Sep 18, 2024 Environmental Commission

UM, LET'S OPEN IT UP TO PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.

[PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL]

WE HAVE CAROL PHILLIPSON.

CAN YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES? IF YOU CAN STATE YOUR NAME WHEN YOU GET UP THERE PLEASE AS WELL.

HEARINGS AND ACTION ITEMS. UH,

MY NAME IS CAROL PHILLIPS AND I'M FROM DISTRICT 10.

AND I'M HERE TO ASK YOU FOR YOUR HELP TO MITIGATE WILDFIRE RISK IN AN ENDANGERED SPECIES HABITATS BY CREATING NEW RESTRICTIVE POLICY TO PROHIBIT CELL TOWER FACILITIES BEING BUILT NEXT TO THEM.

I LIVE IN JUST STATES, NORTHWEST AUSTIN, SURROUNDED BY BCP, THE BALCONES CANYONLANDS, GOLDEN SHEIK WARBLER ENDANGERED SPECIES HABITAT PRESERVE.

THE ADJUSTER CLUB.

A PRIVATE ENTITY HAS CONTRACTED WITH TOWER VENTURES TO BUILD A CELL TOWER.

ONLY A FEW FEET ON TWO SIDES FROM THE BCP.

AT AND T IS TO BE THE INITIAL CARRIER ERECTING A HUNDRED FOOT MONOPOLE, A STORAGE BUILDING FOR 12 BATTERIES AND 50 GALLONS OF DIESEL FUEL FOR BACKUP AND STRINGING WIRES 150 FEET FROM THE STORAGE BUILDING TO THE TOWER.

THEN PLANS TO ADD TWO OTHER CARRIERS, INCREASING THE NUMBER OF BATTERIES AND GALLONS OF DIESEL FUEL ACCORDINGLY, APPROXIMATELY 36 BATTERIES AND 150 GALLONS OF DIESEL FUEL.

NO ONE PLANS AN ACCIDENT, SO SHOULD A BATTERY OR A FUEL FIRE IGNITE AND OR THE A HUNDRED FOOT MONOPOLE FALLEN TO THE PRESERVE, A WILDFIRE COULD SPREAD QUICKLY FUELED BY THE DEAD FOLIAGE FROM OUR HISTORIC FREEZE.

THIS IS WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO UPDATE PRESENT PERMIT POLICY THAT DOES NOT ADDRESS THIS EXTREME FIRE RISK TO ENDANG, ENDANGERED SPECIES HABITATS, OR WILD LANDS IN GENERAL.

PRESENT CELL LOCATION POLICY.

AUSTIN CELL POLICY READS TRANSPORTATION MANUAL SECTION 12 SUB SUBMIT A SECOND AFFIDAVIT STATING THE FOLLOWING, THE TOWER IS NOT WITHIN 50 FEET OF A DWELLING UNIT.

THE TOWER IS NOT WITHIN 500 FEET OF A DAYCARE SERVICE COMMERCIAL USE.

THE TOWER IS NOT WITHIN 300 FEET OF PROPERTY ZONE, HISTORIC OR PROPERTY INCLUDED IN A NATIONAL REGISTERED DISTRICT OR A CITY OF AUSTIN HISTORIC DISTRICT.

WOULD YOU NOT AGREE THAT AN ENDANGERED SPECIES WILDLAND HABITAT SHOULD BE AS IMPORTANT, IF NOT MORE IMPORTANT THAN A HISTORICAL LANDMARK? THE CURRENT AUSTIN WOOEY CODE STATES ONLY 10 FEET CLEARANCE IS REQUIRED.

MONOPOLES CAN BE A HUNDRED TO 200 FEET HIGH.

THEREFORE, CODE SHOULD ESTABLISH AND MANDATE A SAFE DISTANCE.

IF A CELL FACILITY IS LOCATED NEAR AN ENDANGERED SPECIES HABITAT OR IDEALLY ANY STATE, LOCAL OR FEDERAL WILDLAND EVERY DAY MORE WILD, MORE CELL TOWERS DO THE HORIZON.

BUT THIS PARTICULAR LOCATION IS HIGHLY SENSITIVE AND VULNERABLE, SO SHOULD BE TREATED AS AN EXCEPTION.

AUSTIN FIRE MARSHAL ENGINEER SCOTT SCOTT STOOKEY TOLD ME THIS IS THE FIRST ONE TO BE LOCATED WITHIN A FEW FEET FROM AN ENDANGERED SPECIES WILD IN HABITAT IN AUSTIN.

ADDITIONALLY, MR. STOOKEY TOLD ME THAT RIGHT NOW THE ONLY COMPANY THAT USES HIGHLY COMBUSTIBLE LITHIUM BATTERIES IS DISH.

BUT THAT MAY CHANGE.

SO MEASURES NEED TO BE TAKEN NOW TO CREATE POLICY TO ADDRESS THIS SITE AND FUTURE SITES THAT MEET THIS SPECIFIC CRITERIA, NOT ONLY IN AUSTIN, BUT ACROSS THE US.

TIME IS OF ESSENCE TO STOP THE CELL TOWER FROM BEING BUILT NEXT TO THE BCP ENDANGERED SPECIES HABITAT.

I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR HELP IN UPDATING PRESENT AUSTIN POLICY, WHICH COULD BE THE CATALYST TO CHANGE POLICY ACROSS THE US I'M SORRY ABOUT THIS, TO FURTHER PROTECT OUR WILDLANDS, ESPECIALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES HABITATS FROM POTENTIAL DEADLY WILDFIRE.

AND I'M THE, UH, FIREWISE COORDINATOR FOR MY NEIGHBORHOOD AND THIS REALLY HITS HOME.

SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE NOT ADDRESSED BEFORE AND IT'S ON THE HORIZON.

IT'S ONLY GONNA CONTINUE TO GET WORSE.

SO WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING NOW AND IT SHOULDN'T TAKE THAT MUCH TO DO IT, BUT I WANNA DO IT ACROSS THE UNITED STATES 'CAUSE WE'RE NOT THE ONLY ONES THAT HAVE TOWERS NEXT TO ENDANGERED SPECIES.

AND THAT'S IT FOR PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.

UH, NEXT UP WE HAVE

[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES.

HAVE ALL THE COMMISSIONERS HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THE MINUTES? UH, DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO I'LL MOVE APPROVAL.

SECOND.

MOTION BY SULLIVAN.

SECOND BY RESI.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR HAND.

RESI KRUEGER FER BEDFORD, SHERA NICHOLS, SULLIVAN AND BRIMER.

MOTION PASSES.

UNANIMOUS.

OKAY, NEXT UP WE HAVE PUBLIC

[2. Name: Williamson Creek Interceptor (SP-2022-1368D) Applicant: Kane Wei, P.E., Austin Water Utility (AWU) Location: From 5111 S. 1st Street to 5404 E. William Cannon Drive along Williamson Creek Council District: District 6 Staff: Brad Jackson, Environmental Compliance Specialist Senior, 512-974-2128, Development Services Department, brad.jackson@austintexas.gov Applicant request: Request to vary from a) LDC 25-8-261 to allow development in the CWQZ for a wastewater interceptor and b) LDC 25-8-341 to allow cut up to 9 feet for removal of a building foundation exceeding the 4-foot limitation Staff Recommendation: Recommended with conditions]

[00:05:01]

WILLIAMSON CREEK INTERCEPTOR SP DASH 2022 DASH 3 6 8 D.

APPLICANT IS CAN, UH, YPE, UM, AUSTIN WATER UTILITY.

GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.

I AM BRAD JACKSON, ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE SPECIALIST SENIOR WITH DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT.

UH, YOU DON'T SEE ME SEE ME UP HERE VERY MUCH 'CAUSE I'M IN GENERAL PERMITS NOW, BUT I TOOK THIS PROJECT A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WHEN I WAS IN ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND SEEING IT TO THE FINISH.

SO IT'S BEEN A LONG LEGACY PROJECT FOR ME.

THE WILLIAMSON CREEK INTERCEPTOR SP 2022 1368 D AND IT'S LOCATED BETWEEN 5,000 1 1 1 SOUTH FIRST STREET AND 54 0 4 EAST WILLIAM CANNON DRIVE ALONG WILLIAMSON CREEK.

IT'S WILLIAMSON CREEK WATERSHED.

THIS IS THE PROPERTY DATA.

IT'S A SUBURBAN WATERSHED CLASSIFICATION.

IT'S IN THE DESIRED DEVELOPMENT ZONE.

UH, IT'S NOT LOCATED OVER EDWARDS AFER RECHARGE ZONE.

IT'S AN APPROXIMATELY THREE AND A HALF MILE LONG WASTEWATER INTERCEPTOR.

SO IN THAT PICTURE, YOU CAN SEE WHERE THE PROJECT BEGINS DOWN IN THE LOWER RIGHT CORNER THERE AT, UH, EAST WILLIAM CANNON AND KIND OF MOVES UP PAST I 35 AND THEN OVER TO THE END OF THE PROJECT THERE AT SOUTH FIRST.

SO THE PROJECT PROPOSES REPLACEMENT OF EXISTING 36 INCH AND 42 INCH WASTEWATER INTERCEPTORS WITH THE NEW 72 INCH INTERCEPTOR.

THIS INTERCEPTOR WILL BE CONSTRUCTED WITH THE TUNNEL BORING METHODS AND WILL HAVE LIMITED SURFACE DISTURBANCE.

UH, THE 22 CUTOVER CONNECTIONS PROPOSED TO THE NEW INTERCEPTOR WILL BE REQUIRED TO CONNECT THE EXISTING WASTEWATER INFRASTRUCTURE CURRENTLY CONNECTED TO THE OLD INTERCEPTOR TO THE NEW INTERCEPTOR.

SO THE VARIANCE REQUESTS WE HAVE TONIGHT FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION ARE TO ALLOW DEVELOPMENT AND THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE FOR THE WASTEWATER INTERCEPTOR PER LDC 25 8 DASH 2 61 AND TO ALLOW CUT UP TO NINE FEET FOR REMOVAL OF A BUILDING FOUNDATION PER LDC 25 8 DASH 3 41.

SO THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE DEVELOPMENT CODE FOR UTILITIES PARALLEL TO CREEKS IS A LITTLE COMPLICATED.

SO I PROVIDED IT UP HERE TO KIND OF EXPLAIN, UH, WHAT TRIGGERED THE VARIANCES FOR THIS PROJECT.

SO THE, THE UTILITIES ARE ALLOWED TO BE PARALLEL TO THE CENTER LINE OF A CREEK IF THEY STAY IN THE OUTER HALF OF THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE, WHICH FOR THIS CASE WE'RE LOOKING AT A MAJOR WATERWAY.

SO THAT WOULD BE 150 FEET AWAY FROM THE CENTER LINE OF THE MAJOR WATERWAY.

UH, AND THIS PROJECT MUST BE CLOSER THAN THAT 150 FEET FOR SIGNIFICANT PORTIONS OF ITS ALIGNMENT DUE TO CONNECTIONS TO THE, UH, EXISTING WASTEWATER LINES THAT HAVE TO BE RECONNECTED TO THE NEW INTERCEPTOR.

UH, AND THEREFORE WAS LIMITED IN THE ABILITY TO BE ABLE TO BE PLACED COMPLETELY OUTSIDE OF THAT 150 FOOT, UH, DISTANCE FROM THE CREEK.

AND THE PROJECTS THAT, UH, DO ENTER IMPACT THE INNER HALF OF THE CRITICAL, OR THAT, SORRY, THAT ARE PARALLEL TO THE CREEK, EVEN IF THEY'RE IN THE OUTER HALF, UH, HAVE TO PROVIDE RIPARIAN MITIGATION AT A, A RATE OF TWO TO ONE MITIGATION.

SO IF THEY DISTURB AN ACRE, THEY GOTTA RESTORE TWO ACRES IN RESPONSE TO THAT.

AND THAT'S PART OF THE, THE REGULAR CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE CODE THAT, UH, WE'RE SEEKING VARIANCES FROM TONIGHT.

SO THIS IS AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROJECT.

I KNOW IT'S KIND OF HARD TO SEE ON THIS SLIDE 'CAUSE IT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S PRETTY FAR OUT ON THAT, THAT IMAGE THERE.

BUT YOU CAN SEE IN THE PICTURES THERE WHERE THE RED LINE REPRESENTS THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE.

AND THEN THERE'S A BLUE LINE IN THE MIDDLE THAT REPRESENTS THE INNER HALF OF THE CRITICAL.

SO I'M GONNA GO THROUGH EACH OF THESE IMAGES WITH CLOSEUPS STARTING FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE PROJECT DOWN AT THE, UH, LOWER RIGHT CORNER THERE AND KIND OF GIVE YOU BETTER SHOTS OF THEM.

PARALLEL WITHIN THAT BLUE LINE BETWEEN THE CREEK, UH, WHICH IS WHAT'S TRIGGERING THE NEED FOR THESE VARIANCES.

SO HERE'S THE BEGINNING OF THE PROJECT, UM, RIGHT THERE AT THE WILLIAMSON CREEK.

UH, YEAH, THE WILLIAMSON CREEK AND, UH, ONION CREEK KIND OF COME INTO CLOSE CON PRETTY CLOSE, UH, PROXIMITY TO EACH OTHER THERE RIGHT AT WILLIAMSON CREEK AND SOUTH PLEASANT VALLEY DRIVE.

AND YOU CAN SEE ON THAT IMAGE THE BLUE LINE IS THE INNER HALF OF THE CRITICAL.

AND THE RED LINE IS THE FULL EXTENT OF THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE.

SO FOR PORTIONS OF THE PROJECT, IT RUNS

[00:10:01]

UM, THIS IS ANOTHER EXTENT AS WE MOVE UP TOWARDS THE NORTHWEST OF THE PROJECT.

AND THIS IS ANOTHER EXTENT SHOWING WHERE IT CROSSES UNDERNEATH 35.

AND ALL OF THE CUTOVERS YOU'RE SEEING ON THOSE SLIDES ARE THE AREAS I SPOKE OF, THE 22 CUTOVERS TO CONNECT TO THE EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE WASTEWATER FOR ALL OF THE ADJACENT PROPERTIES.

AND THEN THIS WOULD BE WHERE THE PROJECT ACTUALLY COMES OUT OF THE CREEK FOR THE MOST PART AND JUST CROSSES IT IN A COUPLE MORE POINTS AND IS IN MEETING CURRENT CODE FOR THIS EXTENT OF THE PROJECT.

SO THIS SLIDES ARE GONNA SHOW YOU THE LIMITS OF CONSTRUCTION, WHICH WILL GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF JUST HOW MUCH SURFACE DISTURBANCE IS REQUIRED TO BUILD THIS WASTEWATER LINE.

SINCE THE MAJORITY OF IT IS GONNA BE TUNNELED UNDERGROUND, THERE'S ONLY GONNA NEED TO BE LIMITED ACCESS AT CERTAIN POINTS ON THE SURFACE FOR THE CONNECTIONS TO EXISTING WASTEWATER INFRASTRUCTURE AND FOR THE VARIOUS MANHOLES IN THE NEW INTERCEPTOR.

SO THIS SLOPE MAP SHOWS IN THE RED, THERE IS JUST THE ZERO TO 15% SLOPES, AND THEN THE YELLOW AND THE GREEN WOULD BE 15 TO 25 AND, UH, 35 UP TO 35% SLOPES.

SO THIS IMAGE HERE IS ANOTHER IMAGE SHOWING THAT CLOSEUP OF THE LOC AND THE NEXT SLIDE.

SO YOU CAN SEE THE LIMITS OF HOW THE SITE WILL BE ACCESSED FROM VARIOUS RIGHT OF WAYS TO REACH THE POINTS IN THE CREEK NEEDED TO DO THE WORK AND THEN GET BACK OUT AGAIN WITH THE LIMITED DISTURBANCE AS POSSIBLE.

SO ANOTHER IMAGE SHOWING THE LIMITS OF WHERE THERE'LL BE ACCESSING IN THE CREEK.

THIS SLIDE WILL SHOW YOU WHERE THE, UM, THE PROJECT COINCIDES WITH THE GR GREEN BELT AND PARKLAND AREAS, WHICH, UH, THERE'S 12.7 ACRES OF THE LIMITS OF CONSTRUCTION THAT WILL BE IN PARKLAND AND AUSTIN WATER IS SPONSORING A CHAPTER 26 PROCESS THROUGH THE PARKS AND REC BOARD, UH, AND CITY COUNCIL FOR THE USE AND EXPANSION OF THE PARKLAND.

THE GREEN AREAS ARE, UM, PART OF THE GREEN BELT PARKLAND, AND THEN THE YELLOW AREA THERE IS A, IS A HIKE AND BIKE TRAIL, WILLIAMSON CREEK KIND OF HIKE AND BIKE TRAIL THROUGH THAT PARKLAND.

SO STAFF RECOMMENDS THESE VARIANCES 'CAUSE WE'VE DETERMINED THE FINDINGS OF FACT HAVE BEEN MET.

STAFF ALSO RECOMMENDS AND SUPPORTS THE FOLLOWING FIVE CONDITIONS.

THE FIRST CONDITION IS PAYMENT INTO THE WATER SUPPLY MITIGATION FUND AS PER APPENDIX Q SEVEN RIPARIAN ZONE MITIGATION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL CRITERIA MANUAL AND THE AMOUNT OF $606,850 FOR 15.7 ACRES OF REQUIRED MITIGATION FOR A UTILITY LINE INSTALLED PARALLEL TO A CREEK CENTER LINE.

AND THAT NUMBER FROM THE, UH, MITIGATION IS BASED ON THE CURRENT RATE OF $38,678 PER ACRE.

UH, MITIGATION FROM THE TIME OF APPLICATION OF 2022 AND THE SECOND CONDITION, ALL AREAS OF LIMITS CONSTRUCTION WITHIN THE CRITICAL WILL BE RESTORED WITH 6 0 9 S NATIVE SEEDING AND PLANTING PER RESTORATION PLAN SHEETS.

THE PREVIOUSLY IDENTIFIED PORTIONS OF THE EXPOSED INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE EXISTING AND TO BE ABANDONED WASTEWATER AND RECEPTOR WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE AND RESTORED TO NATURAL CONDITIONS AS PER APPROVED PLANS.

NUMBER FOUR, THE ABANDONED WASTEWATER RECEPTOR DIVERSION BUILDING WILL BE DEMOLISHED AND THE HILL UNDERNEATH IT WILL BE REMOVED TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL FLOOD WATER STORAGE AND A CONSISTENT GRADE FOR THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE AND RESTORATION OF THE RIPARIAN AREA AT SOUTH PLEASANT VALLEY ROAD IN WILLIAMSON CREEK.

AND THE FINAL CONDITION, AN ODOR CONTROL FACILITY WILL BE INSTALLED AS PART OF THE PROJECT TO REDUCE IMPACTS TO ADJACENT PROPERTIES.

AND THIS INCLUDES PROPERTIES ALONG THE ENTIRETY OF THE, UH, INTERCEPTOR ROUTE, NOT JUST WHERE THE, THE ODOR CONTROL FACILITY WILL BE INSTALLED.

CUT OUT AROUND IT FOR FLOODPLAIN MITIGATION.

SO THIS IS AN IMAGE, AERIAL IMAGE OF THE DIVERSION BUILDING THAT, UM, IS PROPOSED FOR BEING DEMOLISHED.

AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WAS SUPPORTED BY WATERSHED TO, UM, TO REMOVE THAT WHAT APPEARS TO BE A HILL, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY AN AREA OF NATURAL TERRAIN THAT WAS

[00:15:01]

AND IT LEFT THIS RESIDUAL HILL DUE TO THAT DIVERSION BUILDING NEEDING TO BE THERE.

SO NOW THAT THE DIVERSION BUILDING CAN BE REMOVED, IT'S UH, BENEFICIAL TO GO IN AND CLEAR THAT OUT AND SMOOTH IT OUT TO MAKE IT MATCH THE REST OF THE RIPARIAN AREA AND GET IT REPLANTED UP WITH SOME GOOD RIPARIAN RESTORATION, UH, KIND OF AS PART OF THEIR MITIGATION REQUIREMENTS.

THIS IS A STREET VIEW OF IT, SO YOU CAN KIND OF SEE THE LITTLE HILLTOP THERE AND, AND THE WAY THE GROUND BEHIND IT IS MUCH HIGHER THAN THE GROUND AROUND IT AND ALONG THE CREEK BED THERE.

NEXT SLIDE, I, SO THE ACCESS SHAFT AND ODOR CONTROL FACILITY, THE ACCESS SHAFT IS THE BEGINNING OF THE PROJECT WHERE THEY'LL START THE DRILLING OF THE, YOU KNOW, ACTUAL TUNNELING UNDERGROUND.

THE LOT IS ON, IT'S A 290 ACRE PARKLAND FOR THE ROY KAISER GOLF COURSE.

UH, AND THE ODOR CONTROL FACILITY WILL HAVE JUST ABOUT AN ACRE OF IMPERVIOUS COVER ADDED TO THAT OVERALL, UH, TRACK TO LAND.

SO JUST ROUGHLY 2.2% IMPERVIOUS COVER, UH, FOR THE OVERALL LOT.

THIS IS AN IMAGE OF THE ODOR CONTROL FACILITY FROM THE PLAN SET THAT SHOWS KIND OF THE SIZE OF IT AND THE, THERE'S GONNA BE A DETENTION WATER QUALITY POND CONSTRUCTED WITH IT AND A PERMANENT, UH, PAVEMENT ROAD THAT WILL ALSO FUNCTION FOR PAR TO PROVIDE IN THE FUTURE, UH, A SEPARATE TRAILHEAD PARKING LOT THAT, UH, WILL BE INCLUDED AT A LATER DATE, UH, KIND OF AS PART OF THIS OVERALL PLAN FOR THIS AREA HERE AT THE TRAILHEAD.

AND IN THIS IMAGE YOU CAN SEE AT THE BOTTOM THE, UH, THE PROPOSED KIND OF PARKING LOT.

IT'S KIND OF A CONCEPTUAL PLAN OF IT AND HOW IT WILL FIT IN AND THE WATER QUALITY POND SIZE TO TREAT THE PARKING LOT AND, AND ALL OF THAT ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT PART WANTS TO DO IN THE FUTURE FOR THE TRAILHEAD.

THIS IS THE RESTORATION PLAN EXAMPLE FROM THE PLANS, UM, HOW THEY'RE PUTTING, THEY PUT TOGETHER THE THREE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SEED MIXTURE BASED ON FULL SUN SEED MIX AND THE DAPPLED LIGHT SEED AND THEN THE HEAVY MOISTURE SEED AND KIND OF SHOWN SHOWS IT THROUGHOUT THE PLANT SET WHERE, WHICH TYPE OF SEED MIX NEEDS TO BE USED, YOU KNOW, IN ACCORDANCE TO PROXIMITY TO THE CREEK AND SOIL CONDITIONS.

AND THEN TREE PLANTING AREAS ARE INCLUDED FOR WHERE THERE WILL BE PLANTING, UH, DENSE TREE, UM, RE REPLANTINGS FOR BOTH PARKLAND MITIGATION, WHICH THEY HAVE THAT REQUIRED AS PART OF THEIR, UM, YOU KNOW, DOING CONSTRUCTION IN A PARK.

AND THEN THEY'VE ALSO GOT TREE MITIGATION JUST FOR REMOVAL OF TREES TO DO THE WORK TO CONSTRUCT THE INTERCEPTOR.

SO THEY'VE KIND OF GOT A LOT OF LAYERS OF, UH, MITIGATION ON THEM IN ADDITION TO THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE MITIGATION.

SO THE RESTORATION PLANS ARE PACKED IN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE WITH THESE KIND OF, UH, TREE PLANTING AREAS AND THE, THE MITIGATION INCHES NEEDED.

AND JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE MITIGATION ZONES.

AND THERE'S THE HILL, THE LOCATION OF THE, WHERE THE, THE CUT VARIANCE IS REQUESTED TO REMOVE THAT HILL FOR THE DIVERSION BUILDING.

