM, A SYSTEM THAT WOULD, UM, HAVE THE AFFECTED PROPERTIES WOULD HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN A LIST OF ITEMS THAT WOULD GET THEM TO THIS CERTAIN NUMBER OF POINTS.

AND THOSE ITEMS COULD BE GREEN WALGREEN, ROOF, ADDITIONAL PLANTAINS.

UM, SO THERE'S A, THERE'S A LIST OF THOSE.

AND WE'LL COME BACK WITH MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT.

SO THAT IS ONE OF THE ELEMENTS.

PAMELA IS THE LEAD ON THAT SHE WAS LEAD DURING THE PREVIOUS EFFORT, AND WE'RE LUCKY AND HAPPY THAT SHE'S TAKING THIS ON AS WELL.

UM, THE OTHER ONE, A STORMWATER.

SO THERE'S A VARIETY OF, UM, CODE CHANGES THAT ARE RELATED TO HOW WE, UM, ADDRESS STORM WATER.

I'LL GO DOWN THE LIST.

SO, UH, ONE OF THOSE IS WHEN DO WE USE GREEN STORMER STORMWATER METHODS OVER CONVENTIONAL STORMWATER METHODS? SO

[01:30:01]

WHAT THAT MEANS IS, UM, SO A CONVENTIONAL STORMWATER METHOD WOULD BE WHAT IS CALLED A SEDIMENTATION FILTRATION POND.

THEY'RE VERY, VERY EFFECTIVE.

UH, THEY ARE NOT, UM, NECESSARILY THE MOST AESTHETIC TYPE OF, OF, UH, UH, STORMWATER CONTROL POND.

THEY'RE KIND OF BUILT WITH CONCRETE AND THEY'VE GOT A LINE OR SOMETIMES.

AND, UM, AND YOU ALSO CAN'T REALLY USE THEM FOR OTHER THINGS.

SO THEY'RE, THEY'RE KIND OF WITH THIS ONE, ONE SPACE, THEY DON'T ALLOW INFILTRATION TO OCCUR.

THERE'S NO PLANTS.

AND, UM, SO, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE VERY EFFECTIVE AT REDUCING TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS AND SOME OTHER POLLUTANTS, BUT, UM, UM, WE'RE THEN TRYING TO MOVE TO OTHER, UM, MORE, UM, UH, WHAT WE CALL GSI.

SO THESE ARE LIKE RAIN GARDENS, BIOFILTRATION PONDS, VEGETATED FILTER STRIPS.

SO PLANTS AND WATER, THE STORM WATER CAN INFILTRATE INTO THE GROUND AND HELP, UH, UM, INCREASE BASE FLOW TO THE CREEK.

SO THERE'S IT CONSTRUCT MOTO METHODS WILL LOOP, REMOVE THE POLLUTANT, BUT ALSO HAVE THESE OTHER BENEFITS THAT, UM, THAT WE'RE TRYING TO, UM, ENCOURAGE.

SO WE'RE, THIS IS JUST ASKING STAFF, WHEN DO YOU USE ONE KIND OR FOR THE OTHER KIND, AND NOT, MAYBE NOT, I DON'T ASSUME THAT THEY INTEND US TO JUST REMOVE CONVENTIONAL STORMWATER PONDS FROM OUR TOOLKIT, BECAUSE THEY ARE USEFUL IN SOME SITUATIONS, BUT JUST SAY, WHEN, WHEN DO YOU NEED TO USE THE GSI VERSUS WHEN CAN YOU PICK AND CHOOSE BETWEEN DIFFERENT METHODS? UM, SO THE NEXT BULLET ITEM REQUIRES SURFACE PARKING, LOT STORMWATER TO INTER PERVIOUS PARKING, LOT ISLANDS, LANDSCAPE, MEDIANS, AND PERIMETER LANDSCAPES.

SO, UM, WE DO HAVE, UH, TYPE OF, UM, UH, LANDSCAPE REQUIREMENT THAT DOES REQUIRE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF STORM WATER TO FLOW INTO GREEN AREAS.

UM, THIS IS GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT, WELL, QUITE A BIT MORE, UM, UH, PRESCRIPTIVE ON HOW PARKING LOTS AND OTHER, UM, LANDSCAPE AREAS RECEIVED STORM WATER.

SO CURRENTLY A LOT OF, AND WE'VE, YOU KNOW, PART OF THIS IS BECAUSE OUR OWN REQUIREMENTS REQUIRED A CURB TO PREVENT VEHICLES FROM DRIVING ONTO LANDSCAPE AREAS.

AND SO THAT MEANS BASICALLY ALL THE WATER IT'S THE CURB, IT GOES INTO AN INLET AND IT DOESN'T GO TO THE GREEN SPACE.

SO THIS IS SAYING, FIGURE OUT A WAY TO GET THAT STORMWATER INTO THE GREEN SPACES, UM, AND INSTEAD OF, AND GO THERE FIRST.

AND THEN IF YOU NEED TO, YOU CAN GO INTO A DRAIN OF SOME SORT TO THE POND, BUT TAKE IT TO THE GREEN SPACE.

FIRST.

UM, NEXT BULLET ALLOWS CISTERNS TO BE SIZED BEYOND THE REQUIRED STORM CAPTURE AMOUNT AND REMOVE REQUIREMENT FOR STORMWATER RELEASE SO THAT THEY CAN SUPPLY IRRIGATION NEEDS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

UM, SO WE HAVE THIS KIND OF COMPETING INTERESTS BETWEEN NEEDS TO CAPTURE WATER FOR IRRIGATION AND REDUCE THE DEMAND FOR POTABLE WATER VERSUS THOSE WATER QUALITY REQUIREMENTS THAT, UM, RAINWATER CISTERNS BE SIZED SUFFICIENTLY AND RELEASE THE WATER QUICKLY ENOUGH.

SO THAT THE NEXT STORM IS THERE'S ENOUGH ROOM AND THE SISTER, AND TO CAPTURE THE NEXT STORM.

AND SO THIS IS BASICALLY SAYING STAFF, FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE IT BOTH, YOU KNOW, BOTH OF THOSE REQUIREMENTS WORK.

UM, SO WE ALREADY CAN ALLOW IT.

SO WE ALREADY HAVE A METHOD TO ALLOW CISTERNS TO BE SIZED LARGER THAN REQUIRED, BUT THIS IS GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE, UM, WE WOULD DEVELOP CRITERIA THAT SPECIFICALLY EXPLAINS HOW TO DO IT.

UH, NEXT BULLET RE IRON NEW AND REDEVELOP PROJECTS DO USE GREENFIELD CONDITIONS AS A BASELINE WHEN CALCULATING DRAINAGE REQUIREMENTS.

UM, THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR ITEMS FROM THE COMMUNITY, UM, BECAUSE IT AFFECTS, UM, AND WOULD REDUCE LOCAL FLOODING.

UM, SO OUR CURRENT REGULATIONS AND THE, SO THIS IS NOT RELATED TO WATER QUALITY, BUT NOT CROP QUALITY, IT'S MORE QUALITY OR QUANTITY, NOT QUALITY.

UM, IT'S SO DRAINAGE REQUIREMENTS IN 25 7, UM, OUR CURRENT REQUIREMENTS SAY THAT IF A SITE HAS EXISTING IMPERVIOUS COVER AND SAY THAT SITE WAS BUILT PRIOR TO ANY REQUIREMENTS FOR DETENTION PAWNS, ANY MORE ADDITIONAL IMPERVIOUS COVER.

SO THAT EXISTING IMPROV IS COVERS THE BASELINE.

AND SO ANY DETENTION REQUIREMENTS WOULD BE TRIGGERED BEFORE WITH NEW IMPERVIOUS COVER.

[01:35:01]

THAT BASICALLY REDUCES THE AMOUNT OF DETENTION REQUIREMENTS FOR SITES, AND SOMETIMES SITES CAN HAVE PRETTY LARGE IMPERVIOUS COVER IF IT'S EXISTING AND PREVIOUS COVER.

AND THEN SOMETIMES THE SITE MIGHT REDUCE THE AMOUNT.

THEN THEY WOULD HAVE NO DETENTION REQUIREMENTS AT ALL.

THIS IS SAYING THAT ALL SITES IN THE CITY, WHETHER THERE'S EXISTING IMPERVIOUS COVER OR NOT HAVE TO USE THE SAME GREENFIELD CONDITIONS WHEN DETERMINING WHAT DETENTION REQUIREMENTS ARE NEXT BULLET PROHIBIT IN GENERAL DETENTION PONDS, EXCEPT FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS.