THESE ARE THE TABLES.

I KNOW THEY'RE HARD TO READ, BUT THESE ARE THE TABLES FOR THE ACTUAL SPECIES OF PLANTS THEY'LL USE FOR EACH TYPE OF ZONE NEEDED FOR THE 6 0 9 S SEED MIX.

AND THAT'S A ADDITIONAL TWO TABLES FOR THOSE THREE DIFFERENT ZONES.

AND THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION.

UM, I'LL BE AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS AND I HAVE THE APPLICANT HERE TO GIVE THEIR PRESENTATION.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

UM, IF WE COULD LOAD THE APPLICANT'S PRESENTATION.

OKAY, GREAT.

UM, GOOD AFTERNOON COMMISSIONERS.

MY NAME IS KANE.

WE, I'M A SUPERVISING ENGINEER WITH AUSTIN WATER AND THE PROJECT SPONSOR FOR THIS PROJECT.

UM, FIRST I'D JUST LIKE TO START OFF AND SAY THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

WE'RE EXCITED AS AUSTIN WATER TO BE HERE TODAY.

IT TAKES A LOT OF EFFORT AND, UH, ENERGY FROM OUR STAFF AS WELL AS THE REVIEW STAFF TO GET ALL OF OUR, UM, PROJECT PLANS SQUARED AWAY AS WELL AS THESE VARIANCES.

SO WE'RE EXCITED TO BE HERE, UM, AND MY GOAL IS TO HOPEFULLY EDUCATE YOU GUYS ON

[00:20:01]

WHAT OUR PROJECT IS AND TALK ABOUT, UM, THE WAYS THAT WE'VE PARTNERED WITH OTHER, UH, CITY DEPARTMENTS TO DO SO.

UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO, LIKE BRAD MENTIONED, UM, THIS PROJECT IS WILLIAMSON CREEK WASTEWATER INTERCEPTOR PROJECT.

IT'S A WASTEWATER, UM, PROJECT THAT WILL REPLACE AN EXISTING WASTEWATER INTERCEPTOR THAT'S IN THE CREEK THAT WAS BUILT BACK IN THE LATE SIXTIES.

UM, IT'S, UH, ABOUT THREE AND A HALF MILES LONG OF, UH, PRIMARILY TUNNELED CONSTRUCTION OF 72 INCH DIAMETER GRAVITY WASTEWATER INTERCEPTOR.

UM, AND THE REASON WE'RE DOING THIS PROJECT IS BECAUSE, UH, IT'S MULTI, IT'S MOSTLY FACETED.

UM, FIRST IS TO HELP INCREASE CAPACITY, CARRYING CAPACITY, UM, TO SAFELY CONVEY, UH, WASTEWATER FROM OUR HOMES AND, UH, LOCAL SEWER LINES OUT TO THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT.

UM, THE CURRENT INTERCEPTOR, UH, IS STARTING TO, UM, BECOME UNDERSIZED BASED ON OUR GROWTH PROJECTIONS AS WELL AS THE RECENT GROWTH THAT'S OCCURRED OVER THE PAST DECADE.

UM, SECOND IS ALSO TO REPLACE AGING INFRASTRUCTURE.

SO LIKE I MENTIONED, THIS INTERCEPTOR IS VERY OLD.

IT'S, UM, SEEING, UH, A HEALTHY AMOUNT OF CORROSION, UM, UNFORTUNATELY WITH, WITH WASTEWATER GASES.

UM, AND, UM, FINALLY TO REDUCE THE POTENTIAL FOR FUTURE SANITARY SEWER OVERFLOWS, UM, UNFORTUNATELY THERE HAVE BEEN SANITARY SEWER OVERFLOWS THAT HAVE OCCURRED BECAUSE OF THIS LINE'S CONDITION AND AGE.

AND SO THIS PROJECT WILL HELP ELIMINATE OR REDUCE THE, UH, THE POSSIBILITY FOR THOSE.

AND I'LL TOUCH INTO THAT A LITTLE BIT LATER.

SO, SOME CHALLENGES WITH THE CURRENT INTERCEPTOR, AGAIN, THE SIZE, THE AGE OF THE CONDITION OF THE INTERCEPTOR MAKES IT CHALLENGING FOR OUR SYSTEM.

UM, THAT IMAGE ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT IS ACTUALLY AN IMAGE FROM INSIDE THAT PIPE.

UM, YOU CAN SEE THERE'S REBAR EXPOSED.

UH, WHEN THAT PIPE IS NEWLY INSTALLED, THAT REBAR IS ACTUALLY UNDER ABOUT ONE OR TWO INCHES OF CONCRETE.

SO OVER THE PAST, UH, MULTIPLE DECADES, HALF CENTURY, UM, A LAYER OF THAT CONCRETE HAS BEEN CORRODED AWAY.

AND SO WE ARE STARTING TO SEE STRUCTURAL ISSUES WITH THAT AND WE'RE, UM, BEING PROACTIVE TO TRY TO MITIGATE THOSE, MAKE SURE, UH, NO OTHER ISSUES OR, UH, EMERGENCIES COME FROM THAT.

UM, BUT AS YOU CAN SEE THAT IT'S IN NEED OF REPLACEMENT.

UM, AND THEN THERE'S IMAGES THERE THAT JUST KINDA SHOW WHERE THE MANHOLES, UM, MIGHT BE.

I DON'T KNOW IF ALL OF THESE ARE NECESSARILY FROM THE WILLIAMSON CREEK AREA, BUT JUST AN EXAMPLE OF SANITARY SEWER OVERFLOWS.

THEY'RE, UM, CLEARLY A NEGATIVE IMPACT TO THE ENVIRONMENT, TO THE CREEK IF, IF RAW SEWAGE CAN BE, UM, EMITTED INTO THE, INTO THE CREEK.

SO BEAR WITH ME.

I'M GONNA GET A LITTLE TECHNICAL JUST ON OUR PROJECT, BUT JUST SOME MAJOR PROJECT COMPONENTS HERE.

UM, FIRST IS THIS PROJECT IS A TUNNEL PROJECT.

SO THIS IMAGE HERE JUST SHOWS KIND OF THE SCALE OF A SIMILAR PROJECT THAT IS ABOUT, UM, 20 TO 90 FEET BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE, UH, OF BELOW THE BELOW GRADE OR THE GROUND SURFACE.

UM, AND ALL OF THIS TUNNEL WILL BE COMPLETELY LOCATED OUTSIDE OF THE EROSION HAZARD ZONE.

SO PART OF THE OLD INTERCEPTOR, IT WAS TOO SHALLOW, IT WAS IN THAT EROSION HAZARD ZONE AND WAS EXPOSED IN SOME AREAS.

THIS NEW TUNNEL WILL BE COMPLETELY OUTSIDE OF THAT.

IN ADDITION, IN ADDITION TO THE TUNNEL, UM, WE ARE INSTALLING, UM, A PIPE INSIDE THAT TUNNEL.

SO THERE'S A TUNNEL THAT HAS, EXCUSE ME, A TUNNEL THAT HAS TO BORE THROUGH THE EARTH AND THEN PIPE THAT, UM, CONVEYS THE WASTEWATER SAFETY THROUGH THAT, THAT PIPE IS TESTED, IT'S PRESSURE TESTED, LEAK TESTED TO MAKE SURE IT'S INSTALLED PROPERLY, AND THEN PROPERLY GROUTED AROUND THAT.

SO THERE'S, UH, A MINIMUM OF SIX INCHES OF GROUT THAT'LL PREVENT, UM, ANY MOVEMENT OR ANY LEAKS OR ANYTHING OF THAT SORT.

UM, WITH THAT, THERE'S SIX OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE SHAFTS.

THOSE ARE SOME DEEP SHAFTS THAT, UM, ALLOW US TO DO THE TUNNELING OPERATION, 10 CONNECTION SHAFTS.

SO, UM, WE CAN TIE IN LOCAL FLOWS AND THEN ONE DOWNSTREAM SHAFT TO TIE THIS NEW TUNNEL INTO THE OLD TUNNEL, UM, AS IT MOVES DOWNSTREAM.

THESE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF, UH, SOME TUNNEL MACHINE EQUIPMENT, UH, THAT'S A TUNNEL BORING MACHINE, UH, OR, OR A HEADER, UM, AT THE TOP LEFT.

AND THEN THE BOTTOM IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT THAT TUNNEL MIGHT LOOK LIKE UNDERGROUND.

UM, I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT THIS, THE AUSTIN WATER HAS PUT IN MULTIPLE OF THESE SORTS OF TUNNELS FOR WATER AND WASTEWATER THROUGHOUT THE CITY.

THEY, THEY GO THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CITY, UM, AND WE'VE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN DOING THIS.

UM, AND SO WE HAVE, WE DON'T, UH, IT'S NOT A NEW TECHNOLOGY OR ANYTHING.

WE'VE, THIS IS TRIED INTRUDE AND WE'VE DONE THIS, UM, PLENTY OF TIMES IN OUR PROPOSING THIS FOR THIS PROJECT.

OUT OF SERVICE, BUT INSTEAD WE ARE GOING IN AND DOING A, A PIPE LINER THAT'LL REHABILITATE IT AND GIVE IT A NEW SERVICE LIFE.

SO IN ADDITION TO THE TUNNEL, THERE'S 22 LOCAL PIPELINE RECONNECTIONS THAT'S A MIX OF SOME OPEN CUT CONSTRUCTION, UM, AND THEN SOME JACK AND BOARD OR TRENCHLESS, ADDITIONAL TRENCHLESS CONSTRUCTION THAT'LL TIE LOCAL FLOWS BACK INTO THE NEW TUNNEL.

UM, ALONG WITH THAT, WE'RE REMOVING AND ABANDONING EXISTING WASTEWATER INFRASTRUCTURE THAT'S NO LONGER NEEDED BECAUSE OF THIS PROJECT.

UM, BRAD MENTIONED THE NEW ODOR CONTROL FACILITY AND, UM, SOME RAIN GARDENS THAT ARE DESIGNED FOR A FUTURE PARD, UH, TRAILHEAD PARKING LOT.

UM, AND THEN, UH, CURED IN PLACE PIPE REHABILITATION.

SO THERE IS A PORTION OF THE OLD INTERCEPTOR THAT WE CAN'T TAKE

[00:25:01]

UM, SO WE'RE TRYING TO COVER ALL OF OUR BASES HERE.

AND THEN, UH, EXTENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL SITE RESTORATION FOR ANY IMPACTS, THINGS LIKE NATIVE SEEDING, TRUE PLANTINGS FOR ALL OF OUR ACCESS ROUTES AND THAT SORT.

SO I WANTED TO TOUCH INTO WHY WE CHOSE THIS ROUTE AND WHY IT NEEDED TO BE WITHIN THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE.

UM, WE SPENT TWO YEARS EVALUATING DIFFERENT ALIGNMENTS, 18 DIFFERENT ALIGNMENTS TO, TO, UH, BE SPECIFIC ON DIFFERENT ROUTES THAT WE COULD TAKE FOR THIS TUNNEL OR THIS NEW INTERCEPTOR.

ALONG WITH THAT, WE FACTORED IN 22 DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTAL CONSTRAINTS, THINGS LIKE CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES, UM, WETLANDS, UH, THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE.

UM, AL FACTORED INTO THIS, THIS ROUTING, UH, ANALYSIS.

UM, AND WHAT ENDED UP WAS WE FOUND THAT WE COULDN'T MOVE OR DEVIATE TOO FAR AWAY FROM THE EXISTING INTERCEPTOR BECAUSE WE HAD TO RECONNECT LOCAL CONNECTIONS.

SO IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, THIS SORT OF ENHANCES ALL OF THOSE LITTLE CALLOUTS NORTH AND SOUTH OF THE ALIGNMENT SHOW THAT WE CAN'T GO TOO FAR NORTH OR TOO FAR SOUTH AWAY BECAUSE THAT EXACERBATES THE PROBLEM AND THAT WE HAVE TO DO MORE IMPACT TO THE CREEK TO CONNECT SOMEONE WHO'S FARTHER AWAY OR ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CREEK.

AND SO THAT SORT OF LEAVES US SORT OF IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE.

UM, I WOULD, I'D ALSO LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT, UM, THE OUTER HALF OF THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE WHERE UTILITIES ARE ALLOWED TO BE DEVELOPED OR PLACED, UM, MANY OF THAT, OR MOST OF THAT AREA IS WHERE CURRENT HOMES ARE EXISTING OR CURRENT BUILDINGS BECAUSE THEY WERE DEVELOPED PRIOR TO THE, UM, DEVELOPMENT OF THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE.

AND SO WE DIDN'T WANT TO TAKE THAT RISK BY OBVIOUSLY PUTTING INFRASTRUCTURE UNDER PEOPLE'S HOMES, HOMES, OR UNDER PEOPLE'S BUILDINGS.

UM, SO THIS SLIDE TALKS ABOUT THE EFFORTS OF CREEK RESTORATION THAT WE'RE PERFORMING.

THESE ARE ACTUAL IMAGES FROM THE WILLIAMSON CREEK, UM, UH, AREA.

UM, YOU CAN SEE THERE'S EXPOSED INFRASTRUCTURE AND CASEMENT EXPOSED MANHOLES.

UM, ANY ABANDONED, ANY, SORRY, ANY CUTOVER PIPE CONNECTIONS THAT AREN'T NEEDED ANYMORE.

WE ARE TRYING TO, UM, RESTORE THE CREEK BACK TO THE WAY, UH, IT WAS PRIOR TO THE WASTEWATER INFRASTRUCTURE BEING THERE.

SO MOST OF THE TIMES THE ENCASED PIPE IS PLANNING TO BE REMOVED ENTIRELY.

HOWEVER, WE DID WORK WITH WATERSHED STAFF BECAUSE WE DID REALIZE THAT SOME AREAS, UM, THAT PICTURE ON THE RIGHT IS A LITTLE DARK, BUT THAT'S AN EXAMPLE OF AN AREA WE'RE ACTUALLY LEAVING AND HAVE, UH, WORKED WITH WATERSHED TO LEAVE THE PIPE THERE BECAUSE IT ACTUALLY PROVIDES AN ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFIT.

THIS PIPE THERE HAS BEEN SO, UH, HAS BEEN THERE FOR SO LONG THAT THE CREEK HAS SORT OF GROWN AROUND IT AND ACTUALLY WORKS AS BANK STABILIZATION, UM, CREEK STABILIZATION.

SO IF WE WENT AND TOOK IT OUT, IT WOULD ACTUALLY IMPACT THE CREEK MORE.

UM, SO WE'VE WORKED WITH WATERSHED STAFF TO IDENTIFY THESE LOCATIONS SPECIFICALLY AND COME UP WITH A PLAN, UH, ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS SO THAT WE'RE DOING WHAT'S BEST FOR THAT LOCATION.

BRAD ALSO MENTIONED, UH, THE REMOVAL OF THIS ARTIFICIAL HILL.

AND SO THIS IS JUST SORT OF EMPHASIZING, UM, THE REASON WE HAVE A CUT VARIANCE IS TO, TO PROVIDE A BETTERMENT FOR THE CREEK.

UM, EARLY ON ON THIS PROJECT, WATERSHED STAFF COORDINATED WITH US AND SAID, HEY, WE'VE HAD THIS STRUCTURE HERE THAT'S, UM, WE WOULD LOVE FOR THIS TO BE REMOVED IF Y'ALL ARE ELIMINATING THAT WITH YOUR PROJECT.

AND WE SAID, YEAH, THIS IS ABSOLUTELY A PERFECT CANDIDATE FOR US TO, UM, HELP INCREASE CONVEYANCE AND REDUCE FLOOD RISK AT WILLIAMSON CREEK SINCE WE WON'T NEED THAT STRUCTURE OR THE INFRASTRUCTURE UNDERGROUND ANYMORE.

SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHY WE HAVE, UM, THIS, THIS, UH, CUT VARIANCE.

AS PART OF THAT PARKLAND MITIGATION, WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE CHAPTER 26 PROCESS, WHICH WE'RE WORKING WITH, UM, PARKS, UH, THE PARKS DEPARTMENT NOW.

UH, WE ALSO WORKED WITH WATERSHED TO IDENTIFY AREAS THAT WE COULD USE THESE ENVIRONMENTAL MATS FOR ACCESS.

SO A LOT OF THE TIMES OUR CONTRACTOR IS GOING TO NEED TO GO OUT INTO THESE AREAS THAT'S OFF PAVEMENT, DOWN INTO THE CREEK.

UM, OFTENTIMES NORMALLY THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE THAT ROCK ROAD SORT OF, UM, CONSTRUCTION ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT.

AND, UM, WE'VE RECEIVED SOME FEEDBACK FROM WATERSHED AS WELL AS FROM THE COMMUNITY THAT THIS IS, UM, SOMETHING THAT'S CHALLENGING FOR THE, UH, RESTORATION OF THE CREEK AFTER OUR WORK IS COMPLETED.

UM, SO INSTEAD WE'VE LOOKED INTO OPTIONS WHERE WE USE THESE HTPE MATS.

AUSTIN ENERGY OFTEN USES THESE FOR, UM, PROJECTS OUTSIDE OF THE RIGHT OF WAY.

UM, BUT THIS IS A MORE SUSTAINABLE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY METHOD SO THAT VEHICLES CAN ACCESS, UM, PROPERTIES IN THE CREEKS OR OUTSIDE OF PAVEMENT.

AND WHAT IT DOES IS IT SPREADS THE LOADS.

SO AS YOU'RE NOT PUTTING TIRE TRACKS IN THE GROUND OR NEEDING OF THIS ROCK ROAD THAT'S DIFFICULT TO REMOVE ONCE YOU PUT IT DOWN AND YOU CAN DRIVE OVER IT, AND THEN ONCE YOU'RE DONE, YOU CAN PULL IT OUT AND THEN RESTORE.

AND THE GROUND ISN'T AS COMPRESSED OR COMPACTED.

UM, SO WE, UM, ARE ARE HAPPY TO INCLUDE THIS IN OUR PROJECT RATHER THAN SORT OF THAT STANDARD ROCK ROAD, UH, ACCESS ROUTES FOR, FOR AREAS THAT IT CAN HANDLE THAT NEXT SLIDE.

SO AS BRAD TOUCHED ON, UM, A LOT OF OUR PROJECT IS ALSO GOING THROUGH PARKLAND, UM, SINCE IT'S NATURALLY IN WILLIAMSON CREEK.

AND, UM,

[00:30:01]

UM, BUT IN THAT WE IDENTIFIED AN EXTRA AREA THAT'S ACTUALLY OUTSIDE OF PROJECT LIMITS TO HELP RESTORE OR ADD TREE PLANTINGS TO A PARK THAT'S NEEDED IT FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.

AND SO WE'RE ACTUALLY DOING 21,380 SQUARE FEET OF EXTRA TREE MITIGATION TO HELP PLANT TREES IN THIS PARK THAT'S OUTSIDE OF OUR PROJECT LIMITS.

SO WE FEEL, UM, STRONGLY THAT WE'VE PARTNERED WITH, WITH, UM, PARKS TO, TO HELP PROVIDE SOME COMMUNITY BENEFITS WITH THIS PROJECT AS WELL.

THE ODOR CONTROL FACILITY AND SOME TRAILHEAD ACCESS LOCATED AT PLEASANT VALLEY AND WILLIAM CANNON.

UM, THIS ODOR CONTROL FACILITY IS USED TO HELP REDUCE ODORS THAT, UH, NATURALLY COME FROM CONVEYING WASTEWATER FLOWS.

UM, WHAT IT DOES IS, IS SORT OF, IT HAS A FAN AND IT BLOWS IT THROUGH A BIOLOGICAL UNIT, WHICH HELPS TREAT THE ODORS AND RELEASES IT BACK INTO THEIR AND REMOVES ALL THOSE CONTAMINANTS OR ODOR GASES.

AND SO, UM, THE BENEFIT OF THIS ODOR CONTROL FACILITY IS THAT IT DOESN'T REALLY, IT DOESN'T ONLY AFFECT THE LOCATION WHERE THAT FACILITY IS.

IT POOLS AIR FROM THE UPPER REACHES OF THAT TUNNEL AND, UM, HELPS REDUCE ANY OFFSETTING OR, OR EMITTING GASES THAT MIGHT COME FROM OPEN MANHOLES OR, OR ANYTHING OF THAT SORT.

UM, AND SO WE, WE ARE, UH, REALLY EXCITED TO PUT THAT IN HELP SORT OF, UH, INCREASE THE USABILITY OF THE, THE GREEN BELT.

UM, WITH THAT REQUIRED AN IMPERVIOUS COVER, UM, UH, OR SORRY, WITH THAT WE'RE ADDING IMPERVIOUS COVER AND SO IT REQUIRED SOME, UH, WATER QUALITY CONTROLS.

AND SO THIS WAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ACTUALLY PARTNER WITH, UH, PARKS, THE PARKS DEPARTMENT BECAUSE THEY LOOKED AT THIS AREA AND SAID, WE ACTUALLY WANT TO INSTALL A TRAILHEAD IN A PARKING LOT HERE IN THE FUTURE BECAUSE IT'LL HELP INCREASE OUR ACCESS TO THE GREEN BELT AND WILLIAMSON CREEK.

SO WE ACTUALLY OVERSIZED OUR RAIN GARDENS SO THAT, UM, WATER OR UH, PARKS DEPARTMENT WOULD HAVE A LIGHTER LIFT DOWN THE ROAD WHEN THEY DEVELOPED THIS PARKING LOT.

UH, WE'VE OVERSIZED IT SO THAT, UM, WE'VE TAKEN CARE OF THEIR PROPOSED IMPERVIOUS COVER FOR THIS PARKING LOT.

AND WITH THAT WE ALSO CHANGED THE, THE QUALITY OF THAT DRIVEWAY.

NOW IT'S A CONCRETE PAVED ACCESS INSTEAD OF A GRAVEL ACCESS.

AND THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT, UM, PARD WAS, WAS INTERESTED IN AS WELL.

AND THIS IS SOMETHING WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT.

UM, WITH THIS PROJECT, WE'RE EXPANDING GREENBELT AND TRAILS ACCESS INTO WILLIAMSON CREEK.

UM, SOME OF Y'ALL MIGHT BE FAMILIAR WITH THE GREENWAY VISION PLANS AND THINGS OF THAT SORT THAT ARE HAPPENING DOWN AT THE WILLIAMSON CREEK AREA.

UM, SO PARKS, THE PARKS DEPARTMENT DOES HAVE A PLAN TO, UM, BUILD SOME TRAILS OR BUILD ADDITIONAL ACCESS FOR, FOR HIKING OR, OR, OR, UM, GREEN BELT TRAILS IN THE AREA.

AND SO WITH THIS PROJECT, WE IDENTIFIED, UM, PROPERTIES THAT WE NEEDED FOR OUR PROJECT TO ACCESS FOR OUR WORK THAT COULD ALSO, UM, BE HANDED OVER TO PARKS AFTERWARDS.

AND SO WE'VE ACQUIRED THREE ACRES OF PROPERTIES, UM, FOR THAT WILL BENEFIT OUR PROJECT, BUT THEN ALSO WE CAN TURN THAT OVER TO PARKS DEPARTMENT AFTERWARDS SO THAT THEY CAN CREATE TRAILHEADS AND ACCESS INTO THE CREEK.

UM, WE'VE ALSO ACQUIRED ONE ACRE OF SIDEWALK TRAIL AND RECREATION EASEMENTS FOR PARD.

AND THEN, UM, WE'RE TRANSFERRING UP TO ALMOST 60 ACRES OF PARD, THAT'S AUSTIN WATER STEWARDED RIGHT NOW.

UM, WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO TURN THAT OVER THE PARK SO THAT THEY CAN BUILD THAT PARKING LOT THAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT AND, UM, INCREASE THEIR ACCESS TO JIMMY CLAY GOLF COURSE.

SO IN TOTAL WITH THIS PROJECT, WE'RE HOPING TO, UM, TRANSFER OVER 63, AROUND 63 ACRES OF PARKLAND OVER TO THE PARKS DEPARTMENT.

UM, THIS SLIDE TALKS ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT.

AND SO EARLIER THIS YEAR WE HAD TWO COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSES.

UM, WE REALLY TRY OUR BEST TO, UM, LISTEN TO THE, UH, TO THE CONCERNS OR THE COMMENTS OF THE LOCAL NEIGHBORHOODS.

AND SO, UM, WITH THAT WE HAD THOSE OPEN HOUSES AND INCORPORATED SOME FEEDBACK FROM THOSE OPEN HOUSES INTO OUR PROJECT.

UM, WITH THAT WE'RE INCREASING PARKLAND AND FUTURE TRAILS ACCESS.

UM, AND THERE'S ALSO SOME NEARBY OTHER CITY DEPARTMENT PUBLIC PROJECTS, SOME STORM IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS AND TRAIL PROJECTS THAT THIS, UH, INTERCEPTOR PROJECT WILL AFFECT TEMPORARILY.

BUT WE'VE PARTNERED WITH THEM AND, UM, WORKED OUT OUR SCHEDULE SO THAT WE CAN MITIGATE ANY IMPACTS OR RESTORE IT ACCORDINGLY SO THAT, UM, THE LOCAL COMMUNITY CAN ENJOY THESE PROJECTS AS WELL.

AND THEN FINALLY, WE'VE COORDINATED WITH THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE AND THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT JUST TO MAKE SURE, UM, THAT ANY RELOCATIONS OF HOMELESS GROUPS THAT ARE WITHIN THE CREEK THAT THE CONTRACTOR NEEDS TO, UM, CREATE SPACE SO THAT, UM, HOMELESS GROUPS, UH, AREN'T AFFECTING THEIR CONSTRUCTION.

WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD THE RIGHT PROCESS THAT WAS ACCORDING TO, UM, THE EFFORTS THAT THE CITY IS DOING, UM, SO THAT WE CAN GIVE THEM ADVANCED NOTICE, SAFELY, RELOCATE THEM, UM, AND PROVIDE RESOURCES AS NEED.

PAST PRESENTATIONS FOR COMMUNITY, UH, OUTREACH EVENTS.

AND THIS IS, UM, JUST A PLUG FOR OUR WEBSITE.

WE HAVE A PUBLIC PROJECT WEBSITE, AUSTIN TEXAS.GOV/WCI FOR WILLIAMSON CREEK INTERCEPTOR.

AND THIS HAS ALL OF THE PROJECT INFO THAT, UM, I'VE CONVEYED AS WELL AS, UH, MORE DETAILS MAPS, UM,

[00:35:01]

UH, THIS IS A DRONE VIDEO, SO WE'VE FLOWN DRONES OVER IT FOR BOTH THE SUMMER AND THE WINTER IF ANYONE'S INTERESTED.

AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO PLAY THAT.

THANK YOU, UH, .

AND, UH, UH, YOU CAN ALSO SIGN UP FOR EMAIL UPDATES.

SO WE LIKE TO KEEP THE COMMUNITY INVOLVED.

UH, IF ANYONE'S INTERESTED ON SIGNING UP FOR THE, UH, EMAIL UPDATES AS THE PROJECT PROGRESSES AND CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES, UM, WE'D LIKE TO SEND OUT E EMAIL UPDATES.

SO WITH THAT, I THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

I KNOW IT'S A LOT OF INFORMATION AND A REALLY COMPLEX PROJECT, SO I APPRECIATE YOUR, YOUR PATIENCE WITH THIS AND I THINK WE'LL OPEN IT UP TO QUESTIONS.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.

UH, THERE'S NO SPEAKERS ON THIS ITEM, RIGHT? OKAY.

LET'S GO AHEAD AND OPEN IT TO QUESTIONS.

UH, COMMISSIONER KARAHI.

HEY Y'ALL, UH, APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION.

YOU KNOW, LIKE YOU SAID, IT SEEMS PRETTY COMPLEX.

I WAS NOT A ARCHITECTURE PHYSICS MAJOR IN COLLEGE, I WAS AN ENGLISH MAJOR, SO A LOT OF IT, FRANKLY GOES OVER MY HEAD.

BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, DEFINITELY ALWAYS WELCOME, YOU KNOW, INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS, ESPECIALLY ON THE SOUTH SIDE.

SHOUT THE SOUTH SIDE.

UM, YEAH, I JUST HAD LIKE ONE COMMENT.

I THINK, YOU KNOW, WHEN I SAW THAT, YOU KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S GREAT THAT WE'RE DOING A, YOU KNOW, SORT OF A ORDER CONTROL FACILITY, UM, AND THAT, YOU KNOW, Y'ALL HAVE DONE SOME COMMUNITY OUTREACH.

I WOULD JUST SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, UM, I WOULD JUST URGE Y'ALL TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE TO, TO DO AS THOROUGH OF AN OUTREACH POSSIBLE AS PROGRAM OR OUTREACH PROGRAM AS POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY TO PEOPLE THAT, YOU KNOW, LIVE AROUND THE AREAS ARE GONNA BE POTENTIALLY MOST IMPACTED, UH, YOU KNOW, BOTH RENTERS AND, AND HOMEOWNERS OR PROPERTY OWNERS OR WHATEVER THE TERM IS.

UM, YOU KNOW, JUST TO, YOU KNOW, GET A BETTER SENSE OF WHAT PEOPLE'S POTENTIAL CONCERNS COULD BE.

'CAUSE HEY, LIVING BY SOME SMELLY STUFF CAN GET REALLY OLD AFTER A WHILE, NOT TO MENTION, UH, POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS.

SO, UH, I THINK IT'S DEFINITELY IMPORTANT TO BE MINDFUL OF THAT.

APPRECIATE IT.

AND, UM, AS A PART OF THIS PROJECT, WHEN THE SITE PLAN APPLICATION PROCESS, A MAILER IS REQUIRED TO GET SENT OUT, RIGHT? FOR, FOR PROPERTIES NEARBY, UH, WE AS AUSTIN WATER PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE HAVE ALSO SENT OUT MAILERS AND WORKED WITH COMMUNITY GROUPS.

WE'VE IDENTIFIED A NUMBER OF COMMUNITY GROUPS AND A LOT OF THIS WILL, UM, CONTINUE TO OCCUR THROUGH THE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT.

SO WE DON'T WANT TO JUST, YOU KNOW, SHOW UP TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD UNANNOUNCED.

WE DEFINITELY WANNA MAKE SURE THE COMMUNITY IS AWARE WHEN THINGS ARE HAPPENING.

AND IT'S SUCH A LONG PROJECT AS WELL.

THERE'S OFTEN GONNA BE TIMES WHERE PEOPLE WON'T SEE IMPACTS IN THEIR COMMUNITY, BUT THEN MAYBE FOR SIX MONTHS, HEY, WE SEE A CONTRACTOR OUT IN THE CREEK AND THEN THEY'LL BE GONE, UH, AND NEVER TO BE SEEN AGAIN.

SO, UM, WE DEFINITELY, UH, APPRECIATE THAT FEEDBACK AND WE'LL INCORPORATE THAT.

YEAH, LIKE YOU SAID, IT'S ONE THING WHEN IT'S, YOU KNOW, SCUMBAG CONTRACTORS AND DEVELOPERS, BUT WHEN IT'S THE CITY, THEN IT'S JUST LIKE, ALL RIGHT, Y'ALL MADE US ALL LOOK BAD.

NO, I'M JUST KIDDING.

COMMISSIONER KRUEGER.

THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATIONS.

I CAN JUST TELL HOW THOROUGHLY RESEARCHED THEY ARE AND THAT YOU ANTICIPATED SO MANY QUESTIONS THAT I'M SURE MANY OF US HAD.

SO I JUST REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.

I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS.

UM, I JUST HAD A COUPLE OF SMALL QUESTIONS.

YOU TALKED ABOUT GRAND MEADOW, GRAND MEADOW MITIGATION, UM, AND PARTNERSHIP THERE.

DID YOU ALL PARTNER WITH THE FRIENDS OF GRAND MEADOW FOR THAT TREE MITIGATION? DO YOU KNOW? I'M NOT SURE THIS WAS, UH, PROVIDED THIS AREA AS GRAND MEADOW PARK WAS PROVIDED TO US AS A RECOMMENDATION FROM THE PARKS DEPARTMENT.

AND SO MY HOPE IS THAT THEY INCORPORATED THAT FEEDBACK OR COORDINATED WITH THEM.

BUT I CAN CHECK BACK WITH OUR, UM, PART PARTNERS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE INCLUDED.

ARE THE FRIENDS OF GRAND MEADOW? IS THAT WE FRIENDS OF GRAND MEADOW? YES.

THEY'VE BEEN WORKING FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS TO TRY AND ESTABLISH A FOOD FOREST THERE AS, UM, ANOTHER SITE ON PUBLIC LAND, UM, THAT'S DOING THAT.

SO WONDERFUL.

YEAH, I'M JUST CURIOUS IF THEY'RE INVOLVED.

UM, I'M SURE THEY WOULD APPRECIATE BEING INVOLVED IF NOT.

UM, AND THEN LASTLY, I JUST NOTICED THAT THE CONSTRUCTION DATES AND LOCATION OF THIS PROJECT OVERLAP WITH THE I 35 EXPANSION, AND SO I'M SURE YOU ALL HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT THAT, BUT I'M JUST WONDERING, UM, WHAT STEPS YOU'RE TAKING IN PARTICULAR FOR THAT AREA AT THE I 35 INTERSECTION TO REALLY WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY THERE AROUND HOW IT MIGHT IMPACT PARKING AND NOISE AND ALL KINDS OF THINGS.

RIGHT, ABSOLUTELY.

UM, THE NICE THING ABOUT TUNNEL CONSTRUCTION IS THAT WE CAN BYPASS A LOT OF THE ACTION THAT'S GOING ON IN I 35, SO THAT'LL BE NICE.

UM, WE HAVE TUNNEL SHAFTS LOCATED A LITTLE BIT FURTHER OUT, UM, EAST AND WEST FROM I 35.

AND SO WE'VE COORDINATED JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S NO CONFLICTS WITH, UH, THEIR PROJECT WHENEVER THEY'RE, UM, DEPRESSING THE ROADWAY OR ANYTHING OF THAT SORT TO MAKE SURE THERE'S NO CONFLICTS WITH THE TUNNEL.

UM, BUT THEN ALSO, UH, WITH THE NEIGHBOR, WITH THE LOCAL NEIGHBORHOODS, WE SORT OF HAVE REALLY LOCALIZED AREAS THAT WE'LL TARGET AND MAKE SURE THAT, UM, THOSE PEOPLE ARE AWARE.

I DON'T KNOW IF IT'LL NECESSARILY INTERSECT WITH A LOT OF WHAT I 35 IS DOING, BUT, UM, I APPRECIATE THAT, UM, THAT AWARENESS OF THAT.

THAT'S, THAT'S GOOD.

THANKS, THAT'S ALL.

COMMISSIONER SHERA, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.

THAT WAS VERY EDUCATIONAL.

UM, JUST CURIOUS, HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR THIS LENGTH OF PROJECT TO BE COMPLETED?

[00:40:01]

GREAT QUESTION.

UM, THE INITIAL STAGE WILL BE THAT PRIMARY TUNNEL CONSTRUCTION, SO THAT LONG WINDING TUNNEL THAT WILL BE THE LARGE PIPE THAT WE'RE ANTICIPATING AROUND TWO YEARS AFTER IT STARTS.

SO, UH, A TWO YEARS CONSTRUCTION PHASE FOR THAT.

AND THEN AFTER THAT TUNNEL IS IN PLACE WITH THE WASTEWATER LINE IN PLACE AND ACCEPTED, WE CAN START WORKING ON BRINGING THESE LOCAL CONNECTIONS, THOSE 22 LOCAL CONNECTIONS BACK INTO THE NEW TUNNEL.

AND WE'RE ANTICIPATING THAT TO TAKE AROUND TWO YEARS AS WELL.

SO OVERALL, WE'RE HOPING FOUR YEARS.

UM, OF COURSE, UH, THE WAY THAT WE'VE STRUCTURED OUR, OUR, OUR CONTRACT OR ADVERTISEMENT, WE'RE HOPING THAT THE CONTRACTOR WILL FIND WAYS TO SHORTEN THAT SCHEDULE AND DO THINGS IN PARALLEL AS MUCH AS THEY CAN.

THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

COMMISSIONER NICHOLS, UH, NO QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.

OKAY, SO, UM, RIGHT NOW THERE'S AT SOME PORTION OF IT IS, UH, THE, UM, 36 INCH AND SOME PORTION IS THE 42 INCH WASTEWATER.

YES.

CORRECT.

SO YOU HAVE TO REMOVE THAT FIRST.

WE HAVE TO KEEP THAT IN SERVICE WHILE THIS NEW PIPELINE IS BEING CONSTRUCTED.

THERE'S NOWHERE TO REALLY OH, RIGHT, OKAY.

BRING THAT, RIGHT.

THAT, THAT MAKES SENSE.

WELL, THE POINT IS THAT YOU'RE GOING FROM THIS, THIS IS BETWEEN A THREE AND FOUR TIMES LARGER CAPACITY SYSTEM THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.

YES, SIR.

YES.

WE REALLY DO NEED THAT MUCH.

YES.

WE'VE, UH, WORKED EXTENSIVELY WITH OUR MODELING TEAM.

UM, THEY'RE LOOKING AT GROWTH PROJECTIONS AS WELL AS CURRENT FLOWS.

UM, AND THAT'S THE SIZE THAT THEY'RE RECOMMENDING.

IT MIGHT NOT BE NEEDED NECESSARILY TODAY, BUT UM, OF COURSE WE DON'T WANT TO BUILD THIS TUNNEL JUST FOR TODAY.

RIGHT, RIGHT.

AND SO WE'RE, WE'RE PLANNING FOR FUTURE PLANNING HORIZONS AS WELL.

AND OTHER, THE MATERIALS THAT WE'RE USING TODAY BETTER THAN THE MATERIALS WE WERE USING IN THE 1960S.

YES, ABSOLUTELY.

I'M VERY HAPPY TO TALK ABOUT THAT.

UH, BECAUSE THERE'S A, THERE'S A FIBERGLASS PIPE IS WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING TODAY.

THIS IS COMPLETELY CORROSION RESISTANT.

IT'S A INDUSTRY STANDARD TO BE USED WITH WASTEWATER PIPES.

AND SO THAT'S COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE PUT BACK IN THE SIXTIES.

AND SO WE DON'T ANTICIPATE ANY CORROSION OCCURRING AT ALL ALONG WITH THE PIPE OR THE MANHOLES AND THE STRUCTURES THAT'LL BE NEEDED.

GREAT.

ALRIGHT.

WELL THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

I JUST WANTED TO ADD SOMETHING REAL QUICK.

UH, THIS BRINGS UP SOMETHING THAT I ACTUALLY READ THE OTHER DAY.

SO I PULLED THIS UP.

UH, JOSEPH BASIL, GET THE MAN WHO DESIGNED LONDON SEWERS IN THE 1860S SAID, WELL, WE'RE ONLY GONNA DO THIS ONCE AND THERE'S ALWAYS THE UNFORESEEN AND DOUBLE THE PIPE DIAMETER.

IF HE HAD NOT DONE THAT, IT WOULD'VE OVERFLOWED IN THE 1960S AND IT'S STILL IN USE TODAY.

SO THERE CAN BE BENEFITS SOMETIMES, BUT SOMETIMES YOU'LL LOOK CRAZY AND IT'LL NEVER BE USED.

SO THERE YOU GO.

THANK YOU, UH, COMMISSIONER BRIER.

NO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

IT WAS A GREAT PRESENTATION.

I APPRECIATE BOTH OF YOU, UH, GOING INTO THE DETAIL.

YOU DID.

SO THANK YOU GENTLEMEN.

BYE.

CHAIR FER.

UM, I DON'T THINK ANY REAL SPECIFIC SPECIFICITY, I JUST, I APPRECIATE THE, THE DETAIL ON THE, THAT ALTERNATIVE SEATING APPROACH THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING AS WELL.

UM, JUST REALLY CURIOUS, UH, WITH THE COMMUNITY FEEDBACK SO FAR THAT Y'ALL HAVE HAD, WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO INCORPORATE FROM THAT FEEDBACK? THE ENVIRONMENTAL MATS, UM, WERE AN IDEA FROM THE COMMUNITY.

UM, SO THAT WAS A GOOD SUGGESTION AS WELL AS, AS THERE WERE SOME TRAIL IMPACTS FOR A FUTURE GAVA PROJECT.

AND SO I'LL HIGHLIGHT THAT.

THERE'S A, UM, GO AUSTIN VAMOS AUSTIN RIGHT, UH, PROJECT THAT'S OCCURRING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT'S NEARBY.

AND SO THEY'VE SORT OF ALERTED US AND SAID, HEY, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THIS PROJECT THAT WE'RE REALLY, UH, WE REALLY CARE ABOUT.

IT LOOKS LIKE YOUR PROJECT IS OVERLAPPING.

AND SO WE, UM, THIS WAS NOT REALLY ON OUR RADAR.

SO, UM, WE'RE THANKFUL FOR THESE COMMUNITY EVENTS BECAUSE THAT'S SORT OF, UH, KICKED OFF A COORDINATION PROCESS WITH THE CITY STAFF THAT'S WORKING ON THAT.

AND SO THAT'S SORT OF WHAT I ALLUDED TO WITH WORKING WITH CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULES, MAKING SURE THAT THEIR PROJECT WON'T BE IMPACTED.

THEY CAN STILL ENJOY IT.

AND UNFORTUNATELY OUR PROJECT DOES HAVE SOME MINOR IMPACTS TO THAT AREA.

BUT, UM, WE'VE INCORPORATED THAT NOW IN OUR PLANS AND SO THAT WE CAN RESTORE THAT WITH OUR PLANS AND WITHIN THE BUDGET OF OUR PROJECT SO THAT IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, BROKEN UP AND THEN LEFT, UH, LEFT THEM, UH, AS IS.

DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING MOTION BY RESI, SECONDED BY SULLIVAN.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR HANDS.

RESI KRUGER TOPHER BEDFORD SHERA NICHOLS SULLIVAN BRIMER.

MOTION UNANIMOUS.

COMMISSIONERS , I THINK I HAVE THE MOTION FOR THE ITEM UP, SO LET'S SEE.

D LOCATED AT 5 1 1 1 SOUTH FIRST STREET TO FOUR, UH, 5 4 0 4 EAST WILLIAM CANNON DRIVE ALONG WILLIAMSON CREEK.

OH, OH, NEVERMIND.

GETTING AHEAD OF MYSELF.

UM, OKAY.

SUBJECT WILLIAMSON CREEK INTERCEPTOR SP DASH 2 0 22 DASH 3 6 8

[00:45:01]

WHEREAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOGNIZES THE APPLICANT IS REQUESTING A LAND USE COMMISSION VARIANCE IS REQUESTED TO ALLOW A DEVELOPMENT IN THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE FOR A WASTEWATER INTERCEPT PER LDC TWO FIVE DASH EIGHT DASH 2 61 A LAND USE COMMISSION.

UM, VARIANCE IS REQUESTED TO ALLOW CUT UP TO NINE FEET FOR REMOVAL OF A BUILDING FOUNDATION EXCEEDING THE FOUR FOOT LIMITATION PER LDC TWO FIVE DASH EIGHT DASH 3 4 1.

AND WHEREAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOGNIZES THE SITE IS LOCATED IN WILLIAM WILLIAMSON CREEK SUBURBAN DESIRED, UH, DEVELOPMENT ZONE.

THEREFORE, THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOMMENDS A VARIANCE REQUEST WITH THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS.

STAFF CONDITIONS, ONE PAYMENT INTO THE, UH, WATER SUPPLY MITIGATION FUND AS PER APPENDIX Q DASH SEVEN.

RIP ZONE MITIGATION OF THE ECM IN THE AMOUNT OF $606,850 FOR 15.7 ACRES OF REQUIRED MITIGATION FOR A UTILITY LINE INSTALLED PARALLEL TO CREEK, UH, CENTER LINE TO ALL AREAS OF THE, OF THE LIMITS OF CONSTRUCTION.

LLOC WITHIN THE CRITICAL WATER QUAL CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE WILL BE RESTORED WITH 6 0 9 S NATIVE SEEDING AND PLANNING PER RESTORATION.

UH, PLAN SHEETS THREE PREVIOUSLY IDENTIFIED PORTIONS OF THE EXPOSED INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE EXISTING AND TO BE ABANDONED.

WASTEWATER INTERCEPTOR WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE AND RESTORED TO, UH, NATURAL CONDITIONS AS PER APPROVED PLANS FOR THE ABANDONED, UH, WASTEWATER INTERCEPTOR.

DIVERSION BUILDING WILL BE DEMOLISHED AND THE HILL UNDERNEATH IT WILL BE REMOVED TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL FLOOD WATER, UH, STORAGE, AND A CONSISTENT GRADE FOR THE CRITICAL WATER QUA CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE AND RESTORATION OF THE RIPARIAN AREA AT SOUTH PLEASANT VALLEY ROAD AND WILLIAMSON CREEK.

FIVE.

AN ORDER CONTROL FACILITY WILL BE INSTALLED AS PART OF THE PROJECT TO REDUCE IMPACTS TO ADJACENT PROPERTIES.

AND THE, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL COMM, UH, COMMISSION CONDITIONS.

ONE, CONTINUE TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE COMMUNITY'S PROPERTY OWNERS AND RENTERS THAT ARE NEARBY AND POTENTIALLY AFFECTED BY THE PROJECTS AND ANY CONCERNS THAT MAY ARISE SUCH AS ORDERS AND EMISSIONS CONTROLS.

TWO, CONSIDER REACHING OUT AND WORKING WITH, YOU SAID GRAND MEADOWS FRIENDS OF GRAND? YES.

THAT'S FRIENDS OF GRAND MEADOW, WORKING WITH FRIENDS OF GRAND MEADOWS AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS TO ENCOURAGE FOOD SOURCES THAT, SORRY, THAT MINIMIZE FOOD DESERT EFFECTS.

ANYTHING ELSE? COMMISSIONERS, SHOULD WE, UM, SAY THAT WE ARE IN FAVOR OF THE MATT MATTING INSTEAD OF PUTTING DOWN, UH, GRAVEL FOR, UH, HEAVY EQUIPMENT MOVEMENT? I'LL SECOND THAT OR AGREE TO THAT.

IT'S A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT, SO ADD THAT UNDER ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, UH, CONDITIONS OR, OKAY.

CAN YOU REPEAT THAT AGAIN? YEAH, THAT MATTING, UH, WHAT WAS THE MATERIAL FOR THE MATTING? OKAY.

WOULD BE USED INSTEAD OF, UH, CRUSHED GRAVEL FOR, UH, PAVING, YOU KNOW, FOR TEMPORARY ROADS, FOR MOVING HEAVY EQUIPMENT, TEMPORARY ROAD ACCESS.

PERMITS WOULD BE USED INSTEAD OF TEMPORARY ROAD ACCESS.

ALRIGHT.

ACCESS.

UM, .

I JUST HAVE ENVIRONMENTAL, UH, MATS WILL BE USED INSTEAD OF TEMPORARY ROAD ACCESS.

I THINK I KIND WELL, THE POINT IS THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU SAW THE IMAGE OF PUTTING DOWN GRAVEL FOR MM-HMM.

ROADS.

THE POINT IS THAT TAKES A LOT MORE TO REMEDIATE.

UM, YEAH.

SO I THINK IT WOULD BE MATS INSTEAD OF CRUSHED GRAVEL USED FOR, YEAH, IT'S OKAY.

TEMPORARY ROAD ACCESS.

TEMPORARY GRAVEL USING CRUSH.

CRUSHED GRAVEL.

UM, STAFF WOULD LIKE TO MAKE

[00:50:01]

A CLARIFICATION.