SO, UM, DETENTION PONDS CAN BE THESE LARGE STRUCTURES.

THERE'S TYPICALLY QUITE A LOT OF GRADING, A LOT OF DISTURBANCE OF THE GROUND WHEN THESE ARE CONSTRUCTED, THEY ARE, UM, UH, REQUIRED OFTEN FOR PREVENT FLOODING AND ADVERSE IMPACT DOWNSTREAM.

OUR CURRENT REGULATION SAYS YOU CANNOT HAVE A DETENTION POND AND THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE FROM THE NEXT LINE SAYS, EXCEPT YOU CAN HAVE IN-CHANNEL DETENTION POND.

SO YOU CAN'T HAVE A DETENTION POND AND CREEK SET BACK, BUT YOU COULD BUILD IT RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CREEK, UM, WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY KIND OF A LOOPHOLE.

UM, I DON'T GET POSED VERY OFTEN, BUT THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW THAT HAVE COME IN THAT THEN REQUIRED A QUITE A LOT OF GRADING.

IN FACT, THERE WAS ONE THAT CAME THROUGH, I THINK WHEN THEM LAST YEAR THAT HAD A CUTTING FORBEARANCE ASSOCIATED WITH IT BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE ALLOWED TO PUT A DETENTION POND, BUT THEN THEY DIDN'T COULDN'T DO THE GRADING.

SO, UM, WE WANT TO NOT, UM, ENCOURAGE OR INCENTIVIZE DETENTION PONDS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CREEK, BUT DO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IN SOME CASES, UM, IT IS THE BEST OPTION.

WATERSHED PROTECTION ITSELF HAS SOME PROJECTS TO RETROFIT SOME EXISTING AND CHANNEL DETENTION PONDS.

AND SO WHEN, UH, I THINK THE INTENT HERE IS TO, UM, NOT, UH, TO GIVE STAFF THE, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, THE ABILITY TO IMPLEMENT FLOOD CONTROL PROJECTS WHEN NECESSARY, BUT NOT ENCOURAGE, UM, PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT TO DO SO.

NEXT SLIDE.

AND THEN THE OTHER ONE, I'M JUST KIDDING.

MISCELLANEOUS ENVIRONMENTAL.

SO TWENTY-FIVE AFTER 25, 8 HAS A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS.

UM, UM, SO ONE OF THE ITEMS IS REQUIRING THAT ALL SUBDIVISIONS AND SOAP PLANS AND URBAN WATERSHEDS MEET STEEP SLOPE PROTECTION.

SO URBAN WATERSHEDS IS BASICALLY WHOSE WATERSHEDS THAT ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CITY, CENTRAL AUSTIN.

UM, THEY'RE THE WATERSHEDS THAT ARE THE OLD, YOU KNOW, DEVELOPED THE LONGEST TIME AGO.

UM, AND IT'S, IT'S THE AREA WHERE THEY DO NOT HAVE ANY PROTECTIONS FOR SLOPES AND THE EXISTING LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE.

UM, SO THIS IS SAYING, APPLY A TEXTURE, THE SLOPE PROTECTIONS THAT WE HAVE FOR THE REST OF THE CITY, UM, BOTH EAST SIDE AND WEST SIDE AND THE CENTRAL AREA.

AND I THINK, UM, I ASSUMPTION IS THIS WAS PART OF CODE NEXT, PARTIALLY RELATED TO SOME OF THE LANDSLIDES THAT OCCURRED.

THERE WERE, UM, BUILT ON SLOPES, UM, YOU KNOW, DEVELOPMENT BUILT ON SLOPES THAT ARE, UM, CAUSED SOME BIG PROBLEMS. SO TRYING TO PREVENT THAT FROM HAPPENING AGAIN, UM, NEXT BULLET REQUIRE PROJECTS TO RELOCATE REPLACED, OR UP-SIZED WASTEWATER PIPES OUTSIDE OF THE INNER HALF OF THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE.

UM, SO IF THERE, WE OBVIOUSLY DO NOT LIKE TO SEE UTILITY LINES, WHATEVER THEY MAY BE RUNNING PARALLEL TO CREEKS.

UM, THERE'S A LOT OF DISTURBANCE, LOT OF VEGETATION THAT GETS REMOVED MAINTENANCE, UM, THAT HAPPENS.

AND IF IT'S, YOU KNOW, UM, UH, LEAKY WASTEWATER PIPE, THE FURTHER AWAY FROM THE CREEK, THE BETTER, UM, SO CONCOW DOESN'T ALLOW THAT.

SO IF A PROJECT IS COMING INTO RETROFIT A UTILITY LINE, WHATEVER IT IS, STORM WATER WATERSHED PROTECTION HAS UTILITY LINES AS WELL.

W UM, WE WOULD NEED TO TRY TO MOVE THEM TO BE A, UH, IN A COMPLIANT LOCATION OF RATHER THAN MAINTAINING THEM IN THE EXISTING NON-COMPLIANT LOCATION.

UM, NEXT BULLET PROVIDE WETLAND PROTECTIONS AND BUFFERS EQUALLY ALONG LADY BIRD LAKE.

UM, THERE IS A SECTION SO WETLANDS ARE PROTECTED EVERYWHERE EXCEPT FOR A CERTAIN AREA, UM, ON LADY BIRD LAKE, AS IT FLOWS THROUGH DOWNTOWN.

SO THAT'S, UH, I THINK LAMAR TO I, 35 BASICALLY, UM, WETLANDS ARE NOT PROTECTED IN THAT AREA.

AND SO THIS IS SAYING, YOU KNOW, IF, IF A PROJECT COMES IN THAT AFFECTS

[01:40:01]

WETLANDS, BUDA BOAT DOCK, A BRIDGE, OR WHAT HAVE YOU, UM, YOU KNOW, THOSE WETLANDS COULD BE PROTECTED OR MITIGATED AS THE REST OF THE CITY.

UH, NEXT BULLET REQUIRE UTILITY EASEMENTS TO MEET THE SAME STANDARDS AS UTILITY PIPES.

SO OCCASIONALLY WE'LL COME IN AND, UM, PROJECT WILL PROPOSE A UTILITY WINE AND A NON-COMPLIANT LOCATION.

AND THE JUSTIFICATION FOR THAT LOCATION IS BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THEIR EASEMENT WAS.

SO THIS IS SAYING, WELL, IF YOU'RE GOING TO GET A NEW EASEMENT, PUT IT WHERE YOU CAN PUT IT NOT, YOU KNOW, DON'T, DON'T TRY TO TRY TO JUSTIFY YOUR LOCATION JUST BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE EASEMENT IS.

GET YOUR EASEMENT, WHERE THE PIPE IS ALREADY ALLOWED TO BE.

UM, NEXT BULLET ADDRESS, CURRENT ENVIRONMENTAL AND CONSISTENCIES AND OTHER MINOR CODE REVISIONS.

SO THIS IS WHAT I WAS KIND OF MENTIONING THAT KIND OF CLEAN UP OF THE GRAY AREAS AND CONSISTENCIES THE RE YOU KNOW, THE MINOR REWORDING.

SO THESE ARE THE, THESE ARE ITEMS THAT WERE, MANY OF THEM WERE NOT PREVIOUSLY IDENTIFY, BUT THERE PROBABLY ARE A FEW OUT THERE THAT WILL WE'LL SEE ONCE WE START DIGGING INTO THIS.

SO THE INTENT IS NOT TO HAVE A MAJOR CHANGE.

THOSE OTHER BULLET POINTS ARE MORE SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES.

THIS WOULD JUST BE KIND OF THE CLEANUP, A PORTION.

AND THEN THE LAST BULLET WAS, UM, AN ITEM THAT WAS, UH, PROPOSED BY MEMBERS FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY.

I BELIEVE IT WAS THE COLORADO RIVER CONSERVANCY, UM, THAT WANTED STAFF TO LOOK AT, UM, UH, CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE AND EROSION PROTECTION REQUIREMENTS SPECIFIC TO THE COLORADO RIVER BECAUSE THE COLORADO RIVER, UM, YOU KNOW, THE DEVELOPMENT THAT IS HAPPENING NOW AND WILL CONTINUE TO HAPPEN.

UM, AND THE VERY LARGE FLOODING EVENTS THAT HAPPEN ON THE COLORADO RIVER AND THE ROADABILITY OF THE COLORADO BANKS.

AND, UH, I THINK IT, YOU KNOW, THE COLORADO RIVER IS JUST GOING TO BE GETTING, UM, A LOT MORE DEVELOPMENT, A LOT MORE ACCESS, WHICH IS A GOOD THING.

UM, BUT LOOK, LOOKING AT THE EXISTING CODE AND COMING UP WITH RECOMMEND RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE MORE SPECIFIC TO THE RIVER ITSELF, DOWNSTREAM OF THE LONGHORN DAM, NEXT SLIDE.

AND THEN THERE WERE A NUMBER OF, UM, ITEMS, DIRECTING STAFF TO TRY TO FIND A BALANCE.

SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY'S WORRIED ABOUT AFFORDABILITY AND LACK OF HOUSING, AND WE CERTAINLY DON'T WANT TO, UM, BE AT ODDS WITH THAT.

WE WANT TO FIND A BALANCE.

AND SO THERE WERE ELEMENTS, UM, IN THE RESOLUTION ASKING US TO ADDRESS AFFORDABILITY, FISCAL IMPACT, UM, COST OF DOING NOTHING.

AND THEN, UM, SOME OF THE ITEMS THAT WERE MAYBE MORE SUBSTANTIAL THAT, UH, MIGHT BE MORE CONCERNING TO THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY, UM, WHERE THEY GREENFIELD, UM, DETENTION REQUIREMENTS AND, UM, WE, UH, REQUIRING, UH, SLOPE PROTECTIONS AND URBAN WATERSHEDS.

UM, SO THOSE ACTUALLY HAVE A DIFFERENT TIMELINE AND I'LL GET TO THE TIMELINE NEXT, BUT HAVE MORE STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT SURROUNDING THOSE SPECIFIC ELEMENTS.

SEE IF WE CAN COME UP WITH WAYS TO, UM, ADDRESS THAT CREATIVELY, UM, AND TO TRY TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE NOT INCENTIVIZING SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES OVER LIKE SMALL SCALE MISSING MIDDLE PROJECTS, NEXT SLIDE.

ALL RIGHT.

SO THERE'S BASICALLY TWO TRACKS FOR, UH, THIS RESOLUTION.

UM, SO ALL OF THOSE BULLET ITEMS, EXCEPT FOR THOSE LAST THREE THAT I MENTIONED DETENTION, UM, GREENFIELD DETENTION REQUIREMENTS, CONSTRUCTION ON SLOPES AND URBAN, UM, WATERSHEDS AND THE, UH, NOT INCENTIVIZING MISSING MIDDLE OR SUBTLE FAMILY OVER MISSING METAL.

UM, AS THEY'RE ON A SEPARATE TRACK A LITTLE BIT LATER, THE REST OF THE, UH, UH, ORDINANCE WOULD BE COMING TO THE CITY COUNCIL.

I SEPTEMBER 15TH.

UM, I ALREADY BELIEVE THAT WE MAY NOT MAKE THIS UP TIMBER 15TH, BUT I THINK WE CAN MAKE THE SEPTEMBER 22ND COUNCIL.

AND SO THIS IS THE FIRST STEP IN THAT.

AND THEN WE WILL BE GOING THROUGH BY AUGUST, STARTING TO GO THROUGH JOINT COMMITTEE OF THE CODES AND ORDINANCES.

I MEAN, BACK TO Y'ALL FOR A RESOLUTION AND THEN PLANNING COMMISSION FOR THOSE ITEMS. THE OTHER ITEMS WOULD BE A LITTLE BIT LATER, A COUPLE OF MONTHS LATER, WE WOULD BE COMING BACK TO YOU, UM, IN OCTOBER FOR A RECOMMENDATION FOR THE OTHER ITEMS BEFORE GOING TO CITY COUNCIL, NOVEMBER 3RD, NEXT

[01:45:01]

SLIDE.

OH, THAT'S THE LAST SLIDE? I DON'T HAVE A QUESTION SLIDE.

SORRY.

I THINK THAT IS THE LAST, SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, UM, WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER.

ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ON THE REMOTE ISDN? LET'S START WITH THAT.

I'M NOT SEEING OH, OUR COMMISSIONER AGUIRRE.

UH, COMMISSIONER BARRETT.

UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.

UM, REALLY APPRECIATE IT.

I HAVE A QUESTION.

HAS THE EQUITY OFFICE, OR ARE YOU ALL GOING TO BE WORKING WITH THE EQUITY OFFICE ON THIS INITIATIVE? UM, WE, WHERE WE HAVE OUR WATERSHED HAS ITS OWN, UH, EQUITY TEAM, UM, THAT WILL BE, WE'LL BE WORKING WITH THEM AND I I'M ASSUMING THEY WOULD LOOP IN THE EQUITY OFFICE AS WELL.

ANY MORE QUESTIONS ON THE REMOTE? OKAY.

HI LIZ.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.

THIS IS A LOT OF, A LOT OF GREAT STUFF HAPPENING HERE.

UM, I KNOW YOU, YOU SET THE STAGE AND KATIE THAT AS WELL.

UM, BUT DO YOU MIND GOING THROUGH, SO THIS STARTED WITH CODE NEXT, BUT JUST LIKE REMINDING US ONE MORE TIME, UM, LIKE THE PROCESS OF, OF HOW, UM, I GUESS HOW THESE PROPOSED CHANGES CAME ABOUT IT AND LIKE WHAT DEPARTMENTS ARE INVOLVED, AND THIS IS TIED INTO ANOTHER, ANOTHER SPECIFIC QUESTION THAT I HAVE, CAUSE I WAS REALLY CURIOUS ABOUT THE AFFORDABILITY QUESTION AND HOW THAT FALLS INTO THE PURVIEW OF WATERSHED SPECIFICALLY.

AND IF IT, IF IT'S ALLOWED, BECAUSE YOU'RE, IT'S LIKE AN INTERDEPARTMENTAL FOR THE CITY CITY, LIKE EFFORT, OR IF IT IS, IF IT'S SPECIFICALLY LIKE WATERSHED HAS, UM, YOU KNOW, CAN WORK ON THOSE KIND OF ISSUES THROUGH CERTAIN ANGLES, YOU SPEAK TO THE TIMELINE ISSUE AND THEN I CAN SPEAK TO THE KIND OF CROSS DEPARTMENTAL INITIATIVES.

SO CERTIFIED AFFORDABLE PROJECTS.

YEAH, I I'LL MAYBE ANSWER YOUR FIRST QUESTION FIRST, KATIE COYNE, ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICER, OR YOUR SECOND QUESTION FIRST, THEY'RE JUST CONFERRING ON, ON TIMELINE.

UM, BUT IN TERMS OF WHY IS AFFORDABILITY AND ISSUE, UH, FOR, FOR WATERSHED TO CARE ABOUT FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICER TO CARE ABOUT? UH, BECAUSE I JUST DON'T THINK WE CAN DISCONNECT THESE ISSUES FROM ONE ANOTHER.

UH, THE CITY AS A WHOLE, AS A, ONE OF OUR, OUR PRIORITIES, UH, ACROSS DEPARTMENTS, AFFORDABILITY IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE IN CRISIS ABOUT.

UH, I BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE WAYS TO SOLVE FOR, UH, BOTH ENVIRONMENTAL AND AFFORDABILITY ISSUES, UH, IN TANDEM.

UH, THOSE TWO PRIORITIES DON'T NEED TO BE IN COMPETITION.

UH, THAT'S NOT INHERENTLY HOW THOSE THINGS ARE SET UP, EVEN IF THEY HAVE BEEN IN THE PAST.

UH, AND SO IN TANDEM WITH, UH, WORKING ON MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE NOT, UH, OVERLY BURDENING, UH, PROJECTS, AFFORDABILITY, UH, AND, AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING, UH, MORE STREAMLINED OPPORTUNITIES FOR, UH, HOUSING TO GET ON THE GROUND HOUSING THAT WE KNOW, UM, PEOPLE NEED IN THIS CITY.

UH, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT HOW WE CAN BE PROACTIVE WITH INTERNAL POLICIES TO HELP INCENTIVIZE AND EVEN, EVEN POTENTIALLY, UM, POTENTIALLY COST SHARE EVEN ON AFFORDABLE PROJECTS.

SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THESE CODE CHANGES, THOSE GO HAND IN HAND WITH US BEING PROACTIVE IN THINKING ABOUT HOW ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS CAN ACTUALLY COMPLIMENT AFFORDABILITY GOALS RATHER THAN BE AT ODDS.

UH, DOES THAT HELP ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? YEAH, NO, THAT'S GREAT.

UM, I, I GUESS I LIKE, IT'S NEAT TO SEE, UM, WHY WE SHOULD HAVE THE ABILITY TO HAVE AN IMPACT ON, ON THAT HQ.

IT'S IT'S CLEARLY IT IS INTERCONNECTED.