OKAY, THANK YOU.

UH, I DO WANNA CLARIFY.

WE'RE IDENTIFYING AREAS THAT WE CAN USE THE MATS WHERE WE CAN, BUT BASED ON THE SLOPES ON SOME OF THE AREAS, WE CAN'T USE THEM THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PROJECT.

SO THERE ARE SOME AREAS, UM, I JUST WANNA, SO JUST SAY LIKE, WHEN POSSIBLE.

I HAVE ENVIRONMENTAL MATS WILL BE USED INSTEAD OF TEMPORARY ROAD ACCESS.

UH, INSTEAD OF YEAH.

INSTEAD OF, INSTEAD OF CRUSHED GRAVEL.

ANYTHING ELSE? COMMISSIONERS.

ENVIRONMENTAL MATS WILL BE USED INSTEAD OF CRUSH GRAVEL FOR TEMPORARY ROAD ACCESS WHEREVER POSSIBLE.

DO WE HAVE A SECOND FOR THE MOTION AS STATED? I'LL SECOND.

SECONDED BY KRUEGER.

LET ME PUT YOU ON THERE BEFORE I FORGET.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR HAND.

WE HAVE RESI, KRUEGER, FER, BEDFORD, SHERA NICHOLS, SULLIVAN, AND BRIMER.

MOTION PASSES AND IS UNANIMOUS.

THANK YOU COMMISSIONERS.

WE HAVE DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS, A PRESENTATION, DISCUSSION, AND RECOMMENDATION ON THE GREAT SPRINGS PROJECT.

UM, NEXT UP

[3. Presentation, discussion, and recommendation on the Great Springs Project – Mikey Goralnik, Trails and Transportation Planner, Great Springs Project; Requested by Environmental Commissioner David Sullivan]

IS THERE ANY WAY I CAN DO MY OWN SLIDES? NO.

IT'S OKAY.

I'M JUST KIND CONTROL FREAK OVER HERE.

SORRY.

IT'S OKAY.

UM, WELL, UH, IT'S GREAT TO MEET YOU OR SEE EVERYBODY.

UM, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT THE GREAT SPRINGS PROJECT.

UM, MY NAME IS MIKEY NIK AGAIN.

UM, SHOUT OUT TO THE CHAIR FOR NAILING IT ON THE FIRST TRY.

THAT NEVER HAPPENS.

UM, DISTRICT ONE RESIDENT, I'M ALSO A PLANNER AND A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT, UH, FOR THIS GROUP, THE GREAT SPRINGS PROJECT, A 5 0 1 C3 NONPROFIT, UM, BASED HERE IN AUSTIN.

AND, UM, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO TELLING YOU MORE ABOUT OUR GROUP AND I'M ALSO, UM, AND, UH, SEEKING YOUR SUPPORT FOR A RECOMMENDATION OF COURSE THAT'S IN THE MEETING PACKET.

UM, I'M GONNA GO THROUGH THESE SLIDES, BUT I ENCOURAGE YOU, UM, TO, IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS DURING THE PRESENTATION OR WANT TO TALK ABOUT A SPECIFIC SLIDE OR ANYTHING THAT I SAY, JUST FEEL FREE TO INTERRUPT.

UM, I'M ALL IN FAVOR OF KEEPING IT CASUAL, UM, TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN.

SO NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UM, SO HERE'S WHAT MATTERS TO US, OR ANOTHER WAY OF PUTTING IT IS HERE ARE THE FOUR KIND OF ESSENTIAL PREMISES THAT OUR GROUP EXISTS TO ENGAGE IN.

UM, ALL OF WHICH SHOULD BE VERY FAMILIAR TO ANYBODY THAT LIVES IN AUSTIN, AND ESPECIALLY TO THIS GROUP.

BUT, UM, WORTH, I'M NOT SAY ANYBODY THAT LIVES IN THE GREATER AUSTIN, SAN ANTONIO AREA, UM, BUT WORTH, WORTH REPEATING, WORTH EMPHASIZING, WORTH CALLING OUT.

UM, THE FIRST IS THAT, UH, EXPLOSIVE AND ALSO NOT ALWAYS HEAVILY REGULATED OR CONTROLLED POPULATION GROWTH AND LAND USE CHANGES IN OUR REGION HAVE SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES FOR REGIONAL SYSTEMS, INCLUDING PHYSICAL AND ECOLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEMS. THAT'S KIND OF THE, THE ONE OF THE NUMBER ONE, ONE OF THE, THE FOUR KEY THEMES THAT IS IMPORTANT TO OUR GROUP.

UM, THOSE ARE, THIS IS AGAIN, VERY, YOU KNOW, RUDIMENTARY THINKING FOR, UM, FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, BUT SO IMPORTANT THAT IT HAS TO BE SAID.

UM, ANOTHER ESSENTIAL PRECEPT FOR OUR GROUP IS THAT, UM, WE BELIEVE STRONGLY THAT ACCESS TO OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENTS IS NOT ONLY AN ESSENTIAL PART OF LIVING IN CENTRAL TEXAS.

THE, THE SPRINGS, THE FORESTS, THE RIPARIAN AREAS LIKE WILLIAMSON CREEK, UM, ARE NOT ONLY REALLY CRITICAL PARTS OF OUR, OUR OUR PLACE AND OUR EXPERIENCE LIVING IN THIS AREA, BUT THEY'RE NECESSARY PARTS OF, UM, HEALTHY, VIBRANT, AND UM, RESILIENT COMMUNITIES.

AND THEN, UH, THE FOURTH ESSENTIAL PRECEPT FOR OUR GROUP IS THAT EXPOSURE TO THE RISKS OF, UM, UH, CHANGING CLIMATE, HEAT, FLOODING, DROUGHT, OTHERS, UM, AND ACCESS TO OUTDOOR EXPERIENCES IN CENTRAL TEXAS ARE NOT EQUITABLY

[00:55:01]

DISTRIBUTED.

SO, UM, BOTH OF THOSE THINGS, UH, RISK AND ACCESS ARE, UM, ARE, ARE, UH, WEALTHIER COMMUNITIES IN OUR AREA HAVE BETTER ACCESS TO OUTDOOR EXPERIENCES AND ARE LESS EXPOSED TO, UH, THE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH CLIMATE CHANGE.

SO THAT'S WHAT MATTERS TO US.

THAT'S WHAT IS ESSENTIAL TO OUR GROUP, AND THAT'S WHY, UH, WE EXIST TO ENGAGE WITH THESE FOUR THEMES.

SO WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT THAT AND HOW DO WE CONTRIBUTE? UM, WE HAVE, WE DO TWO THINGS.

WE HAVE TWO ESSENTIAL DRIVING, UM, PRIORITIES.

WE WORK TO CONSERVE 50,000 ACRES OF LAND IN THE EDWARDS AQUIFER RECHARGE ZONE.

UM, AND WE WORK TO CONNECT THOSE CONSERVED LANDS AND THE COMMUNITIES WHERE THOSE LANDS ARE LOCATED WITH A HUNDRED PLUS MILES OF TRAIL WITH THE GOAL THAT, UH, BY 2036 YOU'LL BE ABLE TO WALK, RIDE YOUR BIKE, POTENTIALLY RIDE YOUR HORSE, UM, FROM THE ALAMO TO THE CAPITOL.

UH, NEXT SLIDE, BUT BEYOND, OR KIND OF LIKE UNDER THE HOOD ON THESE TWO ESSENTIAL CONCEPTS ARE OTHER HIGHER PRIORITIES AND, UM, IMPORTANT TOPICS THAT, UM, ANIMATE AND PROVIDE, UH, DETAIL AND SPECIFICITY TO THE KIND OF WORK THAT WE DO.

SO WE'RE CONSERVING LAND, NOT JUST SO THAT WE CAN, WE ADVOCATE FOR CONSERVATION AND PRACTICE CONSERVATION, NOT JUST SO THAT THAT LAND CAN BE PROTECTED AND SET ASIDE AND NEVER USED OR EXPERIENCED OR HAVE NO OTHER BENEFIT OR CONSERVING LAND SPECIFICALLY TO SUPPORT AQUIFER RECHARGE, TO PROMOTE, UM, AND CONSERVE HABITAT FOR NATIVE SPECIES, UM, TO ENABLE PUBLIC ACCESS TO SOME LANDSCAPES THAT ARE, UM, WHERE THAT'S APPROPRIATE.

UM, AND TO SEQUESTER CARBON AND MITIGATE CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS IN OTHER WAYS.

SPECIFICALLY TRAILS ARE IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY FACILITATE ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION CONNECTIONS IN OUR COMMUNITIES.

UM, THEY PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR RECREATIONAL USE.

UM, THERE ARE ARENAS FOR GENERATING JOBS AND SUPPORTING HEALTHY ECONOMIES.

UM, THEY ALLOW US, UH, ARENAS AND, AND, AND OPPORTUNITIES AGAIN, TO TELL STORIES ABOUT AND MAKE PLACE IN THE, THE, THE COMMUNITIES AND THE LANDSCAPES WHERE OUR TRAILS ARE LOCATED.

UM, AND THEY SUPPORT, UH, EQUITABLE AND JUSTICE, UH, ORIENTED OUTCOMES BOTH FROM, IN TERMS OF PUBLIC ACCESS AND, AND CLIMATE CHANGE.

IT'S, IT'S EVERYBODY'S TRAIL, IT'S EVERYBODY'S CONSERVATION PRIORITIES.

SO, UM, WE WORK IN THE EDWARDS AQUIFER RECHARGE ZONE.

SO OUR PROJECT IS REGIONAL.

UM, WE ARE ACTIVE IN, AND, UH, SO BASED IN AUSTIN, OUR OFFICE IS DOWNTOWN.

UH, I LIVE HERE, SO DO MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES.

UM, BUT WE ALSO WORK AGAIN THROUGHOUT THE FOUR COUNTY AREAS.

SO TRAVIS COUNTY, HAYES COUNTY, KAMALA COUNTY, BEXAR COUNTY, A GREAT SPRING IS LOCATED IN EACH ONE OF THOSE COUNTIES AND, UM, THE MAJOR COMMUNITIES IN EACH ONE OF THEM.

AND WE'RE ACTIVE, UM, IN FACILITATING, UH, TRAIL AND CONSERVATION PROJECTS THROUGHOUT THE CORRIDOR.

UM, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UM, AND SO GENERALLY WHAT, HOW WE, WE DO THOSE THINGS IN TERMS OF IMPLEMENTING TRAIL AND CONSERVATION PROJECTS REGIONALLY? I, AND THIS IS LIKE A REALLY ESSENTIAL, LIKE, FUNDAMENTAL THING THAT I FEEL LIKE I DON'T EMPHASIZE ENOUGH.

IT'S NOT LIKE OUR TRAIL, OUR IDEA, LIKE WE HAVE A SUGGESTION OR A PRIORITY FOR A ROUTE OR FOR CONSERVATION OBJECTIVES.

UM, THESE ARE, THESE ARE EVERYBODY'S PLANS.

THESE ARE EVERYBODY'S PRIORITIES FOR, FOR TRAIL CONNECTIVITY AND FOR CONSERVATION.

SO OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLE AND THE, THE WAY THAT WE, THE, THE TRAIL AND CONSERVATION PROJECTS THAT WE WORK ON WERE IDENTIFIED IN, UM, OTHER REGIONAL PLANS.

SO WE'RE IMPLEMENTING RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE BEARER COUNTY ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PLAN.

WE'RE IMPLEMENTING, UM, THE DESIGN AND, AND GUIDANCE FROM THE HILL COUNTRY, CONSERVANCY'S VIOLENT CROWN TRAIL PLAN, UM, OTHER, YOU KNOW, EVERY COMMUNITY, EVERY, YOU KNOW, FOUR COUNTIES, 10 CITIES, TWO METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATIONS, TWO TXDOT DISTRICTS, UH, THROUGHOUT OUR REGION.

UM, THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, MULTIPLE DIFFERENT TRAIL PLANS, RECREATIONAL TRAIL PLANS, ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PLANS, UM, WATER QUALITY ENHANCEMENT, HABITAT ENHANCEMENT PLANS, ALL OF WHICH PROVIDE THE, THE, THE, THE GUIDANCE AND THE SPECIFIC DIRECTION FOR WHAT OUR PROJECTS ARE.

SO, UM, IT'S NOT LIKE WE, UH, NEEDS TO BE REPEATED THAT IT'S NOT LIKE THE GREAT SPRINGS TRAIL IS A NEW, UM, YOU KNOW, A HUNDRED AND PLUS 10, 110 PLUS MILE TRAIL THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED AS BEING SPECIAL AND AND VALUABLE.

AND SO WE'RE GUIDED BY, BY THOSE, BY THOSE PLANNING EFFORTS.

WE PARTICIPATE IN THOSE PLANNING EFFORTS, UM, AND WE WORK TO AMPLIFY AND IMPLEMENT THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THESE PLANS THAT ARE LOCAL PRIORITIES THROUGHOUT OUR, OUR PROJECT AREA, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES, COUNTY GOVERNMENTS, AND ALSO OTHER NONPROFITS.

SPECIFICALLY THERE ARE SOME REALLY ESSENTIAL KIND OF ACTIVITIES, THINGS THAT I, I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE, UM, WE'RE GOOD AT THAT WE KIND OF WHAT THE WAY THAT WE OPERATE THAT, UM, WE, WE OFFER, I WOULD SAY, UM, SO ONE IS THAT WE, WE SUPPORT WE RIGHT OF WAY ACQUISITION BOTH FOR CONSERVATION PROJECTS AND FOR FOR TRAIL PROJECTS.

UM, SO

[01:00:01]

SO, UM, WE HAVE A TEAM OF, UH, LAND PEOPLE WHO, UM, KINDA A, A FUNNY NAME I GUESS NOW I SAY IT OUT LOUD, BUT THE, THE LAND PEOPLE, UM, ARE, ARE, YOU KNOW, FIVE DEDICATED STAFF PEOPLE THAT FACILITATE ACQUISITION OF PROPERTY, BE IT, UH, YOU KNOW, FEE SIMPLE ACQUISITION FOR CONSERVATION PURPOSES, UM, EASEMENTS FOR CONSERVATION OR FOR TRAIL, UM, YOU KNOW, OTHER, OTHER NECESSARY RIGHT OF WAY THAT, THAT IS CONTRIBUTING TO THESE PRIORITY CONSERVATION RESTORATION AND TRAIL CONNECTIVITY PROJECTS.

SO WE, WE WORK WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, UM, AGAIN, OTHER NONPROFIT PARTNERS LIKE THE HILL COUNTRY CONSERVANCY, UM, THE EDWARDS AQUIFER AUTHORITY, UH, YOU NAME IT.

THEY'RE OUR COLLABORATOR, UM, IN OUR FOUR COUNTY AREA TO, UM, RAISE MONEY TO MANAGE COMPLEX, UH, RAISE MONEY TO SUPPORT ACQUISITION, TO, UM, MANAGE COMPLEX ACQUISITION PROJECTS.

UM, AND, AND TO SEE THOSE THINGS, THOSE, THOSE RIGHT OF WAY TRANSFERS THROUGH SO THAT THE TRAIL CONNECTIVITY AND CONSERVATION OUTCOMES ARE ACHIEVED.

UM, AND I SHOULD, I'LL JUST ADD ONE THING THAT, UH, MAYBE IS, IS, UM, IMPLIED, BUT THE ROLE OF A NONPROFIT, UH, AS AN INTERMEDIARY OR BROKER BETWEEN, UM, A LAND TR BETWEEN A LANDOWNER, UH, AND A MUNICIPALITY LIKE THE, A CITY OR A COUNTY, CAN BE, UM, REALLY VALUABLE, UH, IN CONTENTIOUS SITUATIONS.

SO, UM, IF ANY OF YOU HAVE EVER WORKED IN CONSERVATION, REAL ESTATE CONSERVATION, UM, YOU MAY, MAY KNOW THAT SOMETIMES LANDOWNERS ARE SKEPTICAL OF, UM, OF CITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.

UM, THEY'RE ALSO SKEPTICAL OF NONPROFITS IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS AS WELL.

BUT, UM, AND THIS IS A REALLY VALUABLE ROLE THAT WE PLAY AS A, AS A, AS A NONPROFIT, AS A, A BUFFER BETWEEN THE LANDOWNER AND THE PUBLIC AGENCY.

UM, ANOTHER AREA WHERE WE CONTRIBUTE AND WHERE WE PARTICIPATE IS THAT WE, WE COLLABORATE WITH, UM, AGAIN, NONPROFITS AND PUBLIC AND PRIVATE, IN SOME CASES, LANDOWNERS TO SUPPORT TRAIL DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES.

SO OUR LAND PEOPLE WORK ON LAND TRANSACTIONS, OUR TRAIL PEOPLE, UM, LIKE MYSELF, UH, WE CAN, WE'RE TRAINED TO, UM, OVERSEE, MANAGE A TRAIL PROJECT FROM START TO FINISH, NOT JUST A RECREATIONAL TRAIL, BUT ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS LIKE A SHARED USE PATH OR, UH, ANOTHER, ANY, ANY KIND OF, UM, OF CONNECTIVITY OR RECREATIONAL TRAIL PROJECTS.

UH, WE HAD THE EXPERTISE TO, UH, SUPPORT PARTNERS IN PLANNING, DESIGNING, AND EVEN PHYSICALLY CONSTRUCTING NEW TRAILS.

UM, AND WITH THAT, UH, ESSENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, A CRITICAL COMPONENT IS THAT WE'RE HELPING NOT ONLY PLAN DESIGN AND CONSTRUCT, BUT, UM, FIND RESOURCES LIKE MONEY, FINANCIAL RESOURCES FROM A GRANT, FROM, UH, A BOND FROM, UM, PRIVATE PHILANTHROPY TO, UM, TO, TO FACILITATE AND TO CON EXECUTE EACH ONE OF THOSE STEPS IN THE TRAIL DESIGN PLANNING CONSTRUCTION PROCESS.

NOT YET FINISHED, BUT MIDWAY FINISH, I GUESS.

SO, I GUESS ONE PARTICULARLY COMPELLING EXAMPLE OF THE BOTH OF THESE ACTIVITIES OF US, UH, OUR GROUP HELPING TO FACILITATE RIGHT OF WAY ACQUISITION AND TRAIL CONSTRUCTION, UH, IS A PROJECT WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON IN SAN MARCOS AREA.

UM, THIS IS CALLED THE LIMESTONE LINK.

UH, THIS WAS AN ESSENTIAL CONSERVATION PROPERTY.

UH, IT'S ALL IN THE RECHARGE ZONE.

IT HAS LIKE VISIBLE RECHARGE FEATURES.

UM, THE COUNTY WANTED TO PURCHASE, HAYES COUNTY WANTED TO PURCHASE THIS PROPERTY, BUT DIDN'T HAVE, UH, THE FINANCIAL, UH, CAPACITY ON THE SAME TIMELINE AS THE SELLER DID.

SO OUR ORGANIZATION SERVED AS THE CONSERVATION BUYER.

WE PURCHASED THE PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE SELLER, UM, WILLING OF COURSE PRIVATE SELLER, UH, TO HOLD UNTIL THE COUNTY COULD PASS A BOND MEASURE TO RAISE THE PUBLIC FINANCING THAT IS NECESSARY FOR THE PUBLIC TO ACQUIRE IT.

UM, ONCE THE PUBLIC ACQUIRED IT, OUR GROUP, UM, RAISED MONEY THROUGH THE TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE RECREATIONAL TRAILS GRANT PROGRAM TO, UM, FUND SITE PREPARATION AND CONSTRUCTION OF A 1.1 MILE TRAIL ON THIS SITE, UM, TO CONNECT TO FUTURE AND EXISTING, UM, RECREATIONAL TRAIL IN HAYES COUNTY.

AND NOW, UM, MY COLLEAGUE KENNY IS OUT ON THE SITE ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK, PHYSICALLY, UH, WIELDING A PICK AX OR, UM, SOME, UH, ANOTHER HEAVY PIECE OF, UH, HAND TOOL TO, UM, COLLABORATE WITH THE SAN MARCUS GREENBELT ALLIANCE IN ACTUALLY INSTALLING THIS TRAIL.

UM, SO THAT'S A KIND OF AN, THIS HAS BEEN A REALLY FUN PROJECT TO SEE THROUGH SO FAR FROM, FROM START TO

[01:05:01]

UM, AND THEN THE THIRD THING THAT I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO STRESS IS THAT WE ALSO WORK TO AMPLIFY COMMUNITY IN A VARIETY OF WAYS.

SO WE, WE HELP BUILD TRAILS.

WE ALSO HELP ACTIVATE EXISTING TRAILS THROUGH THINGS LIKE, UH, WE HAVE, WE HAVE A TRAIL RACE, UH, ONE IN EVERY COUNTY.

UM, WE'RE, UH, GONNA BE HOSTING A IN TRAVIS COUNTY LATER ON IN THE SPRING.

UM, WE ADOPTED A SEGMENT OF ONION CREEK AND ARE OUT WITH VOLUNTEERS ONCE A MONTH, UM, PICKING UP TRASH AND DOING OTHER THINGS IN THAT AREA.

UM, WE ALSO, UH, OVERSEE TRAIL RESTORATION OR RIPARIAN RESTORATION ACTIVITIES IN THAT AREA.

SO REMOVING INVASIVE SPECIES REVEGETATING WITH NATIVE RIPARIAN SPECIES, UM, AND WE ALL, ALL THIS WORK IS DONE TO HELP, UM, CREATE, UH, VIBRANT COMMUNITIES AND PEOPLE WHO ARE ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT, UM, USING EXISTING AND NEW TRAILS, UH, IN OUR AREA.

AND ONE, PARTICULARLY I THINK, ELABORATE AND COMPLEX, UM, EXAMPLE OF THIS IS A PROJECT THAT WE'RE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW, UM, IN EASTERN TRAVIS COUNTY, UH, AND IN EAST AUSTIN, UM, ALONG ONION CREEK FROM ESSENTIALLY I 35, UH, TO THE CONFLUENCE OF ONION CREEK AND THE COLORADO RIVER.

I THINK IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, I WON'T GO THROUGH EVERY DETAIL.

THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT, THE LOWER ONION CREEK CONNECTIVITY AND RESILIENCY INITIATIVE, UM, BUT IT'S A $20 MILLION PROJECT THAT, UM, WE'RE HOPING IS FUNDED, UM, BY THE EPAS CLIMATE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITY CHANGE GRANT PROGRAM.

WE'RE PARTNERED WITH 12 DIFFERENT NONPROFITS, UM, INCLUDING DOVE SPRINGS, PROUD TRAVIS COUNTY PARKS FOUNDATION, UH, AUSTIN YOUTH RIVER WATCH AND TREE FOLKS, UM, AS WELL AS, UH, TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE AND TRAVIS COUNTY TO BUILD, UH, 4.3 NEW MILE MILES OF NEW FULLY ACCESSIBLE CONCRETE TRAIL, UH, THAT ARE TRAIL PRIORITIES, UM, FOR TRAVIS COUNTY, AND TO DO SO IN WAYS, UM, THAT, UH, SERVE AS BOTH GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE AND NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR, UM, CANOPY AND, UH, FLOOD RISK REDUCTION, AND THAT ARE IMPLEMENTED THROUGH A GREEN WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK, UH, AUSTIN YOUTH RIVER WATCH AND TREE FOLKS ARE OVERSEEING THAT WILL, UM, BOTH CREATE NEW JOBS, UH, IN THE GREEN WORKFORCE TO CONDUCT THIS TRAIL BUILDING TRAIL DESIGN, UM, AND, UH, NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS AND GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE CREATION, UM, BUT PROVIDE WRAPAROUND SUPPORT FOR PARTICIPANTS IN THAT GREEN WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM TO LEARN NOT ONLY, YOU KNOW, SKILLS RELATED TO THE GREEN WORKFORCE, BUT, UH, GENERAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT RELATED TO HOW TO INTERVIEW FOR A JOB AND HOW, WHAT TO WEAR WHEN YOU GO TO A PUBLIC MEETING AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.