AND SO LIKE THAT WAS, UM, I WASN'T FULLY AWARE THAT YOU GUYS COULD ADDRESS IT IN THAT WAY SO THAT I'M LEARNING THAT, THAT YOU CAN, SO THAT'S REALLY NEAT.

PLANNING DIVISION MANAGER WITH THE WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENT.

AND WE WILL ABSOLUTELY WORK WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS.

SO WE'VE REACHED OUT TO STAFFING DST.

THERE'S PROBABLY OTHER STAFF IN DSD.

WE NEED TO REACH OUT TO AUSTIN WATER, UM, CORRIDOR OFFICE, UM, AND WE'LL REACH OUT TO VARIOUS OTHERS TO, TO, AND HOW'S IT GOING PLANNING OF COURSE, FOR, UM, THE AFFORDABLE PORTABILITY IMPACT ANALYSIS.

SO, YOU KNOW, IT IS A WATERSHED IS THE LEAD DEPARTMENT.

IT IS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT AMONGST THE CITY DEPARTMENTS, AND I'M GOING TO DEFER THE TIMELINE TO ANDREA BATES.

UM, SHE HAS A LOT MORE OF THAT HISTORY, BUT EVEN COMMISSIONERS I'M, ANDREA BATES, ACTING

[01:50:01]

AND UNFORTUNATELY MY MEMORY FOR THE EXACT DATES IS VERY FUZZY, BUT WE ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO BE LOOKING BACK AT WHERE WE'VE BEEN ON MANY OF THESE THINGS AND KIND OF RECREATING A MORE SPECIFIC TIMELINE, LIKE WHAT YOU'RE ASKING, BUT I'LL GIVE SOME GENERALITIES, I WOULD SAY THAT THE ORIGINAL IDEAS FOR MANY OF THE CODE AMENDMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN INITIATED WITH THIS GROUP DATE TO WHEN WATERSHED WAS WORKING ON THE WATERSHED PROTECTION ORDINANCE, WHICH WAS JUST SLIGHTLY AFTER THE ADOPTION OF IMAGINE AUSTIN.

SO I WOULD SAY THAT 20 12, 20 13 TIME RANGE, WHEN WE DID OUR LAST SET OF MAJOR CODE AMENDMENTS WITH THE WATERSHED PROTECTION ORDINANCE, THERE WERE A FEW THINGS WE DIDN'T GET TO BACK THEN.

AND SO SOMETHING LIKE THE GREEN STORM WATER INFRASTRUCTURE PROPOSAL WAS DISCUSSED A LITTLE BIT AND THEN KICKED TO A SPECIAL WORKING GROUP, ESSENTIALLY THAT MET FOR SEVERAL YEARS, AT LEAST A COUPLE, MAYBE SEVERAL YEARS AFTER THAT, TO DEVELOP THESE PROPOSALS, THAT WATERSHED SPECIFIC WORK TRANSITIONED INTO THE CITY-WIDE WORK AS PART OF THE CODE NEXT PROCESS.

SO WATER SAID SPECIFIC, UH, AMENDMENTS WERE INCORPORATED INTO THE CITYWIDE CODE UPDATE IVES CODECS THAT WENT ON FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS.

THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT WATERSHED PROBABLY HAD, YOU KNOW, TOPIC SPECIFIC MEETINGS WITH STAKEHOLDERS.

WE WERE CERTAINLY A PART OF THE CODEX PROCESS AS A WHOLE AND ALL OF THE ENGAGEMENT THAT IT ENTAILED CODE NEXT WAS PUT ON PAUSE IN 2018, I BELIEVE.

UH, AND IT CAME ON THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE REVISIONS CAME BACK IN 2019.

WE PICKED UP WHERE OUR CODE AMENDMENTS HAD BEEN IN CODE NEXT AND CONTINUED TO REFINE THEM, TOOK THEM THROUGH THE ADDITIONAL ENGAGEMENT PROCESS ASSOCIATED WITH THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE REVISION IN 2019 THROUGH 2020.

AND THEN WHEN THAT WAS PUT ON PAUSE, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THE WORK ON THESE AMENDMENTS WAS ALSO PUT ON PAUSE, BUT THAT IS MANY, MANY YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT, INTERNAL CONVERSATIONS, INTERDEPARTMENTAL CONVERSATIONS, COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS, THAT GUT MOST OF THESE PROPOSED CODE AMENDMENTS TO THE PLACE WHERE THEY WERE INCORPORATED IN A SECOND READING DRAFT OF THE LDC REVISION THAT WAS BEFORE COUNCIL IN THE WINTER OF 2020.

THAT WAS GREAT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

THAT CONTEXT IS, IS REALLY HELPFUL.

UM, IT'S SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF THESE HAVE BEEN, UH, YEARS IN THE MAKING.

SO CONGRATULATIONS ON GETTING IT THIS FAR.

UM, UH, COMMISSIONER THOMPSON, UM, I GUESS I'D JUST LIKE TO ADD THAT, UM, I WAS ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION AT THAT TIME AND WE SCURRIED TO MAKE COMMENTS AND IT WAS, UM, A RATHER LARGE TASK, BUT WITH EVERYTHING ELSE THAT WAS GOING ON.

SO I DON'T KNOW SOMEWHERE IN SOME, UH, W WE MADE RECOMMENDATIONS AND SOME OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS LED TO OTHER THINGS.

SO IT MIGHT BE INTERESTING FOR SOME OF YOU TO JUST READ THE LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL AT THAT TIME, UH, SUBMITTED TO THE FINAL DRAFT OF THE CODE NEXT.

AND, UM, SOME OF THEM HAVE EVOLVED AND JUST TO THOUGHT, THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER THOMPSON.

WE WILL CERTAINLY DO THAT.

ANY MORE QUESTIONS ON THE REMOTE DIAS, UH, COMMISSIONER GATOR, W I DON'T KNOW THAT I HAVE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

I DON'T KNOW THAT I HAVE A NECESSARILY A QUESTION, BUT MORE LIKE A COMMENT WHEN WE THINK ABOUT AFFORDABILITY, UM, BECAUSE OF THE FLOODING THAT HAPPENS.

AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE 2013 AND 2050 CATASTROPHIC BLOODS, YOU KNOW, OVER, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE WERE OVER 800 HOMES TOTAL IN TOTAL, AND PROBABLY STARTING IN 1998, A LOT OF THOSE PEOPLE WERE DISPLACED BECAUSE OF THE FLOODING IN THEIR HOMES.

SO THAT'S A DIFFERENT KIND OF DISPLACEMENT AS OPPOSED TO GENTRIFICATION IT'S BECAUSE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN PUBLIC SAFETY.

SO I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, SO THERE'S THAT REASON.

AND I KNOW I WAS PART OF THE FLOOD MITIGATION TASK FORCE, AND WE WILL BE PRESENTING SOME OF THOSE CONCERNS TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION AND, UM, THEY DID WHAT THEY COULD, BUT FOR US, IT'S A PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUE FOR SOME PEOPLE.

IT IS LIKE, LET'S NOT WAIT FOR THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE TO HAPPEN.

THIS IS A PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUE AND THE URGENCY IS, IS THERE.

[01:55:01]

THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S JUST MY THOUGHTS ON, ON THIS PROCESS AS WELL, BUT THANK YOU.

THANK YOU FOR SAYING THAT.

AS SOON AS I WAS DONE SPEAKING ABOUT THE HISTORY, I REGRETTED NOT MENTIONING THE FLOOD MITIGATION TASK FORCE, THE PROPOSAL, THE PROPOSAL DRAINAGE STANDARD CHANGE, THE GREENFIELD STANDARD WAS A VERY STRONG RECOMMENDATION OUT OF THE FLOOD MITIGATION TASK FORCE IN 2015, WHO AT THAT TIME RECOMMENDED THAT WE PROCEED WITH IT ESSENTIALLY IMMEDIATELY NOT WAIT FOR WHAT WAS THEN THE CODE NEXT PROCESS.

AND SO, UH, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT UP AND I'M SORRY.

I HAD NEGLECTED TO MENTION IT.

ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ON HER, UM, IN PERSON DIES MISSIONARY BRIMER.

I APPRECIATE YOUR, UH, YOUR PRESENTATION THERE, UH, WITH REGARDS TO SOMETHING THAT COMMISSIONER THOMPSON SAID, UH, ABOUT, UH, THE INPUT PROVIDED BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION WAY BACK WHEN WE WERE ALL CHILDREN, UH, WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE, UH, FOR YOU TO EMAIL THAT OUT TO THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION SO THAT WE COULD BE APPRAISED OF, OF WHAT HAPPENED IN, YOU KNOW, IN THE WAY BACK MACHINE TYPE THING? YES, WE CAN DO THAT.

UH, THEN I, THE INTERNET WENT AWAY AGAIN.

UH, ELLIE'S MINE, UH, IS THE SECTION OF THE COLORADO RIVER THAT IS BELOW LONGHORN DAM.

IS THAT WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS OR IS THAT IN THE ETJ? A PORTION OF IT IS IN THE CITY LIMITS.

YES, BUT WE ALSO HAVE OUR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS DO EXTEND INTO THE ETJ AS WELL.

AND SO THESE PROTECTIONS WOULD EXTEND THE IN FULL JURISDICTION THAT WE HAVE.

UH, LET'S SEE.

UH, W I PROBABLY SHOULD'VE ASKED THIS FIRST.

CAN YOU CLARIFY WHY YOU'RE MAKING THIS PRESENTATION TODAY? YES, BECAUSE THE TIMELINE IS SO QUICK.

UM, AND WHEN I WAS TOGETHER, THE DRAFT TIMELINE, IT DIDN'T SEEM LIKE THERE WOULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE YOU A BRIEFING BEFORE WE WERE ABLE TO ACTUALLY COME TO YOU WITH A RESOLUTION, THE FOUR AND ASK FOR AN ACTUAL REC RECOMMENDATION.

UM, AND SO I WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW ABOUT IT NOW, UM, IF, UM, IF THERE IS, OR, YOU KNOW, UM, REQUEST FOR MORE INFORMATION NOW THAT WE COULD GIVE YOU TO HELP YOU PREPARE FOR IT, IF WE COULD ORGANIZE A WORKING GROUP, UM, FOR MAYBE A SUBSET OF, UM, UH, COMMISSION MEMBERS WHO MAY HAVE NOT BEEN INVOLVED AND MAY WANT TO UNDERSTAND MORE, UM, WE COULD DO THAT AS WELL.

UM, GIVEN THE LIMITED TIMEFRAME THAT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, COUPLE OF TIMES AND JULY OR AUGUST BEFORE WE NEED TO COME BACK, BUT I WANTED TO ASK, UM, OR, OR GET SOME FEEDBACK FROM Y'ALL ON WHAT, WHAT TYPE OF INFORMATION YOU NEED NOW, SO THAT YOU CAN BE READY AND FEEL COMFORTABLE MAKING A RECOMMENDATION WHEN IT COMES BACK.

SO WHEN WE MAKE A RECOMMENDATION AT A LATER DATE, WHEN YOU COME BACK AND ASK FOR ONE, WILL WE BE ABLE TO RECOMMEND CHANGES TO THE WORDING OR THIS SORT OF THING? SO IF WE DON'T LIKE A PARTICULAR SENTENCE OR PARAGRAPH, WE CAN SAY, YOU KNOW, THIS IS WHAT WE WOULD RECOMMEND IT BE PHRASED AS, YOU KNOW, THIS WAY IN ORDER TO CORRECT.

YES, YES.

OR WHATEVER IT IS.

SO WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MATERIALLY IMPACT THIS DOCUMENT AS OPPOSED TO JUST VOTE YES OR NO ON THE ENTIRE THINGS, THE WAY IT'S PRESENTED TO THEM.

YES, ABSOLUTELY.

YOU COULD, UM, THE WAY YOU WOULD DO IT IS, YOU KNOW, RECOMMEND APPROVAL WITH THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS.

AND THEN THAT'S WHERE YOU WOULD MAKE THE CHANGES MUCH.

LIKE WE WOULD, IF SOMEONE CAME TO US WITH A VARIANCE OR BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, OTHER SIMILAR THINGS LIKE THAT.

UH, YOU MENTIONED THE, THE RE THE RETENTION PONDS AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT SORT OF THING, UH, AND THE CHANGES WOULD BE FOR THE NEW ONES.

IS THERE ANY ATTEMPT TO ADDRESS THE EXISTING DETENTION PONDS THROUGH RETROFITS AND WORKING WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, DEVELOPERS WHO ALREADY HAVE THESE THINGS THAT YOU HAVE DECIDED ARE REPREHENSIBLE NOW, BUT, YOU KNOW, 10 YEARS AGO WERE NOT REPREHENSIBLE, AND NOW WE WANT TO MAKE THEM LESS REPREHENSIBLE.

MEAN THAT THERE COULD BE MORE DOWNSTREAM FLOODING.

THERE ARE SOME PROJECTS THAT WATERSHED HAS, UM, RIGHT NOW THAT ARE LOOKING AT SOME EXISTING, UM, AND CHANNEL DETENTION PONDS, NOT TO REMOVE THEM, BUT TO, UM, IMPROVE THEM, UM, REMOVING THEM WOULD BE MOST OF THE TIME, PRETTY DIFFICULT TO DO, BECAUSE THEY ARE THERE TO PROVIDE DETENTION, REMOVING THEM WOULD THEN

[02:00:01]

AND SO, WELL, I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT I MEAN, MAKE THEM MORE BETTER, WHATEVER THAT MEANS.

I KNOW IT MAY BE CUSTOMIZED FOR EACH ONE BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL PROJECT SPECIFIC WHEN THEY WERE DESIGNED.

UH, I WOULD SAY THAT WATERSHED IS FOCUSED MORE ON ASSETS THAT ARE ON CITY PROPERTY, THAT MORE SO THAN PRIVATE PROPERTY, BUT THERE ARE, THEY DO LOOK, UM, AND THERE ARE SOME THAT ARE, UM, IN PROPOSAL RIGHT NOW THAT ARE ACTUALLY DOING JUST THAT THE, UH, STORM WATER CAPTURE THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IN HERE.

AM I UNDERSTANDING THIS CORRECTLY THAT, THAT A COMPANY OR A DEVELOPER, WHOEVER IT MIGHT BE, WOULD CAPTURE THE STORMWATER WITH THE INTENTION OF USING IT FOR, UH, IRRIGATION RATHER THAN TAPPING, UH, SOURCES, CITY WATER, OR WATER OR RECLAIMED WATER.

SO THAT'S, THAT'S THE INTENTION THERE IS TO LEAVE THE CITY, THE RESPONSIBILITY OF PROVIDING THAT WATER FROM ITS RIGHT.

IT'S FREE FROM THE SKY AND IT HASN'T BEEN PROCESSED AND, YOU KNOW, POTABLE WATER SHOULD BE USED FOR DRINKING AND NOT FOR WATERING.

UH, NOW YOU MENTIONED THESE CHANNEL DETENTION PONDS, AND IF I UNDERSTOOD YOU CORRECTLY, PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO BUILD A PENSION DETENTION PODS WITHIN CREEKS.

THE CURRENT CODE DOES ALLOW DETENTION IN CHANNEL DETENTION PONDS.

NOW THE PROCESS BY WHICH YOU SEEM TO BE MENTIONING, THIS WOULD CONTINUE THIS UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES.

IS THAT CORRECT? WOULD THAT STILL BE REVIEWED BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, SHOULD A, UH, OR THIS, AN ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS AT YOUR, UH, YEAH.

THE WAY IT IS WRITTEN, IT WOULD BE AN ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS.

SO WE WOULD NO LONGER BE ABLE TO REVIEW THAT IT WOULD BE AN ADMINISTRATIVE BOX THAT YOU ALL WOULD CHECK AND DO THAT WITHOUT INPUT FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, CORRECT.

THE, UM, THE, IT WOULD BE HABITED EXCEPT FOR LIMITED INSTANCES, UM, PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS.

SO I THINK THAT IT WAS THE INTENT IS THAT WATERSHED ITSELF WOULD BE ABLE TO DO PROJECTS OR, OR IF THERE ARE OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS THAT NEEDED IT, WE WOULD LOOK AT IT ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS AND ENSURE THAT THAT WAS THE ONLY OPTION AVAILABLE, BUT IT, THE WAY IT IS, UM, THE INTENTION AND THE RESOLUTION THAT I HAVE, I BELIEVE IT WAS FOR IT TO BE AN ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS.

SO WE'D BE CUT OUT OF THE LOOP IS VAUGHN.

NOW, AS I READ THIS, THIS, THIS DOCUMENT THAT WAS ORIGINALLY ON THERE, UH, IT'S A RESOLUTION AND THERE'S A LOT OF, WHEREAS US, WHICH COVERED MOST OF THE STUFF THAT YOU HAD UP THERE, BUT THE VERY BOTTOM OF IT'S, UH, DIRECTS SOMEWHERE DOWN HERE, UH, RESOLVED THAT THE CITY MANAGER'S GOING TO DO THESE THINGS.