UM, SO THIS IS A REALLY COMPLICATED, UM, AND PARTNER DRIVEN INITIATIVE THAT, UH, I CHECKED MY EMAIL.

THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO TELL US THIS WEEK, THIS PROJECT'S FUNDED.

SO I CHECK MY EMAIL EVERY 15 MINUTES OR SO.

UM, BUT ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE WAY THAT WE'RE AMPLIFYING WORKING TO AMPLIFY COMMUNITY, UH, HERE IN TRAVIS COUNTY.

ESSENTIALLY GRASSROOTS PLANNING PROJECTS, UM, LED IN PARTNERSHIP, UH, WITH, UH, THE TRAIL CONSERVANCY, UH, AND THE TRAVIS COUNTY PARKS FOUNDATION TO IDENTIFY, UM, PRIORITIES FOR BOTH RE RECREATION AND RESTORATION AND PUBLIC ACCESS, UH, FOR A TRAIL BELOW, UH, LONGHORN DAM.

UM, SO THAT'S ONE PROJECT, JUST TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE RUNDOWN OF SOME OF THE THINGS WE'VE BEEN UP TO IMMEDIATELY.

I MENTIONED IN EACH ONE OF THESE CATEGORIES, SO I MENTIONED THAT WE ENGAGE WITH LANDOWNERS, AGENCIES, AND COMMUNITIES.

WE'RE CURRENTLY WRAPPING UP, UH, A TWO YEAR LANDOWNER OUTREACH INITIATIVE.

UH, LITERALLY SOMEONE IS CALLING, UH, EVERYBODY.

WE, WE'VE IDENTIFIED EVERY STRATEGIC PARCEL, UM, USING A SORT OF, UH, COMPLICATED GIS ANALYTICAL PROCESS, UH, THAT HAS A SIGNIFICANT, THEY OWN SIGNIFICANT LAND AND IS THAT'S NOT YET CONSERVED, UM, AND HAS A, A BENEFIT TO THE AQUIFER AND TO OUR TRAIL CONNECTIVITY.

UM, EVERY ONE OF THOSE LANDOWNERS HAS BEEN CALLED ONCE, UH, AT LEAST, UM, SOME OF THEM WERE GETTING TO THE POINT WHERE THEY'VE ALL BEEN CALLED TWICE.

UM, SO A, A HUGE UNDERTAKING, UM, THAT, THAT, THAT'S ONE EXAMPLE OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO LATELY.

UM, WE'RE ALSO ADVOCATING FOR, UH, FUNDING FROM THE, THE CAPITAL AREA METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION, UM, RECENTLY CONCLUDED RECREATIONAL OR REGIONAL TRAILS PLAN, AND THEY'RE RECENTLY REOPENED CALL FOR PROJECTS FOR, UM, TRANSPORTATION ASSISTANCE.

UM, AND WE'RE DOING, UH, THESE PRESENTATIONS TO OTHER CITY OF AUSTIN ADVISORY COMMITTEES.

RECENTLY MET WITH THE PLANNING ADVISORY, THE, UH, BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMISSION, THE PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMISSION.

TOMORROW WE'LL BE MEETING WITH THE MOBILITY COMMITTEE AND CITY COUNCIL.

UH, LATER ON NEXT MONTH, WE'LL BE MEETING WITH THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION, UH, TO TELL YOU WHAT WE'RE ABOUT, BUT ALSO HEAR WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS ARE AND WHAT, HOW ENGAGE WITH YOU DISCUSS THIS WITH YOU, HEAR YOUR, YOUR QUESTIONS, UH, SUGGESTIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS, IDEAS, UM, REGARDING OUR SORT OF WORK TO, UH, ESTABLISH AND, AND EXECUTE TRANSFORMATIVE TRAIL PROJECTS.

I MENTIONED THE LOWER ONION CREEK CONNECTIVITY AND RESILIENCY INITIATIVE.

WE ALSO RECENTLY SUBMITTED AN APPLICATION TO A GRANT PROGRAM FROM THE BUREAU OF RECLAMATION FOR, UH, A WATERSHED RESTORATION AND PUBLIC ACCESS PLAN.

UM, IF THAT, THAT, IF THAT PROJECT'S FUNDED, UH, IT'LL BE A

[01:10:01]

UM, AND WE'RE, WE'RE HUSTLING TO BRING IN MONEY FROM MANY DIFFERENT COMPETITIVE GRANT SOURCES, INCLUDING FOR BOTH CONSERVATION AND RECREATIONAL TRAILS AND ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION TRAILS.

UH, THESE INCLUDE, WE, WE RECEIVED A GRANT FROM TXTS TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES PROGRAM.

IT'S ABOUT $2 MILLION FOR A, A QUARTER, A WIDE FEASABILITY STUDY, UH, SHAKE.

IT STARTED ON THAT IN THE NEXT COUPLE MONTHS.

UM, THIS YEAR ALONE, UH, WE OR THE PARTNERS THAT WE SUPPORTED, RECEIVED, UH, $740,000, UH, IN FUNDING FROM THE TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE'S RECREATIONAL TRAILS GRANT PROGRAM.

UM, THIS IS KIND OF OUR BREAD AND BUTTER.

UH, WE'LL BE SUBMITTING MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS.

WE ARE, OUR PARTNERS WILL BE SUBMITTING MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS FOR PROJECTS, UH, THIS UPCOMING CALL IN JANUARY.

UM, AND WE ARE FREQUENTLY ENGAGING WITH THE PHILANTHROPIC COMMUNITY, UM, LOCALLY, REGIONALLY, AND NATIONALLY, UH, TO AGAIN, BRING IN RESOURCES THAT CAN BE USED TO AUGMENT, UH, THE EFFORTS OF LOCAL AND NONPROFIT PARTNERS THROUGHOUT OUR REGION TO BUILD OUT, UM, SIGNIFICANT TRAILS AND CONSERVE THE AQUIFER.

SO WHAT WE'RE HERE TO ASK FOR NOW, UM, IS I MENTIONED WE'RE, WE'RE ENGAGING WITH OTHER, UH, ADVISORY COMMITTEES LOCALLY.

WE'RE ASKING, UM, P-A-C-B-A-C, YOU ALL URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION, UM, FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN SAYING THAT YOU THINK THIS IS A GOOD IDEA, UH, YOU THINK GSP UH, IS DOING, UM, IS CAPABLE OF SUPPORTING THE CITY'S, UH, OBJECTIVES RELATED TO CONSERVATION RESTORATION, UH, AND TRAIL CONNECTIVITY.

UM, AND THAT YOU, YOU, YOU ARE OKAY WITH US CONTINUING TO, UM, ADVOCATE FOR THOSE PROJECTS HERE.

UM, AS IT SAYS, THIS IS NOT AN OBLIGATION.

YOU'RE NOT OB YOU WOULD, THIS ACTION WOULDN'T OBLIGATE OR REQUIRE ANYBODY TO DO ANYTHING.

IT'S JUST, UM, UH, IT'S AN AUTHORIZATION FROM YOU ALL TO CITY STAFF TO, UM, BE OUR, BE OUR PARTNER, BE OUR FRIEND, ALLOW US TO, UM, TO, TO DEVELOP PROJECTS FOR CONSERVATION RESTORATION AND, AND TRAIL CONNECTIVITY, UH, WITH STAFF AT PUBLIC WORKS AND WATERSHED, BARD, ET CETERA.

UM, SPECIFICALLY WHERE WE'RE MOST INTERESTED IN ACTIVE, UH, OR WHERE WE WOULD BE MOST INTERESTED IN, MOST ACTIVE, UM, ARGUS, WHERE WE CURRENTLY ARE IN INTERESTED AND ACTIVE IN CITY OF AUSTIN, AND WHERE, UM, YOUR RECOMMENDATION AND AND AUTHORIZATION TO CONTINUE TO OR EXPAND OUR WORK WITH CITY STAFF, UM, WOULD BE FOCUSED IS ALONG THE WILLIAMSON CREEK GREENBELT AND THE ONION CREEK GREENBELT AREAS WHERE, UM, WE'RE SEEING, UM, A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH, UM, AND, UH, DENSIFICATION, UH, IN SENSITIVE RIPARIAN AREAS.

ALSO, AREAS WHERE THE CITY, UH, HAS THE, THE URBAN TRAILS PLAN, UM, IDENTIFIES, UH, HIGH PRIORITY URBAN TRAILS THAT, UM, CURRENTLY AREN'T FUNDED AND DON'T HAVE, UM, RESOURCES ALLOCATED TO IMPLEMENT THEM, UM, BOTH ALONG WILLIAMSON CREEK AND ALONG ONION CREEK.

SO, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

UM, HOPEFULLY YOU ALL HAVE QUESTIONS AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT.

GOOD AFTERNOON COMMISSIONERS.

UM, I BELIEVE WE HAVE PUBLIC COMMUNICATION ON THIS ONE.

YOU HAVE ANNA AGUIRE.

MY NAME IS ANA AGUIRE, AND I AM THE IMMEDIATE PASTOR OF THE SOUTHEAST NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN CONTACT TEAM, CURRENT PRESIDENT OF THE AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOODS COUNCIL, UM, FORMER MEMBER OF THE FLOOD MITIGATION TASK FORCE AND CURRENT PRESIDENT, FULL DISCLOSURE, CURRENT PRESIDENT OF, OF GO AUSTIN BA AUSTIN.

SO, UM, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT I'VE HEARD ABOUT THIS PROJECT, AND I'M GONNA BE RESPECTFULLY ASKING FOR POSTPONEMENT.

UM, BECAUSE THOSE COMMUNITIES OFFER ONE, I'M ONLY SPEAKING FOR MYSELF.

I NEED TIME TO INFORM THESE COMMUNITIES ABOUT WHAT IS BEING PROPOSED.

AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS EXACTLY BEING PROPOSED.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S IN IT FOR THE COMMUNITY.

THE ONLY ONE COMMUNITY THAT I WAS FAMILIAR WITH IS, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, DOVE SPRINGS, PROUD RICARDO.

AND, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO VISIT WITH YOU AS TO WHAT WAS DISCUSSED AND SO FORTH.

I, AGAIN, WANNA STRESS THAT COMMUNITIES OF COLOR SHOULD NOT BE THE, AN AFTERTHOUGHT WHEN PLANTS LIKE THIS

[01:15:01]

ARE BEING THOUGHT OF.

THIS AREA IS LOWER ONION CREEK, WILLIAMSON CREEK IS ALL ALONG COMMUNITIES OF COLOR AND THE TRAIL.

WE GOT THE CREEK ADOPTERS THAT HAVE BEEN WORKING HARD TO FIX WILLIAMSON CREEK, UM, ONION CREEK, DEVASTATING FLOOD.

ONE OF THE PICTURES ON THERE, ON THE SLIDES WAS ONION CREEK.

IT WAS A 2013 FLOOD.

PEOPLE DIED.

I ALSO LOOK AT THIS PROPOSAL AS, AS TO WHAT IS BEING PROPOSED.

AND IT'S THE SAME AS LOOKING AT THE INGREDIENTS WHEN YOU'RE BUYING FOOD.

THE FIRST THING THAT IS LISTED IS CONNECTIVITY AND TRANSPORTATION.

WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO US IS CONSERVATION AND WATERSHED PROTECTION, PUBLIC SAFETY.

SO IF THE PRIORITY HERE IS CONNECTIVITY AND TRANSPORTATION, THAT IS NOT OUR COMMUNITY'S PRIORITY.

WE SHOULD NOT BE PLACING PEOPLE IN DANGER.

AND WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WILLIAMSON CREEK, WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT GAVA AND WHAT UT WE'RE WORKING WITH UT STUDENTS, WE TALKED ABOUT WHAT ELEMENTS NEED TO BE IN THE CREEK THAT FLOODS DRASTICALLY.

DEFINITELY NOTHING CONCRETE.

CURRENTLY, WE HAVE IN OUR AREA A SKATEBOARD PARK.

I DON'T KNOW WHO PUT IT THERE, BUT WHEN ONION CREEK FLOODS AGAIN, AND IT WILL, THERE'S GONNA BE EXTENSIVE DAMAGE BECAUSE ALL OF THOSE, THAT, THOSE CONCRETE SLABS, WHATEVER, THEY'RE GONNA GET WASHED DOWN AND THEY'RE GONNA END UP ALL THE WAY INTO MCKINNEY FALLS.

THAT IS OUR STATE PARK.

WE PROTECT OUR STATE PARK.

WE LOOK AT WHAT ENDS UP IN THAT STATE PARK, BECAUSE THAT IS DEVASTATING.

QUESTIONS THAT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IS IT TALKS ABOUT RIGHT OF WAY ACQUISITION.

WHO ARE THESE PARTNERS? ARE THEY GONNA TAKE OUR LAND? THE CONS, CONSERVATION BUYERS, WHO ARE THEY? WHO ARE THE FOR-PROFIT GROUPS? WHO ARE THE NON-FOR-PROFIT GROUPS? HAVE YOU CONSULTED WITH PO? I DON'T THINK SO.

I'LL HAVE TO CHECK.

NOT WITH CONTACT TEAM EITHER.

THERE'S SO MANY MORE QUESTIONS I WISH I HAD TIME TO ASK.

THANK YOU, MS. AGUIRE.

UM, LET'S GO AHEAD AND OPEN IT UP FOR QUESTIONS.

COMMISSIONER KARAHI.

HEY, UH, APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION FOR SURE.

I'M A BIG FAN OF, UH, TRAILS FOR SURE, AS SOMEBODY THAT RIDES MY BIKE A LOT.

I ACTUALLY RAN INTO THE CHAIR ON THE TRAILS, UH, EARLIER THIS WEEK, SO IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE.

THANKS FOR THE SHOUT OUT.

YEAH, YEAH, FOR SURE.

UM, YEAH, YOU KNOW, UM, CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, WHEN THE WEATHER'S NICE, THE TRAIL'S GONNA BE COOL.

UH, NO PUN INTENDED, I SUPPOSE, BUT, UH, WHAT ABOUT WHEN IT'S LIKE SUMMER AND, YOU KNOW, I MIGHT NOT CALL IT LIKE A TRAIL OF TEARS, BUT IT'LL BE LIKE A STREET OF SWEAT, YOU KNOW? UM, LIKE ARE PEOPLE GONNA BE ABLE TO TAKE THIS LIKE HOT CONCRETE TRAIL WHEN IT'S LIKE 110 DEGREES OUTSIDE? DO Y'ALL HAVE ANY PLANS ON LIKE, MAYBE NOT COOLING CENTERS, BUT YOU KNOW, SOMETHING AKIN TO THAT AND LIKE, OBVIOUSLY SOME SHADE WOULD BE NICE.

UM, YEAH, SO YOU'RE CURIOUS ABOUT THAT FOR SURE.

FROM A, A CLIMATE ADAPTATION PERSPECTIVE THAT WITHOUT, WITHOUT, WITHOUT PHYSICAL AND PROGRAMMATIC INVESTMENT, UM, A TRAIL WON'T GET USED.

SO FIRST THING ON THAT IS, UM, AGAIN, IT'S NOT OUR PLAN OR OUR IDEA.

SO WE'RE THROUGHOUT THE TRAIL CORRIDOR, UM, WE'RE, WE DEFER TO THE DESIGN.

IF THERE ARE DESIGN GUIDELINES OR REQUIREMENTS FOR SHADE OR COOLING, UH, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO OR HAYES COUNTY OR ANOTHER MUNICIPALITY HAS FOR OUR PROJECTS, IN THIS CASE, CITY OF AUSTIN, UM, WE WOULD, WE WOULD DEFER TO AND, AND PARTNER WITH THAT, THAT MUNICIPALITY TO IMPLEMENT THE TRAIL TO THEIR SPECIFICATIONS.

UM, FORTUNATELY IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN, MOST OF OUR URBAN TRAILS, UM, I THINK THE M BERGSTROM SPUR IS THE ONLY TIER ONE URBAN TRAIL THAT, THAT DOESN'T TAKE PLACE IN THE A RIPARIAN AREA.

UM, WE'VE LOCATED OUR PRIORITY TRAILS IN AREAS WHERE THERE ARE HEAVY AMOUNTS OF SHADE, UM, FROM OLD GROWTH CANOPY, UH, THAT PROVIDES A PLEASANT RECREATIONAL TRAIL EXPERIENCE, BUT ALSO A, A FUNCTIONAL, UM, YEAR ROUND ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION NETWORK.

UM, SO BASED SOLELY ON LOCATION, UM, THAT THE CITY HAS WISELY, UH, IDENTIFIED TRAIL PRIORITIES IN CREEK CORRIDORS, AND THAT'S WHERE WE WILL BE ACTIVE.

UM, BUT ALSO, UM, ANY TRAIL PROJECT, UH, WOULD BE REMISS, ESPECIALLY TRAIL PROJECTS IN RIPARIAN CORRIDORS, ESPECIALLY TRAIL PROJECTS IN RIPARIAN CORRIDORS WHERE THERE'S AQUIFER RECHARGE VALUE IF THEY DIDN'T INCLUDE, UH, AN ECOSYSTEM SERVICE ENHANCEMENT COMPONENT.

SO REVEGETATING WITH NATIVE RIPARIAN SPECIES, BOTH AT, AT EVERY LEVEL OF THE FOREST, INCLUDING THE CANOPY, ARE, ARE AGAIN, OUR, OUR BREAD AND BUTTER AS A, BOTH, BOTH A TRAIL AND A CONSERVATION ORGANIZATION.

THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE WE WORK.

SO, UM, YEAH, I THINK COULDN'T AGREE MORE, ESPECIALLY

[01:20:01]

UH, AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S A NECESSARY INVESTMENT.

AND THEN, YOU KNOW, I THINK, UH, YOU KNOW, I'VE, FROM HAYES COUNTY GREW UP THERE, SO, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN KEEPING MY EYE ON SORT OF THE, THE VIBES DEVELOPMENT IN KYLE, ALTHOUGH IT'S ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS THAT YOU WOULD USE THE WORD VIBES TO DESCRIBE ANYTHING IN KYLE, BUT HEY, THAT'S, THAT'S MARKETING FOR YOU, RIGHT? I GUESS THEY CAN'T JUST BE KNOWN FOR PIES NOW.

THEY GOTTA BE THE VIBE CAPITAL OF, OF CENTRAL TEXAS AS WELL.

UM, SO I CERTAINLY THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO TRY TO CONNECT THEIR TRAIL THAT THEY GOT GOING ON TO, YOU KNOW, SAN MARCUS, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER THEY GOT, I GUESS THE RIVER, I DON'T KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, AS WELL AS POTENTIALLY EXTENDING IT TO SOUTH AUSTIN, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AT SOUTH AUSTIN, YOU KNOW, EXCEPT FOR THE PARTS OF AREA AROUND MOPAC, I THINK, YOU KNOW, THERE AREN'T TOO MANY SORT OF HEAVILY USED, YOU KNOW, SORT OF MULTIMODAL TRAILS.

BUT THEN I GUESS I WOULD ALSO ECHO FORMER COMMISSIONER AGUIRRE'S CONCERNS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, POTENTIAL SAFETY FOR PEOPLE WHO WOULD BE ON THOSE TRAILS AND, YOU KNOW, FOR THE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE AROUND WHERE THOSE TRAILS WOULD BE BUILT.

SO I WOULD DEFINITELY URGE, YOU KNOW, MORE COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST GREATER COALITION BUILDING.

YOU KNOW, I'M SURE Y'ALL FEEL LIKE Y'ALL HAVE DONE A GOOD JOB, BUT YOU CAN ALWAYS DO BETTER.

UM, AND I'LL, UH, DEFER TO MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS FOR ANY OTHER QUESTIONS.

APPRECIATE IT.

COMMISSIONER KRUEGER.

YEAH, THANKS FOR BEING HERE.

THANKS FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.

UM, WHERE TO BEGIN, UM, LOOKING AT, AT THE RECOMMENDATION THAT WE HAVE WRITTEN OUT, YOU KNOW, IT SOUNDS LIKE THE THRUST IS REALLY JUST ENCOURAGING THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENT, TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS.

NOT TO JUMP THE GUN, BUT I THINK THIS BEARS SAYING FOR, UM, SOME OF THE FOLKS WHO ARE HERE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT AND ALSO FOR SOME PEOPLE WHO EMAILED ME, JUST SO WE'RE KIND OF ALL ON THE SAME PAGE ABOUT WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ANYWAY, BASICALLY JUST TO RECOMMEND THAT THE CITY APPROACH SOME KIND OF RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU ALL TO WORK TOGETHER AND SEE WHAT CAN BE ACHIEVED.

YEAH, I CAN TOTALLY, UM, BASICALLY, SO AT THIS POINT, OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY, AND I, AND I, I GUESS I HAVE TO EMPHASIZE AGAIN, THIS IS NOT LIKE OUR THING, LIKE OUR TRAIL.

THESE ARE, WE'RE WORKING TO IMPLEMENT CITY PRIORITY PROJECTS.

, THE URBAN TRAIL.

WE'RE ESSENTIALLY WORKING TO IMPLEMENT THE URBAN TRAILS PLAN.

UM, SO THE ONION CREEK GREENWAY AND THE WILLIAMSON CREEK GREENBELT ARE IN THE URBAN TRAILS PLAN.

THEY'RE IN THE PARK MASTER PLAN.

THEY'RE NOT LIKE AREAS WHERE WE'VE DECIDED A GOOD TRAIL WOULD GO.

THEY'RE AREAS WHERE THE COMMUNITY HAS MADE THAT DECISION.

UM, NOT TO SAY THAT TO YOUR POINT, A GREATER COALITION BUILDING ISN'T NECESSARY, AND THAT INCREASED ENGAGEMENT OR REVISITING SOME OF THOSE DECISIONS ISN'T NECESSARY.

IT ABSOLUTELY IS.

UM, EVERY SINGLE SEGMENT OF BOTH UNION CREEK GREENBELT AND THE WILLIAMS SEA CREEK GREENBELT, UM, NEED TO BE LIKE, DETAILED AND DETAILED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH A WHOLE, EVERYBODY IN THE, IN THE CITY, NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE WHO ARE, YOU KNOW, WEST PEOPLE LIVE IN WEST AUSTIN, WHO HAVE E-BIKES, WHO WANNA GET ACROSS WILLIAMSON CREEK SO THEY CAN GET TO WHEREVER THEY'RE GOING.

UM, THIS IS OBVIOUSLY, I MEAN, MAYBE IT'S NOT OBVIOUS, THAT IS NOT THE INTENT.

UM, CERTAINLY NOT THE CITY'S INTENT FOR THE URBAN TRAILS PLAN OR FOR, FOR ANY OF THE PLANNING EFFORTS THAT HAVE IDENTIFIED THESE PROJECTS AS PRIORITIES AND IS IN NO WAY GREAT SPRINGS PROJECT'S INTENT EITHER.

FLOOD RISK PRODUCTION, AQUIFER RECHARGE, UH, CANOPY CONSERVATION HABITAT.

, UM, HAVING SAID THAT, UH, SO THE, THE SORT OF, I GUESS THE IMPETUS HERE IS THAT, UM, RIGHT NOW WE'RE WORKING WITH THE CD ON SORT OF AN AD HOC BASIS.

UM, THERE ARE STAFF WHO FIND WHO, WHO SEE WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING OR SEE THE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE AS BEING VALUABLE ON INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS.

AND THAT'S GREAT.

AND, UM, WE'RE THAT, THAT'S WORKING.

WE'RE WE DEVELOPED SEVERAL, UH, COMPETITIVE PROJECT, YOU KNOW, GRANT PROPOSALS FOR PROJECTS THAT WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO, UM, SUBMITTING WITH OR FOR THE CITY.

UM, IF, IF, IF THAT'S THE DECISION THAT IS MADE, MM-HMM.