THIS LOOKS LIKE THIS IS AN ENTIRELY ADMINISTRATIVE THING.

THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE WHEN ALL SAID AND DONE, THIS IS NOT GOING TO GO AND SEE CODE.

THIS WAS GOING TO BE AN ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION MADE BY THE CITY MANAGER RATHER THAN, UM, A CODE THING.

IS THAT CORRECT? NO.

SO SOME OF, SOME OF THE RESOLUTION IS ADMINISTRATIVE INTERNAL PROCESSES, BUT THE, UM, BUT THE, BEFORE THEY'RE AT RESOLVE WITH ALL THE BULLET POINTS THAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT SAID DIRECTS THE CITY MANAGER TO BRING FORTH A RESOLUTION, CHANGING THE CODE CHAP CHAP, OR TITLE 25 OF THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE.

SO, SO THAT PARTICULAR SECTION IS BASICALLY INITIATING, UH, THE ORDINANCE PROCESS.

SO THIS WOULD APPLY TO CODE.

SO THESE ARE THINGS THAT WERE PART OF CODE NEXT, SOME OF THEM, YEAH.

SOME OF THEM, AND WE'RE GOING TO IMPLEMENT THOSE IN PIECEMEAL.

CORRECT.

SO, UM, THIS IS BRINGING FORTH THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND DRAINAGE PORTION OF CODE NEXT.

AND I CAN, I CAN ALSO MAYBE MENTION RECOGNIZING THAT THAT IS A CHALLENGE TO BRING TOGETHER PIECEMEAL UPDATES.

WHEN INITIALLY THEY WERE PROPOSED AS A PACKAGE, WE WILL BE TALKING TO OUR OTHER PARTNERS AND OTHER DEPARTMENTS WHO MIGHT BE INITIATING OTHER GOOD CHANGES THAT ARE NECESSARY TO BUILD CONSENSUS FOR THE MOST ROBUST ENVIRONMENTAL CODE CHANGES.

AND I ASKED THE QUESTION UP BECAUSE I HAVE ONE OPINION OR THE OTHER ABOUT THE WHOLE THING.

I WAS JUST TRYING TO CLARIFY WHAT ON-AIR UNDERSTOOD TO BE THE CASE.

NOW THAT YOU SAY THAT THERE SEEMS TO BE CAUGHT IN THE, IN THE MO OF CITY STUFF, UH, AN UPDATE TO THE HERITAGE TREE ORDINANCE THAT HASN'T COME BEFORE THE CITY COUNCIL, SINCE THE THIRD READING, I UNDERSTAND BACK IN MARCH OF 2020, IT MIGHT BE INTERESTING TO SEE IF THAT COULD BE SHOVELED IN HERE WITH THAT.

HOWEVER,

[02:05:02]

THERE WERE CHANGES TOO.

AND, AND, UM, I'M NOT THE, IN THE COMMUNITY FORESTRY DIVISION IN DSD, BUT YEAH, BUT I, THERE WERE CHANGES, THERE WERE CHANGES TO THAT.

AND, UM, THAT I WOULD SAY IS NOT, UM, A MINOR REVISION.

UM, SO IT WAS NOT SOMETHING THAT WAS INTENDED TO BE BROUGHT FORTH WITH THIS RESOLUTION.

HOWEVER, YOU CAN MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS IF YOU CHOOSE, UM, TO, TO BRING THOSE FORTH, UM, UM, AND CITY COUNCIL CAN ACT OR NOT.

THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT.

ANY MORE QUESTIONS ON THE IN-PERSON DIETS, UH, COMMISSIONERS, UH, SHIRA.

I, UM, WANTED TO ASK IT AS THEY CITY FOCUSES MORE ON THE GROWTH OF CORRIDORS, IF THAT'S EXPECTED TO BE IN THE ANALYSIS OF AFFORDABILITY AND ADDRESSING ANY CODE CHANGES.

UH, SO THERE MIGHT BE SOME ELEMENT OF LOOKING AT CORRIDORS WHEN WE LOOK AT KIND OF THE BALANCING OF, UH, GREENFIELD REQUIREMENTS WITH, UM, OR THE SLOPE PROTECTIONS.

UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVEN'T REALLY STARTED THE DISCUSSION ON HOW WE DO THAT NECESSARILY.

SO, UM, THERE COULD BE SOMETHING RELATED TO THAT, BUT THE CORRIDORS ARE ALSO KIND OF MORE WHERE'S THE ZONING RELATED.

AND SO, UM, MANY OF THESE REQUIREMENTS ARE, WOULD APPLY CITYWIDE, NOT JUST ALONG THE CORRIDORS THAT, THAT SAID ITEM 66, WHICH I BELIEVE PASSED LAST WEEK, UH, SPECIFICALLY LOOKED AT CORRIDOR, UM, COMPATIBILITY AND PARKING MINIMUMS. AND SO THOSE ARE TWO ENTITLEMENTS THAT WOULD BE COMPLIMENTARY AND, AND SUPPORTED LIKELY BY THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY TO OFFSET POTENTIALLY SOME OF THE IMPACT OF SOME OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL CODE UPDATES WE MIGHT BE PROPOSING.

AND, UM, WHAT TYPE OF OUTREACH IS DONE WITH CONTACT TEAMS IN REGARD TO THIS TYPE OF POTENTIAL CODE CHANGES? THIS IS THE GUIDANCE THAT WE HEARD FROM MANY OF THE COUNCIL OFFICES IS THAT THERE HAVE ALREADY BEEN, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS, THIS IS NOT THE ENTIRE CODE, NEXT ENVIRONMENTAL PACKAGE.

IT'S A SUBSET OF THAT.

UM, MOST OF IT HAS ALREADY GONE THROUGH THE STAKEHOLDER PROCESS.

AND SO THAT WAS PART OF THE COUNCIL'S INTENT ON THE VERY QUICK TIMELINE.

SO WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF TIME FOR A LOT OF OUTREACH.

WE'LL DO WHAT WE CAN GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT WE HAVE.

ANY MORE QUESTIONS, SECRETARY BRISTOL.

UM, SIDE OF THINGS, UM, AS IT COMES INTO, YOU KNOW, ANY, ANY OF THE, UM, UH, WATERSHEDS THAT FLOW IT, ESPECIALLY THE FLOW INTO THE COLORADO RIVER.

AND THANKS LIZ FOR YOUR VERY THOROUGH, UH, UM, PRESENTATION HERE AND ESPECIALLY GIVEN THAT YOU WERE GIVEN THIS LAST WEEK.

UM, SO, UH, I WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT COLLARD RIVER AS WELL.

UM, AND YOU KNOW, WE, UM, IT FEELS LIKE A LOT OF OUR CODE RIGHT NOW IS GEARED TOWARDS DEVELOPMENT IN A CERTAIN TYPE OF WAY, UM, HOUSING.

UM, WE DON'T TALK ABOUT MANUFACTURING VERY MUCH AND, BUT WE'RE SEEING THAT MORE AND MORE MANUFACTURING IS LOOKING AT AUSTIN.

UM, THEY'RE ESPECIALLY LOOKING AT THAT EASTERN QUADRANT AS IT FLOWS ALONG THE COLORADO RIVER.

UM, THE GIGAFACTORY IS OF COURSE ALREADY THERE.

UM, THERE WAS AT ONE POINT AND I IN FORGIVE ME IF IT'S STILL IN WONDERFUL EXISTENCE, I HOPE IT IS, BUT THE COLORADO RIVER CORRIDOR PROJECT THAT LINKED TOGETHER CITY OF AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY, BASTROP COUNTY, UM, AND THERE WAS, THERE WAS MULTIPLE AGENCIES THAT WORKED, UM, ALONG THE RIVER CORRIDOR, LOOKING AT THAT HOPE THAT THAT'S STILL IN EFFECT.

I HOPE THAT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IF WE, THE CITY OF AUSTIN ARE ENACTING CODE, THAT WE'RE ALSO THEN HELPING INFLUENCE THOSE DOWNSTREAM, UM, NEIGHBORS AND PARTNERS, UM, THAT CAN, YOU KNOW, ALSO UTILIZE THIS AS SOMETHING THAT THEY DO AS WELL.

SO, BUT WHAT I'M REALLY THINKING ABOUT IS THAT MANUFACTURING,

[02:10:01]

SO CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT OR YEAH, THE, THE RESOLUTION, UM, SPECIFICALLY CALLED OUT PROTECTIONS FOR THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE AND THE EROSION HAZARD ZONE.

UM, IT DIDN'T SPECIFICALLY TALK ABOUT, UM, THE DEVELOPMENT UPSTREAM OUTSIDE OF THOSE BUFFERS.

UM, SO I, UM, HOWEVER, I THINK THAT THE, THE ELEMENT IN THE IFC THAT TALKS ABOUT LOOKING AT THE CODE FOR INEQUITIES BETWEEN THE EAST SIDE AND THE WEST SIDE, UM, IN OUR LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE WOULD POSSIBLY TO SOME OF THOSE CONCERNS, HOWEVER, UM, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WOULD LIKELY OCCUR THROUGH OUR STRATEGIC PLAN PROCESS.

THAT'S, UH, UM, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE OF YEARS AWAY, NOT NECESSARILY WITH THIS PARTICULAR EFFORT.

UM, UH, BUT AGAIN, IF YOU, YOU KNOW, THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, IF YOU HAVE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE ADDED, OR, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU ARE CERTAINLY ABLE TO MAKE THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS.

COMMISSIONER THOMPSON, GOPHERS.

AND I, I THINK WE, WE PROBABLY WILL, AND HOPEFULLY, UM, WE'LL ASK, UH, YOU KNOW, THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS, UM, YOU KNOW, TO THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT, SOME OF THOSE TO LOOK LIKE AND FEEL LIKE, UM, SO THAT WE CAN AS SECRETARY, SO I CAN PREPARE THOSE, UH, AND CAPTURE YOUR, YOUR WILL AND YOUR WISHES.

UM, GOOD.

I WANT TO ALSO SAY THAT I DON'T THINK WE HAVE A COUPLE OF YEARS TO WAIT, UM, TO ADDRESS THE MANUFACTURING SIDE OF THINGS.

UM, I THINK THAT IT'S, IT'S HERE, IT'S AT OUR, IT'S AT OUR DOORSTEP WHEN WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE REALLY ON TOP OF IT TO DO THE BEST THAT WE CAN.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.

OH, OH, SORRY.

COMMISSIONER SCOTT.

OH, OKAY.

UH, OKAY.

UM, I WAS WONDERING IF STAFF COULD ADDRESS, UM, SEVEN, UH, PROHIBIT AND CHANNEL DETENTION PONDS, EXCEPT FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS ARE PRIVATE PUBLIC PARTNERSHIPS WHERE NO OTHER ALTERNATIVE IS FEASIBLE.

AND I DON'T REALLY WANT YOU TO ANSWER THAT.

I JUST WANTED YOU TO SEND US A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES OF THE ONES THAT WE HAVE NOW, BECAUSE THEY'RE HARD TO IMAGINE.

AND SO I THOUGHT IT WOULD JUST BE EASIER IF YOU SENT A LINK SO THAT WE COULD SEE AND FORM OUR OWN OPINIONS.

YES, WE CAN DO THAT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. SCOTT.

OH, WELL, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE PRESENTATION.

WERE SOME, UH, CITIZENS THAT WERE INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT WHY THE CITY OF AUSTIN STILL HAS SORT OF LIKE, UH, A FISCAL RELATIONSHIP AND SORT OF JUST LIKE, YOU KNOW, UH, A LEGAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE VEHICLE PLANT, EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T REALLY USE IT.

NEXT STEP.

WE HAVE COMMITTEE REPORTS.

ARE THERE ANY UPDATES WITH THE URBAN FORESTRY COMMITTEE? UM, JOINTS SUSTAINABILITY.

[3b. Report on the Joint Sustainability Committee – Haris Qureshi (member) and Richard Brimer (alternate member)]

HEY, Y'ALL THAT'S ME.

UM, SO YEAH, IT WASN'T HERE, UH, FOR THE LAST MEETING.

SO THE SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE DID MEET WITH MY FIRST TIME AT THE COMMUNITY, LEARNED A LOT OF REALLY COOL THINGS.

UM, THERE'S AN UPDATE FOR, UH, THE CLIMATE AMBASSADORS.

UH, THAT'S BEING HEADED BY A SYDNEY LANDY OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY.

UM, THEY'RE LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO REPRESENT, UH, THAT REPRESENT THE COMMUNITY AND, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT SIDES OF TOWN, UH, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT DEMOGRAPHICS, UH, TO BASICALLY SPREAD THE, UH, THE GOOD WORD ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW PEOPLE CAN, UH, YOU KNOW, SORT OF DO THEIR PART TO HELP STAVE OFF, UH, THE ADMITTEDLY, UH, YOU KNOW, INEVITABLE, UH, CLIMATE CHANGE ISSUE THAT WE'RE FACING.

UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK AS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION AS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE PROBABLY ALL INTERESTED IN, SO, UM, I CAN FORWARD THAT TO EVERYBODY.

UH, IF THEY HAVEN'T GOTTEN THE EMAIL, UH, LEARNED SOME STUFF ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, AND, YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE IN CHARGE OF THE AIRPORT ARE DOING, UH, FOR SUSTAINABILITY.

SO THAT WAS A SUPER INTERESTING, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE DOING SOME CRAZY STUFF WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, JET FUEL AROUND HERE WHERE THEY'RE MIXING IT WITH LIKE, I THINK, UH, ANIMAL OIL, UH, TO REDUCE, UM, SORT OF LIKE EMISSIONS, WHICH A SUPER CRAZY, UM, SOMETHING THAT I THOUGHT WAS INTERESTING.

UM, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A PRESENTATION ON, UH, THE FAYETTE COAL PLANT, UH, IN LAGRANGE.

I DON'T KNOW, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF THIS, BUT THE SAVE AUSTIN ACTUALLY AS A KIND OF AGREEMENT WITH THE FAKE WHOLE PLAN AND LAGRANGE.

UH, AND SO THERE

[02:15:01]

IT'S, YOU KNOW, PRETTY INEFFICIENT, I THINK, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TRYING TO BE A GREEN CITY, HAVING A COAL PLANT, YOU KNOW, LIKE HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY, UH, THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN USES PERHAPS NOT THE BEST, UH, USE OF FUNDS OR SORT OF ADMISSION, SO TO SPEAK.

UM, BUT PEOPLE WERE JUST LIKE, IT'S KIND OF HARD TO GET AN ANSWER.

I HAVE AUSTIN ENERGY.

UM, AND SO THEY WERE KIND OF CURIOUS WHAT DIFFERENT COMMISSIONS AND, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE COULD DO, UH, TO SORT OF SHED LIGHT ON THIS INFORMATION IN A PUBLIC MANNER.

UM, IT MIGHT BE INTERESTING TO SEE IF THAT FALLS WITHIN THE PURVIEW OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION AND IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO AS FAR AS LIKE, YOU KNOW, GETTING A BRIEFING OR GETTING SOME KIND OF INFORMATION ON IT, UH, CURIOUS TO GET OTHER PEOPLE'S OPINIONS.

THANKS FOR THAT DATE.

UM, ON KENYA LENS.

[3c. Report on the Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan Citizen’s Advisory Committee – Jennifer Bristol]

UM, I THINK I SAID THIS, THE LAST MEETING, BUT, UH, WE'RE WE'RE MEETING IN THE FALL AND, UM, I LOOK FORWARD TO LEARNING MORE ABOUT IT THEN.

THAT'S ALL I GOT.

WATERFRONT ADVISORY BOARD.

UM, JOIN A JOINT COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL

[3d. Report on the Joint Committee of the Environmental Commission and Parks and Recreation Board –Pam Thompson, Rachel Scott, Perry Bedford, and Haris Qureshi]

COMMISSION IN PARKS.

I'M NOT MET GOETZ AND, UH, SOUTH CENTRAL

[3e. Report on the South Central Waterfront Advisory Board – Ana Aguirre]

OUR NEXT MEETING IS NEXT TUESDAY ON THE 21ST.

FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS AND SHOULD A PRIMER? I'VE A COUPLE OF THINGS FIRST.

UH, ANY

[5. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]

UM, WE HAD A GENTLEMEN SPEAK FROM, I FORGET THE SIERRA CLUB LAST WEEK REGARDING A DETENTION POND CLEANUP OVER AT, UH, THE SOCCER STADIUM.

I FORGET WHAT THEY CALL IT, BUT, UH, AND HE REQUIRED, AND I THINK WE REQUESTED AN UPDATE ON THAT.

IS THAT GOING TO BE ON AN UPCOMING MEETING AND WHEN, AND, UM, YES.

UH, I WILL NEED TO GO BACK AND ASK, UM, THE RELEVANT STAFF, WHAT THEIR UPDATE IS ON THAT.