, UM, WHAT WOULD BE HELPFUL AND MORE, UM, EFFECTIVE WOULD BE, UH, A CLEAR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CITY FOR OTHER PROJECTS THAT AREN'T JUST BASED ON INDIVIDUAL STAFF AVAILABILITY OR INTERESTS, BUT THAT ARE IN SOME WAYS MORE PROGRAMMATIC.

SO IN ORDER, AND, AND THAT, THAT COMES FROM YOU ALL, THAT COMES FROM THE, THE COMMISSIONS, THE ADVISORY COMMISSIONS, AND ULTIMATELY FROM CITY COUNCIL.

UM, AND SO WE WERE ASKING FOR YOU TO YEAH.

SAY THAT THE SERVICES THAT OUR GROUP OFFERS ARE VALUABLE TO THE CITY, TO, FOR THE CITY TO ACHIEVE.

ITS ITS PRIORITIES THAT ARE IDENTIFIED AND, AND TWO, THE, THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN, UM, THE, UH, AUSTIN WATER PLAN, THE ALL OTHER PLANNING EFFORTS THAT AREN'T JUST SPEC, SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO TRAILS AND CONNECTIVITY THAT ARE RELATED TO CLIMATE EQUITY,

[01:25:01]

, UM, WE WE'RE ASKING THAT, UH, YOU ALL SEE THAT THERE, THAT YOU ALL ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE'S SOME VALUE THAT WE OFFER AND THAT, THAT WE BEHOOVE STAFF TO, TO, TO WORK WITH US.

AND Y'ALL AREN'T THE IMPLEMENTERS CORRECT.

YOU'RE WANTING TO SERVE AS AN INTER INTERMEDIARY, LIKE YOU SAID, BETWEEN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND I IMAGINE A NUMBER OF GROUPS INCLUDING YEAH.

DEVELOPERS, OTHER NONPROFITS WHO EXECUTE PLANS LIKE THIS.

IS THAT CORRECT? YEAH.

I MEAN, ESSENTIALLY, I GUESS, UM, I GUESS IT, IT DEPENDS.

UM, LIKE I, I MEAN, IN SOME CASES LIKE THIS, THIS LIMESTONE LINK PROJECT WE'RE IMPLEMENTING THE TRAIL, UM, IN THE SENSE THAT WE'RE LIKE WE AND THE SAN MARCUS GREENBELT ALLIANCE, WHICH IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR, IS LIKE, UM, LIKE A NONPROFIT BASED IN SAN MARCOS, UH, THAT ADVOCATES FOR, FOR TRAILS AND CONSERVATION PROJECTS IN THAT AREA.

THEY HAVE A TRAIL CREW.

WE GO OUT WITH THE TRAIL CREW AND WE HELP ARE PHYSICALLY HELPING TO IMPLEMENT THIS TRAIL.

UM, YOU KNOW, LIKELY FOR SOMETHING LIKE IF THE, WELL, CERTAINLY NOT, UM, IF THE LOWER ONION CREEK CONNECTIVITY AND RESILIENCY INITIATIVE IS FUNDED, UM, THE, THE TRAIL ALONG ONION CREEK, WHICH WILL BE 12 FEET WIDE AND CONCRETE ISN'T SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE THE TECHNICAL CAPACITY TO IMPLEMENT.

UM, BUT YEAH, SO I JUST, IT DOES DEPEND ON THE CONTEXT, BUT GENERALLY, OUR ROLE ISN'T TO LIKE ACTUALLY BE OURSELVES EXECUTING A PROJECT UNLESS THAT'S WHAT THE MUNICIPALITY OR THE, THE PARTNER IS REQUESTED.

OUR ROLE IS TO, YOU KNOW, BE FLEXIBLE AND AS ADAPTABLE, UM, AND, UH, GET ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AND PROVIDE EXPERTISE IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT, THINGS OF THAT NATURE TO, UM, TO DELIVER PROJECTS AND TO, TO DELIVER THEM AT SCALE.

MM-HMM, .

UM, I WOULD SAY THE BULK OF PUBLIC COMMENT THAT I RECEIVED IS RELATED TO YOUR EAST AUSTIN PLANS IN WILLIAMSON CREEK, UM, ONION CREEK.

AND I'M CURIOUS, 'CAUSE WHEN I LOOK AT THE WEBSITE FOR THE GREAT SPRINGS PROJECT, IT'S TALKING ABOUT CONNECTING BARTON SPRINGS TO SAN MARCO TO COMAL SPRINGS, WHICH IS ALL ON THE WEST SIDE.

SO IS THIS SEPARATE FROM THAT OR NO? UM, SO WE UPDATED OUR TRAILS PLAN, UM, LIKE TWO WEEKS AGO, MONTH AGO OR SO, TO INCLUDE THIS SEGMENT OF ONION CREEK AS A PRIORITY PROJECT FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS.

UM, UH, FROM, OBVIOUSLY FROM ONION CREEK, ION CREEK HAS A CONFLUENCE WITH THE COLORADO RIVER FROM A FUTURE COLORADO RIVER TRAIL, YOU'D BE ABLE TO GO UPSTREAM TO THE HIKING BIKE FROM WHICH YOU COULD GET TO THE CAPITOL.

, WHICH IS OUR ROUTE, I KNOW, TO THE CAPITOL.

SO WE DON'T SEE IT AS A SE.

AND, AND THEN, AND THEN ALSO, SO IT'S AN OFFSHOOT.

I MEAN, I, I, I THINK YOU CAN THINK OF LIKE OUR HISTORIC, LIKE NORTH SOUTH SPINE IS LIKE A, A WESTERN IS ON THE WEST OF THE HIGHWAY, WHICH IS WHERE THE RECHARGE ZONE IS.

UM, BUT NO, I THINK THIS, I THINK YOU COULD CONSIDER THIS ONION CREEK PORTION IS A ESSENTIAL PART OF THE SPINE.

AND SO ADDITIONAL REASONS FOR WHY IT'S IMPORTANT TO, YOU KNOW, NOT JUST 'CAUSE OF THIS IMPORTANT TRAIL CONNECTION OPPORTUNITY ALONG THE RIVER.

ALSO, THIS IS A CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL AREA, NOT JUST, IT DOESN'T HAVE AS MUCH RECHARGE VALUE AS SOME OF THE OTHER, AS THE REST OF THE TRAIL CORRIDOR, BUT, UM, THE PRESENCE OF TEXAS FAT MUCKS, UH, AND WHICH IS A FEDERALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES, UM, THE WELL DOCUMENTED AND, AND ARTICULATED, UM, FLOOD RISK ISSUES TO COMMUNITIES THAT LIVE AND HAVE HISTORICALLY OCCUPIED THIS AREA.

, UM, THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL CONSERVATION, UM, IN A ANOTHER GENTRIFYING AND RAPIDLY GROWING PART OF OUR REGION.

UM, ALL THOSE ARE THINGS THAT, THAT ALIGN WITH WHAT OUR MISSION IS AND WHAT WORK, THE WORK THAT WE DO, AND THAT HAVE REALLY MADE THAT ONION CREEK CORRIDOR RISE TO THE SAME LEVEL OF IMPORTANCE AS THE REST OF THE CORRIDOR.

GOT IT.

I WANNA STAY WITHIN THE PARAMETERS OF THE RECOMMENDATION WE ARE CONSIDERING, WHICH FROM MY JUST GENERAL UNDERSTANDING IS, LIKE I SAID, OKAY, LET'S, LET'S FORM SOME TYPE OF RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CITY, UM, AND YOU ALL, AND EXPLORE HOW WE CAN NAVIGATE THAT.

TOTALLY.

WHICH TO ME SOUNDS GREAT.

AND I ALSO REALLY WANT TO GIVE VOICE TO, AGAIN, ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE COME AND EXPRESS THEIR CONCERNS IN PARTICULAR ABOUT THESE SPECIFIC PROJECTS.

AND SO I KNOW YOU MENTIONED A NUMBER OF GROUPS THAT YOU'VE ALREADY TALKED WITH.

ANA BROUGHT UP, UM, GAVA, THERE'S ALSO POER, UM, HAVE YOU ALL TALKED WITH THEM? YEAH, I, I WOULD I, IF I CAN ADDRESS THAT.

UM, WE'VE SPOKEN TO GAVA SEVERAL TIMES.

UM, WE'VE REACHED OUT TO PODER, UH, STAFF AT GAVA, UM, MULTIPLE OCCASIONS.

UM, AND I MEAN, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE COORDINATED WITH GAVA.

I DON'T KNOW.

UM, CERTAINLY WE COULD DO A BETTER JOB, UM, BUT I'VE NEVER MET, UM,

[01:30:01]

ANNA BEFORE.

, UH, LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING TO KNOW YOU A LITTLE BIT BETTER.

BUT, UM, YEAH, I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE ORGANIZATION, TONS OF RESPECT FOR YOU AND, AND YOUR GROUP.

AND, AND WE, WE'VE MET WITH YOUR STAFF MANY TIMES.

UM, PODER, UM, REACHED OUT.

WE, WE, WE HAVEN'T, UM, CONNECTED YET.

UM, BUT CERTAINLY FAMILIAR WITH THEM AS WELL.

UM, AND, UH, YEAH, LOOK, I AGAIN, LOOK FORWARD TO STRENGTHENING THAT PARTNERSHIP OR, OR WITH OTHER GROUPS WHO ARE ACTIVE AND, UM, PASSIONATE ABOUT THE SAME THINGS THAT WE ARE.

, UM, YEAH, WITH THE LOWER ONION CREEK PROJECT, I CAN, I CAN GIVE YOU A LITTLE MORE DETAIL IF IT'S HELPFUL.

UM, BASICALLY THE, THE PROPOSAL, WHICH WAS CO-DEVELOPED WITH THESE 12 OTHER NON-PROFIT GROUPS, UM, YELLOW BIKE PROJECT.

, UH, MET TREE FOLKS DO SPRINGS PROUD.

UM, UH, I MENTIONED, UH, AUSTIN RIVER WATCH, UM, TRAVIS COUNTY PARKS FOUNDATION, UH, FORKLIFT DANCE WORKS, OTHER GROUPS.

UH, I I CAN, THAT MIGHT BE THE, ALL THE NONPROFITS, BUT IN ANY CASE, THE FRAMEWORK IS THAT ALL THOSE GROUPS WOULD BE SUBGRANT, UM, LIKE 300 TO OVER $2 MILLION.

UM, SO AGAIN, WITH THIS SORT OF ECONOMIC VITALITY AND VIBRANCY IDEA, WE WOULD BE, UH, MANAGING A GRANT THAT WOULD DIRECTLY SUBGRANT TO, UM, SMALL NONPROFIT GROUPS OR NONPROFIT GROUPS OF VARIOUS SIZES THAT ARE ACTIVE IN, IN OUR, IN OUR CITY AND, AND SPECIFICALLY IN EAST AUSTIN AND EASTERN TRAVIS COUNTY.

OH, UH, DELL VALLEY COMMUNITY COALITION IS ANOTHER ONE OF THE PARTNERS FOR THAT PROJECT.

SO, UM, YEAH, THE, THE PREMISE OF THAT WORK IS SPECIFICALLY TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF RESOURCES THAT THOSE LONGSTANDING ESTABLISHED COMMUNITY ADVOCACY GROUPS HAVE, UM, AND ENABLE THEM TO GROW AND THRIVE, UM, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH US AND TO, UM, TO, TO AMPLIFY THEIR WORK AND RISE ALL BOATS.

UM, AND THAT'S, SO THAT'S THAT PROJECT, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S AN EXAMPLE OF THE SORT OF METHODOLOGY OR THE APPROACH OR THE FRAMEWORK THAT WE WOULD USE, UH, IN OTHER PROJECTS IF, IF, UH, IF THIS RECOMMENDATION WERE TO PASS AND OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CITY WERE TO CONSOLIDATE A LITTLE BIT MORE.

YEAH, THAT'S GREAT.

AND I DON'T WANNA TAKE UP TOO MUCH TIME 'CAUSE I KNOW THERE ARE LOTS OF OTHER PEOPLE WITH QUESTIONS.

UM, BUT JUST VERY MUCH ENCOURAGE YOU TO TALK WITH BOTH OF THOSE GROUPS.

IF YOU LIVE IN AUSTIN, I'M SURE YOU'RE AWARE OF THEIR, UH, POLITICAL POWER, ESPECIALLY IN EAST AUSTIN.

AND THEY'RE DEFINITELY GROUPS THAT YOU WANT TO INVOLVE AND GET BUY-IN FROM BEFORE INITIATING A, A PROJECT LIKE THIS I WOULD SUGGEST.

UM, AND THEN JUST LAST TWO THINGS.

AGAIN, THESE CAME FROM PUBLIC COMMENT THAT I JUST WANNA GIVE VOICE TO, UM, WHAT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDIES HAVE BEEN DONE.

THAT'S A PRETTY BROAD, EXCUSE ME QUESTION.

'CAUSE I KNOW Y'ALL HAVE PROJECTS GOING ON AT A NUMBER OF PLACES, BUT LET'S SAY SPECIFICALLY THIS EAST AUSTIN AREA THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT OR IN AUSTIN GENERALLY.

UM, AND THEN SECONDLY, DOES, UM, YOUR GROUP ANTICIPATE ASKING THE CITY OF AUSTIN FOR ANY FUNDING? OKAY.

SO IN TERMS OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDIES, AGAIN, THIS IS LIKE VARY GRANULAR PROJECT BY PROJECT SPECIFIC STUFF.

UM, TRAVIS COUNTY HAS DONE THEIR, COMPLETED THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT OR WHATEVER, EVERY LEVEL OF COMPLIANCE THAT'S NECESSARY FOR, UH, TWO OF THE SEGMENTS OF THE ONION CREEK GREENBELT, UM, THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THAT LOWER INDIAN CREEK CONNECTIVITY AND RESILIENCY INITIATIVE PROJECT.

, UM, UH, THERE ARE TWO OTHER SEGMENTS THAT HAVE NOT YET STARTED THAT ARE THAT, I MEAN, THEY'RE JUST COUNTY PROJECTS THAT THEY WERE FUNDED BY THE NOVEMBER BOND.

UM, SO AS FAR AS I KNOW, THEY COUNTY HASN'T DONE ANY LIKE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT WORK ON THAT.

UM, THE ONLY LIKE PLAN, THE ONLY LIKE SITES IN ADDITION TO THE EASTERN EAST WILLIAMSON CREEK GREENBELT WORK THAT, THAT GAVA AND, UM, UH, FRUITFUL COMMONS AND PROFESSOR SOTTO ARE WORKING ON.

THE ONLY PIECE THAT I'M AWARE OF, OF THE WILLIAMSON CREEK GREEN BELT THAT IS OUTSIDE, I GUESS THERE'S A, A SEGMENT IN, IN SUNSET VALLEY WHERE IT'S A NATURE TRAIL AND THEY HAVEN'T DONE ANY, HAVEN'T NEEDED TO DO ANY PLANNING OR DESIGN.

UM, THE ONLY OTHER PIECE IS THE CENTRAL WILLIAMSON CREEK GREEN BELT, WHICH IS A CONCEPT LEVEL PLAN.

AND FOR WHICH THAT CONCEPT LEVEL PLAN SPECIFICALLY SAYS LIKE, NEXT STEP IS TO DO LIKE AN INTENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT STUDY.

SO THAT HASN'T HAPPENED YET EITHER.

UM, BUT THROUGH CONSTRUCTION OF ANY OF THOSE SEGMENTS, LIKE A, NOT ONLY FROM LIKE A STATUTORY OR REGULATORY STANDPOINT, BUT ANY LEVEL OF LIKE GOOD ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN WOULD, WOULD CERTAINLY REQUIRE THAT AND, AND, UM, ADDITIONAL PERMITS AND REGULATION AND, AND OTHER ACTIVITIES.

AWESOME.

I WOULD JUST ASK WHATEVER INFORMATION YOU HAVE TO THAT END, I WOULD SUGGEST MAKING PUBLICLY AVAILABLE TO HELP BUILD

[01:35:01]

PUBLIC TRUST.

BECAUSE THAT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT WE TOTALLY, UNDERSTANDABLY HEAR A LOT IS THAT FOLKS ARE CONCERNED WHAT IS THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT? AND THEN PEOPLE COME AND SAY, OH, WELL, IT'S ALREADY BEEN DONE, THIS DEPARTMENT DID THIS THAT, YOU KNOW, BUT THERE HASN'T BEEN PUBLIC ACCESS TO THAT INFORMATION.

SO YEAH, I WOULD JUST REALLY ENCOURAGE YOU ALL TO PUT THAT ON YOUR WEBSITE, MAKE THAT REALLY EASILY ACCESSIBLE, DO WHAT YOU CAN, UM, WHEN YOU'RE TALKING WITH THESE EAST AUSTIN GROUPS IN PARTICULAR TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE THAT AVAILABLE.

AND THAT'S ALL.

COMMISSIONER SHERA, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.

I'M DEFINITELY SUPPORTIVE OF ANY CONSERVATION EFFORT THAT WILL ALSO ALLOW US TO ENJOY THAT, YOU KNOW, THE AUSTIN AREA.

I JUST WANT TO ADDRESS THE CONCERNS THAT ANA GARY MENTIONED AND MAKING SURE THAT YOU'RE, UM, YOU KNOW, MEETING WITH NEIGHBORHOODS AND OTHER ENTITIES WHO ARE CONCERNED.

UM, I AM, YOU KNOW, SUPPORTIVE OF ASKING THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO DEVELOP A RELATIONSHIP, BUT I ALSO, AS A PART OF THIS, THINK THAT WE NEED TO ASK THE CITY TO BE TRANSPARENT, MORE TRANSPARENT IN THE WAY THAT THEY PRIORITIZE THE SUPPORT FOR ALL OF THESE PROJECTS.

AND I'LL JUST LEAVE THAT VERY GENERAL FOR NOW.

YOU KNOW, IF WE WANT TO PUT THAT IN OUR MOTION THAT WE'RE SUPPORTIVE OF THIS, AND ALSO, UM, UNDERSTAND THE NEED TO PRIORITIZE PROJECTS AND BE TRANSPARENT ABOUT THAT PRIORITIZATION, UM, THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING I WOULD BE SUPPORTIVE OF.

UH, COMMISSIONER NICHOLS? SURE.

I DON'T HAVE ANY, UH, DIRECT QUESTIONS AT THE MOMENT, BUT I'LL JUST GO AHEAD AND ECHO THE, THE TONE OF THE COMMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE IN THE DI SO FAR.

SO THANKS FOR YOUR PRESENTATION, COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN.

WELL, I'M VERY HAPPY THAT YOU'RE HERE TODAY, AND I'M VERY HAPPY THAT I HELPED TO GET THIS ON THE AGENDA.

HANNAH FER WAS THE SECOND PERSON ON THIS BECAUSE SHE DOES A LOT OF TRAIL STUFF TOO.

UM, ONE OF THE ARGUMENTS THAT I HAD ONLINE TODAY WAS ABOUT WHETHER THIS WAS ABOUT CONSERVATION OR ABOUT, UH, ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION , WHICH IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE ONE VERSUS THE OTHER.

IT'S ABOUT BOTH.

AND SO, UM, I THINK THAT THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.

I WOULD, I'VE BEEN STRESSING THAT THIS IS ABOUT A MAJOR PROJECT TO CONNECT AUSTIN AND SAN ANTONIO.

SO I'VE BEEN LOOKING AT IT AS A VERY, YOU KNOW, AS A VERY BIG PICTURE THING, NOT ABOUT VERY SPECIFIC ELEMENTS ALONG THE ROUTE.

UM, AND I BELIEVE THAT THAT'S WHAT OUR RECOMMENDATION, UH, POINTS TO.

SO THAT'S, I'LL JUST LEAVE THAT AT THAT COMMISSIONER PRIMER.

I APPRECIATE THE PRE PRESENTATION.

IT'S VERY GOOD.

UH, AND I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME THE OTHER DAY TO YOU TOOK TO SPEAK WITH ME.

I KNOW, UH, WE SPENT QUITE A BIT OF TIME ON THE PHONE AND THAT WAS VERY USEFUL IN, UH, GETTING A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT'S GOING ON.

I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU HERE.

SOME OF IT WOULD KIND OF FELL OUT OF THE CONVERSATION WE HAD THE OTHER DAY.

UH, IS YOUR, AND I DO UNDERSTAND YOU, YOU'RE KIND OF LIKE A PRIME CONTRACTOR IN A WAY, SORT OF, UH, AS OPPOSED TO THE ACTUAL IMPLEMENTER.

BUT KEEPING THAT IN MIND, UH, IS YOUR VISION OF THE, YOU KNOW, I, AND I REALLY THINK THE IDEA OF A TRAIL SYSTEM BETWEEN, UH, AUSTIN AND SAN ANTONIO IS KIND OF A, YOU KNOW, REALLY GOOD IDEA.

I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF EXAMPLES IN THE COUNTRY OF LONGISH TO VERY LONG TRAILS, APPALACHIAN TRAILS.

ONE OF THEM, THE NATCHES TRACE TRAIL IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF A, OF A SHORTER TRAIL.

I, I FORGET HOW LONG THAT IS.

IT'S, IT'S LIKE 400 MILES.

FOUR OR 500 MILES SHORT.

UH, APPALACHIAN TRAIL IS WHAT, 2,500 OR THEREABOUTS SOMETHING 2200.

I THINK THIS IS TRUE IN SAN MARGARET'S AS WELL, THE TRAIL PLANNING, THE DEVELOPMENT OF ANY OF THE URBAN TRAILS PLANS OR THE, WHAT THEY, THE OTHER ANALOGOUS PLANS IN THOSE COMMUNITIES IDENTIFIES THAT THE RECREATIONAL TRAIL NETWORK IS PART OF THE MOBILITY NETWORK AS WELL.

SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

UM, SO IT'S A VERY GOOD IDEA.

UH, AND SO I, I SUPPORT THAT, UH, THE, THE CONCEPT.

UH, DO YOU PERCEIVE THIS AS A HIKING TRAIL OR A TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM? BECAUSE THE TWO ARE WIDELY DIFFERENT.

FOR EXAMPLE, THE HA THE TRAILS WE JUST MENTIONED, THOSE TWO ARE HIKING TRAILS AND ARE MAINLY FOR RECREATIONAL PURPOSES.

YEP.

SO ARE WE TALKING ABOUT A TRANSPORTATION PROJECT OR A RECREATIONAL TRAIL SYSTEM? YEAH, IT, IT'S NOT EITHER OR.

IT'S BOTH.

UM, AUSTIN IN AUSTIN AND SAN ANTONIO.

THE, THE TRAIL PLANNING, AND

[01:40:01]

SO IS THIS GONNA BE A TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM BETWEEN AUSTIN AND SAN ANTONIO? WELL, I THINK IN, IN, IN ESSENCE, I MEAN, I DON'T IMAGINE ANYBODY'S GONNA BE MAKING THAT COMMUTE ON BIKE.

UM, BUT IN THEORY, UM, AND, AND TWO, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE LIKE THAT THE TRAIL TRAVERSES ALL THESE DIFFERENT CONTEXTS.

SO IN CERTAIN AREAS THAT ARE MORE RURAL, IT'S LESS APPROPRIATE FOR THE TRAIL TO BE DESIGNED AND PROGRAMMED AS A, AS A MOBILITY INVESTMENT THAN AS A RECREATIONAL TRAIL.

NOT TO SAY THAT PEOPLE WON'T USE IT ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, BUT, UM, IN A DENSE CITY, THE RECREATIONAL TRAIL NETWORK DOES PLAY A REALLY SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN CONNECTING PEOPLE TO THE DESTINATIONS THAT THEY NEED TO GO TO FOR THEIR DAY-TO-DAY EXISTENCE, SCHOOLS, JOBS, GROCERY STORES, YOU NAME IT.

SO, UM, YEAH, I THINK IN THE SAME WAY THAT, UH, THE VIOLET CROWN TRAIL OR, UM, THE HIKING BIKE TRAIL, THE BUTLER TRAIL ARE BOTH ESSENTIALLY DESIGNED AS RECREATIONAL TRAILS.