I KNOW THAT WE HAVE HAD SOME INTERNAL DISCUSSIONS, BUT I'M NOT ENTIRELY SURE WHERE WE LANDED ON THAT.

SO WE WILL GET BACK WITH YOU.

UM, AND IT MAY BE MORE OF A WRITTEN STATEMENT THAN A BRIEFING, BUT WE CAN, UM, W W I THINK WHAT WE'LL DO IS WE'LL SEND THE INFORMATION TO YOU AND DECIDE AT THAT POINT, WHETHER YOU THAT WAS SUFFICIENT OR IF YOU WOULD LIKE A BRIEFING AFTER THAT.

AND THEN THERE'S ONE THING SPECIFIC THAT I'D LIKE TO PROPOSE TO COME UP.

AND IN A LATER MEETING, UH, UNDER NEW BUSINESS, UH, THE CITY IS GOING TO, UH, CONSTRUCT A NEW, UH, AVIATION FUEL STORAGE TANK OUT CITY, UH, AT THE AIRPORT.

AND, UH, BY DEFINITION, AVIATION FUELS KIND OF LIKE A HAZARDOUS WASTE, AND IT IS IN THE ONION CREEK WATERSHED.

AND, UH, I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A BRIEFING BY THE FOLKS WHO ARE IN CHARGE OF THAT AS TO WHAT ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS THAT THEY'VE ADDRESSED, HOW THEY'VE ADDRESSED THEM AND, YOU KNOW, KIND OF COMPLETE RUNDOWN ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL CRITERIA THEY USED WHEN THEY ARE, YOU KNOW, WHEN THEY DECIDED WHERE TO PUT IT AND, YOU KNOW, THE CONSTRUCTION OF IT AND WHAT SAFEGUARD THEY HAVE.

CERTAINLY WE WILL REACH OUT TO THE AVIATION DEPARTMENT, UM, ON THAT BRIEFING.

IS THERE A SECOND? I WILL HAUL.

WELL, I THINK WE HAVE LIKE ONE MORE THING WITH, UM, OH, PERFECT TIMING.

UH, YEAH, ACTUALLY, UM, I HAD, OH, MY BAD.

OH, NO, YOU'RE GOOD.

GO AHEAD.

AND I THINK, UH, I THINK IT'S TANNEHILL CREEK THAT RUNS THROUGH IT, OR MAYBE SOME OTHER CREEK, YOU KNOW, UH, LORD KNOWS.

SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE AT THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE COMMITTEE WERE ASKING ABOUT THE FAKE WHOLE PLANT.

UM, I WAS WONDERING IF WE, IT WAS POSSIBLE FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION TO GET SOME KIND OF BRIEFING ON IT, UH, ESPECIALLY AS FAR AS LIKE WHAT SORT OF THE CITY'S RELATIONSHIP TO IT IS AND WHAT OUR OPTIONS ARE.

UM, IF POSSIBLE, THE OTHER THING THAT, UH, I WAS WONDERING ABOUT IT, I HAD GOTTEN AN EMAIL ABOUT, UH, TRASH IN BARTHOLOMEW, UH, BARTHOLOMEW PARK.

[02:20:01]

UM, BUT YEAH, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THERE'S BEEN TRASH AROUND THERE FOR AWHILE.

I ACTUALLY LIVE AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND I WASN'T REALLY SURPRISED, UH, YOU KNOW, IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD FACEBOOK GROUPS, YOU ALWAYS SEE A LOT OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT IT.

I THINK I EMAILED LIZ AND SHE SUGGESTED THAT MAYBE LOOKING AT, UH, YOU KNOW, TRASH AND GROWS ZONES IN GENERAL, OR, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S A BARTOLOME PARK SPECIFIC BRIEFING, UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK TECHNICALLY IT'S IN DISTRICT FOUR, BUT, YOU KNOW, I REPRESENT DISTRICT ONE.

WE'RE STILL VERY CLOSE TO IT AS WELL.

SO, UH, WOULD DEFINITELY BE SUPER INTERESTED IN JUST SEEING IF THERE'S LIKE A HOLISTIC THING THAT A ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION OR, YOU KNOW, OTHER AGENCIES, WHATEVER IT CAN DO TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE ISSUE TO TRY TO ALLEVIATE SOME OF THIS, UH, CONTINUING PROBLEM.

UM, COMMISSIONER CRUSHY.

I DID SPEAK WITH, UM, A STAFF BIOLOGIST, UM, ANDREW CLAMAN, WHO HAS BEEN THE PROJECT LEAD OF A PROJECT THAT HAS LOOKED AT, UM, EVERY, EVERY CREEK IN AUSTIN, UM, SPECIFICALLY AT TRASH AND THAT WORK HAS BEEN COMPLETED.

UM, IT WAS A VERY LARGE EFFORT.

THEY WERE WORKING ON WRITING THE REPORT AND SHOULD HAVE THAT DATA AVAILABLE, UH, IN THE FALL.

AND SO I THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE A REALLY GOOD TIME TO BRIEF THE COMMISSION ON WHAT THEY FOUND, UM, AND MAYBE NOT NECESSARILY SPECIFIC TO BARTHOLOMEW, BUT IT WAS ABSOLUTELY PART OF THAT STUDY AND COMMISSIONER CRUSHY, I'M GOING TO PIGGYBACK ON, ON YOUR, UM, UM, REQUEST, UM, FOR LOOKING AT THE FAYETTE COAL PLANT, UM, TO REALLY LOOK AT OUR, WHAT IS OUR WHOLE PACKAGE OF, UH, ENERGY SOURCES, UM, BECAUSE THERE ARE MULTIPLE OF THOSE FROM NUCLEAR TO COAL, TO WHEN, TO SOLAR, TO ALL OF THOSE THINGS.

SO I THINK HAVING A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THOSE, UH, WOULD BE GOOD IF THAT'S OKAY WITH YOU.

HEY, MAN, MORE KNOWLEDGE IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN LESS.

WHEREAS GI JOE SAY KNOWING IS HALF THE BATTLE, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

WE'RE HAPPY TO TALK TO THE FOLKS AT AUSTIN ENERGY ABOUT WHAT A BRIEFING MIGHT LOOK LIKE AND GET BACK TO YOU.

I WOULD LIKE TO VOICE MY SUPPORT FOR THAT AS WELL IN HIS MORE IN AS MUCH AS IT'S AN AIR POLLUTION ISSUE.

I MEAN, ONE MORE.

UM, THANK YOU, OFFICER COIN BEFORE YOU ADJOURN.

I JUST WANTED TO REMIND EVERYONE THAT THERE'S A PARTY NEXT WEEK.

UM, IT'S, UH, MY WIFE AND I ARE HOSTING ET CETERA HOUSE, AND I WANTED TO SAY IT'S VERY INFORMAL.

IT IS MEANT AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR, FOR US TO GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER.

UH, YOU KNOW, WE HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO DO THAT IN A LONG TIME.

WE USED TO HAVE A HOLIDAY PARTIES EVERY YEAR AS A COMMISSION AND STAFF WOULD COME.

AND IT WAS JUST A CHANCE TO GET TO KNOW, UH, PERSON TO PERSON, UH, WHO, WHO WE'RE DEALING WITH ALL THE TIME ON, ON COMMISSION.

AND SO, UH, IT'S ALSO, IT WAS DESIGNED TO BE BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE, CAUSE I LIVE IN FRONT OF A POCKET PARK.

UH, AND I'M SAYING THAT BECAUSE PLEASE WEAR SHORTS AND LIKE BE SUPER CASUAL CAUSE IT'S HOT.

UM, BUT THERE WILL BE INSIDE OPPORTUNITIES IF, IF IT GETS A LITTLE TOO HOT FOR FOLKS.

SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT.

UH, HOPEFULLY MOST OF Y'ALL CAN JOIN US AND WE HAVE A LOT OF STAFF EXCITED TO COME OUT, MEET Y'ALL AND, AND REALLY JUST HAVE A VERY INFORMAL OPPORTUNITY TO CHAT.

AWESOME.

LOOKING FORWARD TO IT.

I'LL SEND A REMINDER, EMAIL OUT.

UH, KAYLA WILL SEND A REMINDER EMAIL OUT, YOU KNOW, LIKE TWO DAYS AHEAD OF TIME.

SHE'LL BE BACK IN TOWN NEXT WEEK, UH, INCLUDING, UH, IF YOU'RE DRIVING WHERE TO PARK AND IF YOU'RE TAKING THE BUS, HOW TO, HOW TO TAKE THE BUS.

IT'S ON AN EASY BUS ROUTE.