YOU KNOW, THEY'RE A NATURAL SURFACE.

THEY HAVE EDUCATIONAL INTERPRETIVE SIGNAGE AND OTHER FEATURES THAT ARE ANALOG THAT YOU WOULD, YOU KNOW, OFTEN SEE IN A RECREATIONAL TRAIL, A HIKING TRAIL.

UM, THEY'RE STILL REALLY SIGNIFICANT PARTS OF PEOPLE'S COMMUTES AND THE WAY THAT THEY GET AROUND TOWN.

SO, UM, THAT'S BASICALLY HOW TO THIS POINT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, AND AGAIN, IT DEPENDS ON THE SEGMENT, IT DEPENDS ON, UM, AND, AND, AND IT DEPENDS ON THE, THE NEXT KIND OF STEPS IN THE DESIGN PROCESS FOR BOTH THE ONION CREEK GREENWAY AND THE WILLIAMS AND CREEK GREEN BELT.

UM, BUT IT, SO FAR, YOU KNOW, AS TIER TWO OR, OR TIER THREE URBAN TRAILS, THAT'S WHAT THE CITY'S KIND OF VISION IS.

BUT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE WIDTH, FOR EXAMPLE, OF A TRAIL, IF IT'S GOING TO BE A TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM, IS GONNA BE SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER AS IS THE SURFACE TYPE.

IF YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE AT A HIKE AND BIKE TRAIL, YOU CAN GO WITH A NATURAL SURFACE, WHICH IS GOING TO, YOU KNOW, BE LESS IMPACTFUL IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE BIODIVERSITY AND THAT SORT OF THING.

WHEREAS IF YOU'RE MAKING IT FOR TRANSPORTATION PURPOSES, THEN YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF SURFACE, WHICH IS GOING TO CREATE SIDE ISSUES.

AND SO THAT'S KIND OF WHY I'M ASKING IS WHERE YOU'RE GOING WITH ALL THIS.

IF I, IF I MAY, UM, BOTH THE VIOLET CROWN TRAIL AND THE BUTLER TRAIL, WHICH ARE TIER ONE MOBILITY TRAILS IN THE CITY, ARE NATURAL SURFACE TRAILS.

SO AGAIN, IT, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A TRAIL LIKE A, IT'S NOT A, IT'S NOT AS SIMPLE AS, YOU KNOW, CONCRETE OR ASPHALT IS WHAT'S USED FOR MOBILITY MULCH OR DECOMPOSED GRANITE IS WHAT'S USED FOR RECREATIONAL.

THERE ARE WAYS OF DESIGNING AND, AND CONSTRUCTING A, A TRAIL TO BE BOTH ATTRACTIVE, A DA ACCESSIBLE AND LIKE, ROBUST ENOUGH TO BE USED FOR MOBILITY PURPOSES, BUT STILL HAVE A RECREATIONAL, YOU KNOW, STILL FEEL, STILL HAVE THE CHARACTER, UH, AND ENABLE THE KINDS OF EXPERIENCES THAT PEOPLE WERE LOOKING FOR ON A RECREATIONAL TRAIL.

WHAT, UH, WHAT, UH, NON-PROFITS ARE YOU WORKING WITH SPECIFICALLY IN AUSTIN? YEAH, SO I MENTIONED AUSTIN YOUTH RIVER WATCH, UM, TREE FOLKS.

UH, DELL VALLEY COMMUNITY COALITION IS NOT NECESSARILY IN AUSTIN, BUT EASTERN TRAVIS COUNTY.

UM, AND I GUESS PARTS OF AUSTIN, UH, DOVE SPRINGS PROUD, UH, FORKLIFT DANCE WORKS.

UM, THE HILL COUNTRY CONSERVANCY, THE TRAIL CONSERVANCY, THE TRAVIS COUNTY PARKS FOUNDATION.

UM, WE'VE KIND OF SKETCHED OUT SOME COLLAB POTENTIAL COLLABORATIONS WITH SOME OTHER GROUPS THAT ARE NONPROFITS THAT HAVEN'T COME TO FRUITION YET.

BUT YEAH, WE'RE, WE'RE, I MEAN, THOSE ARE JUST SOME OF THE GROUPS THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, IN CONSTANT CONTACT WITH OR ACTIVELY PARTNERED WITH TO, UH, IMPLEMENT SPECIFIC PROJECTS IN OUR AREA.

SO IS IT YOUR GOAL TO INCORPORATE, UH, CONCEPTUALLY THE BUTLER HIKE AND BIKE TRAIL AS PART OF YOUR OVERALL, UH, PLAN TO GO? I MEAN, YOU MENTIONED ALAMO CAPITAL.

COMAL TRAILS ALLIANCE IN COMAL COUNTY.

SO MY, WHAT I HEAR YOU SAYING IS THAT YOU WANT TO HAVE THE HU UH, THE, UH, TRAIL CONSERVANCY AS A KEY PARTNER OF YOURS IN ORDER TO IMPLEMENT THIS FROM, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY THE ALAMO ALL THE WAY UP TO THE CAPITOL, MORE OR LESS, AND INCORPORATE THE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, YOU KNOW, THE BUTLER HIKE AND BIKE TRAIL IS A KEY PORTION OF YOUR SOLUTION, IF YOU WILL.

TOTALLY.

A HUNDRED PERCENT TRUE HILL COUNTRY CONSERVANCY AS WELL.

THEY DEVELOPED, MANAGE OUR COMPLETING THE VIOLET CROWN TRAIL.

THAT'S ANOTHER ESSENTIAL PART OF OUR TRAIL CORRIDOR.

UM, YOU KNOW, I MENTIONED IN SAN MARCUS, THE SAN MARCUS GREENBELT ALLIANCE.

UM, THEY'RE, THEY HAVE A SIMILAR ROLE IN THAT AREA.

UM, THERE'S A

[01:45:01]

UM, THEY'RE A, A, A PARTNER, NONPROFIT PARTNER THAT IS, UM, WHO OVERSEES WHO, WHO LEAD COMMUNITY PLANNING EFFORTS AND COLLABORATE WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND COUNTY GOVERNMENT TO IDENTIFY TRUE PRIORITIES IN THAT AREA THAT WE AMPLIFY AND COLLABORATE WITH.

UM, YEAH.

SO YES, UM, THAT'S DEFINITELY TRUE AND WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE PARTNERSHIP AND COLLABORATION AND LEADERSHIP OF THOSE GROUPS, ESPECIALLY AND INCLUDING THE TRUCK CONSERVANCY.

AND, UM, THE, OH, ARE YOU WORKING WITH THE WATERLOO WATER FOUNDATION CONSERVANCY? I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY CALL THEMSELVES.

WATER THE GREENWAY? UH, NO.

NO.

THAT'S, THAT'S A, I MEAN, AS AN AUSTINITE, I THINK IT'S AUSTIN.

NO, I JUST, I JUST ASKED.

I MEAN, YOU DON'T HAVE TO ELABORATE.

YES, THAT'S FINE.

LEFT OUT IS A MILD TERM FOR IT, AND THEY WOULD STRONGLY LIKE TO BE INVOLVED IN ANY SORT OF PLANNING PROCESS BECAUSE THEY FEEL THAT THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS ARE NOT BEING PART OF THIS PROCESS AND THEY DON'T, THEY'RE NOT REALLY LIKE THAT SORT OF THING.

UH, NOW THIS A HUNDRED MILES LONG TRAIL AND THE NATCHEZ TRAIL, FOR EXAMPLE, AS WELL AS THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL, THOSE ARE VERY LONG TRAILS.

UH, NOW, UH, I'M LESS FAMILIAR WITH THE NATCHEZ TRAIL, BUT I AM VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL, HAVING HIKED IT BEFORE PORTIONS OF IT.

UH, THERE'S A LOT OF, UH, BEING LONG.

I MEAN, IT'S DESIGNED TO BE A PLACE WHERE YOU CAMP ALONG THE WAY.

A HUNDRED MILES IS NOT SOMETHING YOU JUST, I'M GONNA DO THIS TODAY TYPE OF THING.

ARE YOU PLANNING ON HAVING CAMPING FACILITIES ALONG THE WAY SO THAT PEOPLE COULD CONCEIVABLY, YOU KNOW, TAKE LIKE FOUR OR FIVE DAYS, SIX DAYS, 10 DAYS, WHATEVER IT IS YEAH.

IN ORDER TO HIKE FROM, UH, YOU KNOW, YEAH.

THE BUTLER HIKING BIKE TRAIL ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE ALAMO? YEAH.

GREAT QUESTION.

UM, SO AGAIN, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT LIKE OUR PLAN.

SO, UM, OTHER MUNICIPALITIES OR PRIVATE LANDOWNERS THAT HAVE CAMPING FACILITIES, OTHER LIKE, YOU KNOW, LANDOWNERS THAT HAVE CAMPING FACILITIES, UH, OR BE THEY PRIVATE OR PUBLIC, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT THAT'S, WE, IF THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO WORK WITH THOSE FOLKS, UH, WE, WE WOULD RELISH THAT.

'CAUSE I AGREE.

UM, IT'S A HUGE LIMITING FACTOR FOR A MULTI-DAY TRIP.

UM, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE TRYING TO HAVE MORE OF LIKE A WILDERNESS OR, OR, UM, YEAH, OUTDOOR RECREATION KIND OF EXPERIENCE.

UM, I WILL SAY ONE BENEFIT OF, UM, OR ONE, ONE OPPORTUNITY AND ONE COLLABORATOR, BOTH FOR THAT LOWER AND INDIAN CREEK PROJECT, BUT ALSO FOR, FOR OTHER INITIATIVES THAT WE'RE SORT OF DEVELOPING WITH, WITH PARTNERS, UM, IS, YOU KNOW, MCKINNEY FALLS STATE PARK, UH, IS A GREAT, IS AN AMAZING AND VERY UNIQUE STATE PARK HERE IN LIKE AN URBAN SETTING AND PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR, FOR CAMPING, NOT JUST FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE, YOU KNOW, THROUGH HIKING ESSENTIALLY THE, THE GREAT SPRINGS CORRIDOR, BUT FOR RESIDENTS OF THE NEIGHBORS NEIGHBORHOODS THAT, UM, LIVE ACROSS ONE OF THE CREEKS OR ADJACENT TO, UM, TO THE STATE PARK AND CAN HAVE ACCESS INTO THE PARK FOR, FOR A NIGHT OR TWO, UM, ELSEWHERE.

YOU KNOW, UH, THERE, THERE ARE A LOT OF, UH, KIND OF IRONS IN THE FIRE, I GUESS FOR BIG LAND CONSERVATION PROJECTS.

THE TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE CENTENNIAL FUND IS ONE OPPORTUNITY TO, IT'S A BILLION DOLLARS THAT US TEXANS VOTED FOR A COUPLE YEARS AGO, UM, TO AUTHORIZE TO, TO PROVIDE FUNDING FOR THE STATE TO INVEST IN, UM, NEW AND ENHANCED STATE PARKS THROUGHOUT THE STATE.

WE'RE THERE TO BE A NEW ONE, UH, IN OUR TRAIL CORRIDOR THEN.

THAT'D BE A GREAT PLACE TO CAMP.

UH, THERE'S A CAMPGROUND IN MARTINDALE THAT'S RIGHT ON THE RIVER.

IT'S PRETTY NICE.

UM, BUT YEAH, IT'S A, IT'S DEFINITELY A CONCERN OR A, AN OPPORTUNITY I THINK FOR, UM, FOR, FOR GROUPS LIKE OURS AND, AND OUR PARTNERS TO, UM, TO EXPAND ON, WELL, AS A, AGAIN, I'M GONNA USE THE TERM LOOSELY PRIME CONTRACTOR FOR THE WHOLE THING.

I MEAN, WORKING WITH THESE INTERMITTENT, INTERMITTENT ORGANIZATIONS THAT ALONG THE LINE, YOU KNOW, YOU KINDA HAVE TO DRIVE THEM TO SAY, WE NEED A CAP GROUND HERE.

'CAUSE THE LAST ONE WAS 10 MILES AWAY, AND IT'S, YEAH.

PEOPLE CAN ONLY GO 10 MILES A DAY WALKING BEFORE THEY NEED A CAMP.

SO YOU NEED TO HAVE A GUIDING HAND IN THIS PROCESS TO ENSURE THAT CAMPGROUNDS AREN'T 30 MILES APART OR SURE.

WHATEVER THE STORY IS.

I MEAN, YOU UNDERSTAND THIS BETTER THAN I DO, BUT THE THEORY IS THEY HAVE TO BE FREQUENT ENOUGH TO BE USEFUL AND THEY HAVE TO HAVE THE PROPER FACILITIES, YOU KNOW? YEAH.

SEPTIC SYSTEMS OR I DUNNO, WHATEVER, WHATEVER ALL THAT FUN STUFF IS.

UH, NOW I, I AGREE WITH, UH, ANA AS WELL AS, UH, UH, SOME OF THE OTHER COUNCIL OR, UH, COMMISSIONERS ABOUT THE, UH, INCORPORATION OF, UH, OF SOME OF THE MINORITIES AND, UH, PEOPLE OF COLOR WHO HAVE NOT BEEN FROM MIKE OBSERVATION HERE, PART OF THIS PLANNING PROCESS.

UH, I KNOW YOU'VE SAID THAT YOU'VE REACHED OUT TO SOME OF THESE, I KNOW SOME OF THE PEOPLE IN PODDAR AND I'VE REACHED OUT TO THEM AND THEY INDICATED THAT THEY HAVE NOT BEEN CONTACTED BY YOU.

AND MAYBE I'M JUST NOT TALKING TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE, , I DON'T KNOW.

UH, BUT IN ANY EVENT, I WOULD STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO REACH OUT AND MAKE THEM PART OF THE PROCESS BECAUSE THEY ARE FEELING, UH,

[01:50:01]

WELL, IF YOU COULD HELP MAKE THE CONNECTION, THAT'D BE GREAT.

YEAH, I DON'T MIND.

UM, NOW GETTING ONTO THE TRAIL ITSELF.

UH, THERE'S THINGS LIKE, UH, BIODIVERSITY, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT TYPE OF THING.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR ENCOURAGING BIODIVERSITY ALONG THE PATH OF THE TRAIL AND MAINTAINING THAT? UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, AT ONE POINT I WAS PRESIDENT OF THE BULL CREEK FOUNDATION, ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WE HAD WAS PEOPLE GETTING OFF THE MARK TRAILS AND CREATING, UH, INFORMAL TRAILS.

AND THAT WAS A TREMENDOUS PROBLEM WE HAD TO DEAL WITH.

AND, UH, WE NEVER REALLY SOLVED IT.

UH, OF COURSE WE WERE A SMALL ORGANIZATION.

UH, YOU'RE CONSIDERABLY WELL BETTER FUNDED FOR MY RESEARCH THAN WE WERE.

SO I'M GONNA ASSUME THAT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A WAY OF, UH, YOU KNOW, ENCOURAGING BIODIVERSITY, MAKING SURE PEOPLE STAY ON THE TRAILS, DON'T GET OFF THE TRAILS, AND THAT SORT OF THING.

HOW ARE YOU GONNA ADDRESS THE BIODIVERSITY PROBLEM? WHAT I SAY WITH, IN, IN TERMS OF INFORMAL TRAILS, LIKE THAT'S ALREADY HAPPENING NOW.

SO PEOPLE ARE USING THE ONION CREEK GREEN, THE PORTIONS OF THE ONION CREEK GREEN BELT, WHERE THERE'S NO TRAIL, UH, DOWNSTREAM OR I GUESS UPSTREAM OF ONION CREEK METRO PARK, AND THEY'RE USING THE WILLIAMS CREEK GREEN BELT, EVEN THOUGH THERE'S NO MARKED TRAIL THERE.

SO, UM, FORMALIZING A TRAIL WOULD PROBABLY BE, I MEAN, I, I WOULD SUBMIT THAT THAT'S AN IMPROVEMENT ON, UH, UNAUTHORIZED AND, AND, YOU KNOW, KINDA OUT OF BOUNDS TRAIL USE RIGHT NOW IN TERMS OF ANY ECOSYSTEM IMPACT, INCLUDING BIODIVERSITY, BUT ALSO STREAM BANK EROSION AND, UM, WATER QUALITY ISSUES.

UH, SO THAT, THAT'S ONE SORT OF FUNDAMENTAL THING THAT FORMALIZING TRAILS IN THESE RIPARIAN AREAS COULD DO TO A TRUST THAT ISSUE.

UM, CERTAINLY WE, ME, I MENTIONED, UM, RIPARIAN RESTORATION ACTIVITIES, THE CENTER AROUND REMOVING INVASIVE SPECIES AND REVEGETATING WITH ADAPTED NATIVE RIPARIAN SPECIES THAT ARE HABITAT, PROVIDE HABITAT FOR NATIVE SPECIES, NATIVE POLLINATORS, NATIVE MAMMALS NEEDED BIRDS, UM, ESSENTIAL PART OF ANY KIND OF ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN THAT WOULD TAKE PLACE FOR, FOR TRAILS ANYWHERE IN THE CORRIDOR, BUT ESPECIALLY, UH, IN THE RIPARIAN ZONES.

UM, AND THEN, I MEAN, THIS ISN'T REALLY AS RELEVANT, THIS ISN'T SUPER RELEVANT, UM, IN AUSTIN, BUT I JUST WANTED TO MENTION AND POINT OUT THE IN INITIATIVE THAT WE'RE WORKING IN SOME OF THE MORE LIKE RURAL AREAS WHERE OUR PROJECT'S LOCATED, UM, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE WE'RE PURSUING FUNDING FOR A STUDY TO ALIGN, UM, UH, WILDLIFE CROSSINGS WITH RECREATIONAL TRAIL CROSSINGS IN AREAS THAT WHERE A SIGNIFICANT ROAD BISEX LARGE, UM, CONSIDERED LAND HOLDINGS.

UM, SO BY FAMILIAR BUT WILDLIFE CROSSING, YOU KNOW, ANIMAL VEHICLE COLLISIONS ARE ONE OF THE LEADING KILLERS OF, UM, NOT JUST WILDLIFE, BUT ACTUALLY MOTORISTS.

UH, AND SOME OF THE, THE AREA OF THE STATE THAT HAS THE, THE HIGHEST INTENSITY OF, UM, ANIMAL VEHICLE COLLISIONS IS LIKE SUBURBAN SAN ANTONIO BETWEEN SAN ANTONIO AND NEW BRAUNFELS.

SO IN OUR TRUCK CORRIDOR.

UM, SO, AND THE SAME ROADWAYS THAT ARE DANGEROUS FOR DEER AND ARMADILLO AND OTHER, UM, WILDLIFE SPECIES, UH, ARE DANGEROUS FOR MOTOR, FOR, FOR BICYCLISTS AND FOR ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION USERS.

SO BY, UM, CO-DEVELOPING, UH, WILDLIFE CROSSINGS THAT BENEFIT BOTH TRAIL USERS AND WILDLIFE, OR I GUESS BY DEVELOPING ROADWAY CROSSINGS THAT BENEFIT BOTH WILDLIFE AND TRAIL USERS, UM, WE'RE FACILITATING SAFE CONNECTIVITY FOR, FOR THE TRAIL NETWORK, BUT ALSO CONNECTIVITY FOR LARGE LANDSCAPES IN OUR AREA.

SO I ASSUME THROUGH ALL THIS YOU'RE GONNA HAVE, I MEAN, WITH THE BULL CREEK FOUNDATION, INVASIVE SPECIES WERE LIKE A PERMANENT PROBLEM.

SO I ASSUME YOU'RE GONNA CONTINUE DOING THAT.

I MEAN, IT'S A, IT DOESN'T GO AWAY.

IT'S LIKE YOU DO IT AND YOU START BEGINNING AND YOU GO AGAIN.

THE SETTLEMENT OF WESTERN, UH, UH, TRAVIS COUNTY.

ONE OTHER THING ABOUT THE, UH, SPRINGS YOUR CONNECTING, AND ONLY BECAUSE I WAS PRESIDENT OF THE BULL CREEK FOUNDATION, YOU MENTIONED ALL THE SPRINGS ARE, YOU'RE NOT GONNA CONNECT TO SPICEWOOD SPRINGS UP IN NORTHWEST AUSTIN.

I NOTICED, UM, I CURRENTLY, I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY, THOSE ARE, THAT'S NOT REALLY LIKE ON THE ROUTE RIGHT NOW, BUT MAYBE IN THE FUTURE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE, WOULD, WOULD, WOULD BECOME A PRIORITY? WELL, YOU KNOW, IF, IF YOU GET INTO THE HISTORY OF TRAVIS COUNTY AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE CEDAR CHOPPERS, UH, YOU KNOW, THE SPICEWOOD SPRINGS AREA AND THE WESTERN TRAVIS COUNTY IS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THE HISTORY OF TRAVIS COUNTY IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE COUNTY.

AND THERE ARE LOTS OF BOOKS WRITTEN ABOUT CEDAR CHOPPERS AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS THEY MADE TO

[01:55:01]

AND UP UNTIL RECENTLY AS THE NINETIES, UH, THERE WERE CEDAR CHOPPERS STILL, UH, APPLYING THEIR TRADE OUT IN WESTERN TRAVIS COUNTY.

AND TO OMIT THOSE PART, UH, THOSE INDIVIDUALS AS PART OF THE HISTORICAL LANDMARK WOULD BE NEGLIGENT.

AND SPEAKING OF, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT SORT OF THING, ARE YOU PLANNING ON DOING ANY SORT OF, UH, HISTORICAL CULTURAL DIVERSITY OR MARKERS ALONG THESE TRAILS? BECAUSE THERE'S A LONG HISTORY, UH, ALONG THE, THE TRAIL PATH BETWEEN AUSTIN AND SAN ANTONIO.

MAYBE NOT COINCIDENT WITH THESE SPECIFIC TRAILS THAT YOU'RE MARKETING, BUT CERTAINLY ALONG THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT PATH, THERE'S A LONG HISTORY OF THAT SORT OF THING.

ARE YOU PLANNING ON, UH, DOING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND THAT SORT OF THING AT VARIOUS SPOTS ALONG THE TRAIL? AT A MINIMUM, I WOULD SUGGEST HISTORICAL MARKERS AND PROBABLY A LITTLE BIT MORE, UH, YOU KNOW, BUILDINGS AND THAT SORT OF THING WHERE YOU CAN EDUCATE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE, YOU KNOW, HIKING THE TRAIL AND THAT SORT OF THING.

YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.

UM, ANOTHER NONPROFIT THAT I FORGOT TO MENTION WHO'S A CLOSE COLLABORATOR, UM, FOR OUR ORGANIZATION IN MANY RESPECTS AND WOULD ALSO BE RECEIVING FUNDING THROUGH THE LOWER ONION CREEK CONNECTIVITY AND RESILIENCY INITIATIVE, IS THE INDIGENOUS CULTURES INSTITUTE, UH, IN SAN MARCUS.

UM, THEY'RE A CLOSE PARTNER, ANOTHER GROUP THAT WOULD BE RECEIVING FUNDING TO EXPAND AND AMPLIFY THEIR PROGRAMMING AROUND, UM, IN EDUCATION, UH, AND PRAC, UH, PRACTITIONER PRACTICE OF TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE, TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION PRACTICES, AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO WATER AND THE ESSENTIAL KIND OF QUALITY OF WATER IN THE LANDSCAPE IN OUR AREA.

UM, SO FULLY AGREE, AND I MEAN, ALMOST LIKE 50% OF THE GREAT SPRINGS CORRIDORS, THE EL CAMINO REAL, UM, ALL, ALL, ALL OF THAT IS BAKED IN, I THINK TO OUR, IS, IS A PRIORITY TO US AND A PRIORITY TO OUR PARTNERS WHO ARE MANAGING AND IMPLEMENTING THE, AND HAVE ALREADY IMPLEMENTED CERTAIN SEGMENTS OF THE TRAIL.

SO YEAH, WE TOTALLY AGREE.

WHAT ABOUT INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES IN SAN ANTONIO? I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THAT GROUP.

SO YEAH, IF YOU, IF YOU, WELL, IT'S PART OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYSTEM.

PARDON ME.

I MEAN, THEY'VE GOT A BIG TOWER DOWN THERE, YOU CAN'T MISS IT.

NICE.

YOU DRIVE DOWN TO SAN ANTONIO SOMETIME.

UH, OKAY.

UH, DO YOU RECEIVE, UH, HAVE YOU DONE A STUDY ON THE DEMAND FOR THIS? I MEAN, ON THE, WHAT THE TRAIL BETWEEN, I MEAN, I THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA.

I MEAN, YOU'VE JUST ASKED ME, IT'S LIKE, WELL, WHAT DO YOU THINK IS A GOOD IDEA? HAVE, IS IT A GOOD IDEA TO HAVE A TRAIL ACROSS TO SAN ANTONIO? I'D SAY, YEAH, BUILD ONE, BUT IT'S NOT MY MONEY.

SO, YOU KNOW, YOU ASK AN OPINION, YOU GET AN OPINION, BUT YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT'S THE ANTICIPATED DEMAND FOR THIS SORT OF THING? I MEAN, ARE WE GOING, IS IT BETTER TO HAVE A BUNCH OF LOCAL DISCONNECTED TRAILS BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THE DEMAND IS? 'CAUSE YOU HAVE A LOT OF DAY HIKERS WHO ARE GONNA GO OUT AND HIKE FOR THE, YOU KNOW, THE AFTERNOON, YOU KNOW, MOM AND DAD TAKING THE KIDS OUT, OR IS THERE ACTUAL DEMAND FOR A CONTIGUOUS TRAIL SYSTEM THAT CONNECTS AUSTIN AND SAN ANTONIO FOR THE ENTIRE LENGTH? AND WOULD THE MONEY BE THAT YOU'RE COLLECTING BE BETTER SPENT MAKING A MORE DENSELY GROUP PART OF, UH, YOU KNOW, TRAILS WITHIN, YOU KNOW, SURROUNDING, SAY SAN MARCUS? I MEAN, IN AUSTIN WE HAVE THE BUTLER HIKING BIKE TRAIL AND THE VIT TOWN TRAIL, AND WE'RE UP TO ARMPITS AND TRAILS.

MM.

BUT, YOU KNOW, SOME OTHER PARTS OF THE AREA BETWEEN, UH, AUSTIN, SAN ANTONIO ARE TRAIL LIST, SO TO SPEAK.

SO WOULD IT BE MORE COST EFFECTIVE TO PUT A DENSER SET OF TRAILS IN, I'M GONNA MAKE THIS UP, TILE OR BUTTA OR I DON'T KNOW, DRIPPING SPRINGS, OR I DUNNO, WHEREVER, BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO TRAILS AT ALL, RATHER THAN TRYING TO SPEND ALL THAT MONEY ON A SINGLE CONTIGUOUS TRAIL OR TWO TRAILS, FOR EXAMPLE, BETWEEN AUSTIN AND SAN ANTONIO.

I MEAN, I UNDERSTAND THE ALLURE, BUT WOULD IT BE MORE BENEFICIAL TO THE USERS IN THE COMMUNITIES TO, WELL, RIGHT NOW THERE IS NO WILLIAMSON CREEK TRAIL OR ONION CREEK TRAIL.

SO IF, IF THOSE WERE PART OF THE, I'M TALKING IN BROAD SENSE, YOU KNOW.

FROM SAN MARCUS OR, UH, RIGHT NOW THERE IS NO PURGATORY CREEK TRAIL, OR THERE IS NO, UM, I MEAN, PURGATORY CREEK TRAILS, IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA, A REALLY IMPORTANT TRAIL THAT'S MISSING IN THE SAN MARCOS TRAIL NETWORK.

UM, SO WE'RE, AND PART OF OUR CORRIDOR.

SO, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S, AGAIN, IT'S, IT'S A SITUATION WHERE THAT SEGMENT WAS IDENTIFIED AS A PRIORITY BY THAT COMMUNITY AND THAT PRIORITIZATION MADE IT A PRIORITY FOR US, MADE IT A PART

[02:00:01]

OF OUR CORRIDOR.

UM, AND I WOULD PUSH BACK AGAINST THIS, THE, THE IDEA THAT, THAT WE'RE UP TO OUR ARMPITS AND TRAILS HERE.

UM, JUST AS OUR WASTEWATER INFRASTRUCTURE IS INADEQUATE TO SERVE THE GROWING DEMAND FOR WASTEWATER INTERCEPTION, UH, IN OUR AREA, I'D SAY THE SAME THING ABOUT ALL OF OUR BUILT INFRASTRUCTURE, ESPECIALLY OUR ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION AND RECREATIONAL DRILL NETWORK.

UH, NOW YOU SAID THAT YOU'RE RELYING, YOUR ORGANIZATION'S RELYING ON SOLELY ON FUNDING FROM OUTSIDE.

YOU'RE NOT ASKING FOR AND NEVER WILL ASK FOR FUNDING FROM THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

OF ALL OVER THE PLACE ACROSS, UH, MULTIPLE COUNTIES, .

OUR ROLE IS TO RAISE MONEY.

LIKE WE'RE NOT, WE DON'T NEED, LIKE, I MEAN, I GUESS THERE ARE SITUATIONS IF FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE A GRANT HAD A REQUIRED LOCAL MATCH.

YOU KNOW, A 20% LOCAL, LIKE THE RECREATIONAL TRAILS GRANT FOR EXAMPLE, OFTEN WILL HAVE, UM, A A 20% LOCAL MATCH, WHICH IS NECESSARY FOR, YOU KNOW, AND, AND A LOT OF THAT'S LIKE STATE LAW THAT, AND IN MANY CASES IT'S ALSO FEDERAL LAW FOR, UM, FEDERAL GRANTS THAT THE LOCAL MUNICIPAL, THE RECIPIENT OF, YOU KNOW, $2 MILLION GRANT HAS TO PROVIDE.

SOME, HAS TO COME TO THE TABLE WITH SOME RESOURCES.

UM, SO I GUESS IN THAT INSTANCE, AND IF WE WERE TO, YOU KNOW, UM, LET'S SEE, THE BERGSTROM SPUR, WHICH IS NOT PART OF OUR CORRIDOR, I BELIEVE THE RECENT GRANT APPLICATION FOR THE BERGSTROM SPUR WAS FOR ABOUT $40 MILLION.

THE CITY WOULD BE RECEIVING 40 MILLION.

THE CITY WROTE THE GRANT.

WE WERE NOT INVOLVED.

IT'S JUST AN EXAMPLE.

BUT, UH, YEAH, THE CITY WAS THE APPLICANT.

THE CITY SUBMITTED A GRANT FOR $40 MILLION.

THAT GRANT REQUIRED THAT THEY PROVIDE ADDITIONAL, IF IT WERE FUNDED, THEY'D BE PROVIDING ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO MAKE THEM ELIGIBLE FOR A $40 MILLION GRANT TO FUNDAMENTALLY TRANSFORM MOST OF THE CITY.

UM, AND SO, I MEAN, IN THAT INSTANCE, IF WE WERE TO HAVE WRITTEN THAT GRANT, THE CITY WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR, OR THE CITY AND OTHER PARTNERS, IF, YOU KNOW, BE IT US OR MAYBE SOME OTHER ENTITY WOULD, WOULD, WOULD PARTICIPATE IN FINDING QUALIFIED SOURCES OF WHAT THAT LOCAL MATCH MIGHT BE, IF IT'S CASH OR IF IT'S STAFF TIME OR SOME OTHER RESOURCES.

BUT WE'RE, WE'RE NEVER GONNA ASK THE CITY TO LIKE, PAY OUR SALARY.

WE'RE GONNA ASK THE CITY TO LIKE, YOU KNOW, LIKE, LIKE ENABLE US TO OPERATE.

ANY, ANY FUNDING THAT THE CITY WOULD BE PROVIDING WOULD BE LIKE TO, I GUESS THE ONLY EXAMPLE I CAN IMAGINE WOULD BE SOME KIND OF LOCAL MATCH, AGAIN, FOR, FOR A, A COMPETITIVE GRANT.

SO YOU WOULDN'T BE, AND YOU MENTIONED A KEY PARTNER OF YOURS AT THE TRAIL FOUNDATION, SO YOU WOULDN'T GO TO THE TRAIL FOUNDATION AND ASK THEM TO CONTRIBUTE THAT, WHATEVER THE AMOUNT IS.

I MEAN, MAYBE, I DON'T KNOW.

I MEAN, DEPENDS ON, WELL, I GUESS I'M, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE ASKING US FOR SUPPORT AND WE'RE ASK, I'M ASKING YOU, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE OBLIGATION BACK IS, YOU KNOW, AS, AS A BE I WE'RE ASKING FIRST, I I, I WANT TO KNOW AS A TAXPAYER YEAH.

WHAT I'M VOLUNTEERING FOR NOW, UM, WHAT AM I SIGNING UP FOR? YOU'RE SIGNING UP FOR ANOTHER GROUP TO HELP EXPAND THE CITY'S CAPACITY TO EXECUTE PROJECTS THAT THE CITY'S IDENTIFIED AS PRIORITIES.

VICE CHAIR COFER TOPHER.

I DON'T THINK IT'S A SECRET THAT I REALLY LOVE TRAILS, SO I APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE.

UM, AND I DO ALSO DISAGREE.

I THINK THAT WE'RE NOT FULL UP ON TRAILS.

I BELIEVE EVERYBODY IN AUSTIN DESERVES A TRAIL.

UM, I ADMIT THAT I ACTUALLY FREQUENT THE GREEN BELT MORE THAN ANY OTHER TRAIL IN AUSTIN.

UM, AND MY RECENT VISITS HAVE BEEN VERY CROWDED.

UM, SO THE IDEA OF HAVING MORE TRAILS, MORE ACCESS TO TRAILS, UM, IS, IS REALLY A, A GREAT IDEA.

AND, AND REALLY, I LIKE THAT YOU SAID, I'M, I'M READING FROM IT, BUT, UM, ACCESS TO OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENTS IS A FUNDAMENTAL PART OF LIVING IN CENTRAL TEXAS.

UH, AND RIGHT NOW IT'S NOT DISTRIBUTED EQUITABLY.

UM, SO I SEE THIS KIND OF AS LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE IDEA OF BRINGING IN ALL THE PARTNERS, THAT SORT OF GOLDEN SPIKE, YOU KNOW, THAT CAN, THAT CAN CONNECT ALL THESE THINGS AND KEEP EVERYBODY FROM WORKING IN SILOS.

UM, AND I THINK IN DOING THAT, UM, AND I THINK ACTUALLY EVEN THINKING ABOUT JUST YOUR WEBSITE, , LIKE IT CAN ACTUALLY FACILITATE BETTER COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT BY HAVING A CENTRAL SORT OF REPOSITORY KNOWLEDGE BASE WHERE PEOPLE ACROSS THIS REGION CAN, CAN LOOK TO AND, AND SORT OF KNOW WHAT CONNECTIVITY IS HAPPENING WITHIN THEIR AREAS, UM, THAT THEY MIGHT NOT HAVE FOUND OUT ABOUT.

BECAUSE A LOT OF THESE OTHER PROJECTS ARE MUCH SMALLER.

UM, AND THEY MIGHT NOT HAVE EVER FOUND OUT ABOUT IT UNTIL IT WAS DONE.

AND, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S THE, THE FAILURE OF, OF, YOU KNOW, JUST SOME OF THESE SMALL PROJECTS THAT DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES LIKE YOU MIGHT, YOU GUYS MIGHT HAVE FOR, UM, THAT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.

SO, UM, THAT DOES, UH, GIVE ME A LOT OF, OF FAITH.

AND I, I DO, I, I SEE YOU GUYS SORT

[02:05:01]

UM, AND SO I DO, YOU KNOW, WHAT I HAVE SEEN HAS SHOWN THAT Y'ALL DO LEAD WITH ENVIRONMENTAL INTEGRITY.

UM, AND SO I APPRECIATE THAT THE IDEA THAT WE CAN NOT ONLY BRING MORE TRAILS ONLINE AND FACILITATE SOME OF THESE PROJECTS, BUT ALSO BRING ADDITIONAL CONSERVATION LANDS ONLINE AS A, AS A BONUS THERE, UM, IS I THINK, UH, A PRETTY BIG NO-BRAINER.

SO I JUST APPRECIATE YOUR PRESENTATION AND YOUR WORK.

THANKS.

I JUST WANTED TO SAY, UM, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.

UM, I SEE LIKE BOTH SIDES OF IT.

LIKE I, I, I HAVE FRIENDS THAT ACCESS THE TRAILS, UM, FOR TRANSPORTATION WISE, LIKE JUST TO GET TO BACK AND FORTH AND THAT, UM, ACCESS 'EM FOR LIKE EXCLUSIVE, LIKE JUST ENTER, UM, LEISURE AND ENTERTAINMENT.

SO, UM, I SEE A NEED FOR BOTH.

AND, UM, I SEE LIKE SOMETIMES EVEN THAT RECREATIONAL TRAILS ARE USED AS BOTH, EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT TECHNICALLY A TRANSIT SYSTEM.

UM, I DO WANNA ENCOURAGE, LIKE, MORE REACHING OUT TO THE COMMUNITIES.

'CAUSE JUST WHAT THE FEEDBACK WE'VE HAD IS LIKE ONE OF THE KEY AREAS FOR ONE OF THE PROPOSED, UM, NEW TRAILS AS IT, UM, LIKE THEY EXPRESSED CONCERN THAT THEY HADN'T HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT IT.

AND I THINK ACTUALLY EARLIER YOU SAID LIKE THAT NEW ADDITION WAS MAYBE THOUGHT OF LIKE TWO WEEKS AGO OR A MONTH AGO FOR THE ONION CREEK.

NO, UH, THIS SEGMENT WAS ADDED LIKE AS AN AREA OF INTEREST, I DUNNO, LIKE A YEAR AGO.

BUT THE, OUR TRAIL PLAN WAS UPDATED TO REFLECT THAT ADDITION, LIKE, AND OTHER REVISIONS THAT HAVE HAPPENED SINCE THE LAST TIME THE TRAIL PLAN WAS ADOPTED, UH, LIKE A MONTH AGO.

WE, WE UPDATE EVERY YEAR.

UM, ONE THING THAT I WAS KIND OF WONDERING ABOUT WAS LIKE, IN REGARDS TO LIKE THE FLOODING SAFETY, UM, IF THERE'S LIKE A TYPICAL KIND OF LIKE EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN THAT KIND OF GETS THOUGHT OF, AND LIKE AS YOU'RE GENERATING THESE ADDITIONAL TRAILS, LIKE, LIKE AS LIKE, UH, FOR ONION CREEK, IT'S NOTORIOUSLY FOR FLOODING.

SO IT HAS THAT ALREADY KIND OF BEEN KIND OF INCORPORATED INTO THE THOUGHT PROCESS.

LIKE, OKAY, IF WE ESTABLISH THIS TRAIL, WE'RE GONNA HAVE THESE EMERGENCY RESPONSE UNITS WITHIN THIS STRETCH, AND THEN LIKE X AMOUNT OF STRETCH LATER, WE HAVE SOME MORE EMERGENCY RESPONSE UNITS, OR FOR LACK OF BETTER TERMS, TRYING TO EXPLAIN, EXPLAIN THAT.

UM, I DON'T, I GUESS IT'S NOT, NOT REALLY HOW IT WORKS, UM, IN THAT, I, I'M NOT REALLY SURE TO ANSWER THAT.

UM, BUT WHAT I, WHAT I'LL RESPOND, LIKE I, WE HA WE DO THINK ABOUT THE SORT OF RESILIENCY IN, IN FLOOD RISK REDUCTION OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF BAKED INTO ANY PROJECT THAT WORKS IN THE RIPARIAN CORRIDOR MM-HMM.

, WHICH IS WHY THE, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, AGAIN, TO USE A RECENT PROJECT, THE, THE LOWER ENDING CREEK PROJECT THAT THE SCOPE OF THAT PROJECT IS, UM, TO INCLUDES THESE VARIOUS NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS AND GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS THAT, UM, SLOW AND STORE FLOOD WATERS BEFORE THEY ENTER THE CREEK.

SO, REDUCING THE LIKELIHOOD OR IMPACT OF FUTURE FLOODING AND TO EXPAND THE CREEK'S CAPACITY, THERE'S A 75 ACRE REFORESTATION PROJECTS, UM, THAT IS PART OF THE SCOPE OF THAT PROJECT, UM, THAT TO BETTER ACT AS A SPONGE FOR FLOOD WATERS, UM, AND BENEFIT DOWNSTREAM COMMUNITIES.

SO, UH, AND, AND IN ADDITION TO REDUCING THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS THAT FLOODS COULD HAVE ON HUMAN COMMUNITIES, IT ALSO HAS SIGNIFICANT BENEFITS TO WATER QUALITY, UM, EROSION REDUCING THE RISK OF EROSION AND OTHER ECOLOGICAL BENEFITS.

SO, UM, YEAH, LIKE DOES THAT MAKES, DOES THAT, I DON'T KNOW.

I'M LIKE PRETTY HUNGRY AND TIRED.

I I'M NOT SURE IF THAT'S MAKING SENSE, , BUT, UM, THE, THE IDEA IS THAT THE, IN THAT INSTANCE, AND IN OTHER CASES THROUGHOUT THE CORRIDOR, THE TRAIL PROJECT IN THE RIPARIAN AREA PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENHANCE, NOT JUST CONSERVE AND PROTECT MM-HMM.

, THE, THE, THE, THE WATER, THE AREA WHERE THE WATER IS, BUT TO HAVE A GREATER IMPACT THROUGHOUT THE FLOODPLAIN SO THAT WE CAN RESTORE AND, YOU KNOW, AUGMENT THE ABILITY OF THE LANDSCAPE TO, TO NATURALLY FUNCTION IN WAYS THAT, THAT DON'T FLOOD OR THAT MITIGATE THE IMPACT OF FLOODING.

HAS, WELL, PREVIOUS COMMISSIONERS, WELL, OR I'M JUST TONGUE TIED TONIGHT, , BUT SOME OF, UH, PREVIOUS STATEMENTS FROM OTHER COMMISSIONERS HAVE SAID, I MENTIONED LIKE MAYBE ACCESS TO CAMPING WITHIN CERTAIN, UM, CERTAIN DISTANCES FROM THE TRAIL.

I GUESS LIKE, I, I JUST KEEP THINKING OF, WE'VE HAD SUBSTANTIAL FLOODS WHERE WE'VE HAD LOSS OF LIFE AND LIKE, ONE THING I'M KIND OF THINKING ABOUT

[02:10:01]

AND SO I'M KIND OF THINKING, WELL, WE'RE NOTORIOUS FOR HAVING FLASH FLOODS, SO LIKE A LITTLE BIT OF RAIN IN ONE AREA, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU'RE UNDERWATER IN LIKE, OTHER AREAS.

SO I'M KIND OF LIKE WONDERING, UM, FOR PROTOCOLS TO PREVENT PEOPLE BEING IN THOSE AREAS.

LIKE MAYBE IF IT'S LIKE RAINING OR SOMETHING YEAH.

OR PROJECTED FORECAST BE LIKE, OKAY, WE'RE GONNA CLOSE OFF THIS STRETCH OF THE I GOTCHA.

OR SOMETHING.

COOL.

I THINK I'M WITH YOU HERE.

UM, SO A COUPLE OF THOUGHTS.

SO, UM, SO ONE IS JUST LIKE ANYTHING ELSE IN THE GRAY SPRINGS CORRIDOR, IT'S CONTEXT DEPENDENT.

UM, MM-HMM.

SO LIKE, THE CAMPGROUND IN MCKINNEY FALLS IS IN THE FLOODPLAIN OF THE, OF BUNION CREEK.

UM, SO IN THAT, AND, AND I THINK, AND TO YOUR POINT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE AT OR THE NATIONAL TRACE, IF YOU'RE HAVING A WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE, YOU KIND OF ASSUME A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF RISK, UM, AND YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING DECISIONS THAT LIKE, ARE SAFE AND RESPONSIBLE.

THAT SAID, UM, MCKINNEY FALLS, YOU KNOW, STAFF, THAT, THAT'S PART OF LIKE THE, THE, THE SAFETY PROTOCOL FOR AT THE ENTRANCE STATION.

IF YOU'RE GONNA CAMP HERE, IT'S GONNA RAIN, THEY'LL LET YOU KNOW, IT MIGHT FLOOD.

SO BE CAREFUL.

UM, BUT ANOTHER LIKE REALLY IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION, UH, ESPECIALLY IN AUSTIN, AND ESPECIALLY IN WILLIAMSON CREEK, IS, UM, FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS AND THAT LIVE IN THE CREEK CORRIDOR, UM, THE, THE ROLE THAT WHO, WHO REQUIRE CONTACTS IN ORDER TO KNOW THAT THERE'S, I MEAN, OFTEN REQUIRE CONTACT IN, UM, EXPLICIT LIKE OUTREACH TO KNOW LIKE, THERE'S LIKE A BIG STORM COMING Y NEED, RIGHT? Y'ALL SHOULD MOVE.

UM, AND, AND THAT IS WHAT'S THERE, THERE ARE CITY STAFF AND, UM, OTHER NONPROFITS THAT, THAT DO THAT WORK, AND IT'S SUPER IMPORTANT AND SAVES LIVES.

UM, SO, UH, AND, AND I KNOW THAT THE CENTRAL WILLIAMSON CREEK GREENBELT PLAN, UH, VISION PLAN, UM, INCLUDES LIKE SPECIFIC, UM, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS OR, OR GUIDANCE FOR, UM, LIKE INFORMATION LIKE KIOSKS AND OTHER FEATURES THAT CAN, UM, THAT ARE GEARED TOWARDS NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, INTERPRETING NATIVE SPECIES AND, AND HISTORY AND OTHER LIKE, COOL THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, MAKE THAT PLACE, YOU KNOW, COMPELLING.

UM, BUT BUT ALSO ADDRESS THOSE KINDS OF SAFETY ISSUES SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO, UH, PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.

SO I, I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF LIKE THE, THE ABILITY FOR THINGS LIKE SIGNAGE AND, AND, UH, LIKE INFORMATIONAL FEATURES, LIKE PHYSICAL FEATURES THAT, THAT, THAT CAN DEFINITELY BE LIKE A TOOL THAT IS USED TO, YOU KNOW, PROVIDE THAT LIKE KIND OF INFORMATION AND EDUCATION AND, UM, AND AWARENESS.

UH, BUT IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT LIKE, AGAIN, WITH, WITH THE, UM, THE CONTACT TEAMS WHO ARE ENGAGING WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, UH, IN, IN ALL OF OUR RAPE PERIOD AREAS, MM-HMM.

, IT, IT, IT'S, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT WORK.

AND, UH, PEOPLE DO IT.

AND WE, WE ARE EAGER TO, YOU KNOW, LEARN FROM AND, AND DO WHAT WE CAN TO, TO COLLABORATE WITH AND SUPPORT THAT WORK.

UM, I THINK THAT'S ALL THE QUESTIONS I HAVE.

UH, ANY MORE QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONERS? UH, YEAH, I WAS JUST GONNA SAY SOMETHING REAL QUICK.

UH, YOU KNOW, ONE THING THAT POPPED IN MY HEAD SINCE, UH, COMMISSIONER BRIMER WAS LIKE, WE'RE UP TO OUR EARS AND TRAILS.

YOU KNOW, TECHNICALLY WE'RE ALSO BUILDING THE, UH, RED LINE TRAIL, WHICH WILL GO OUT ALL THE WAY OUT TO, UH, YOU KNOW, WILLIAMSON COUNTY UP IN LEANDER, AND THEY'RE ALSO BUILDING THE, UH, BRUSHY CREEK TRAIL, WHICH SHOULD GO ALL THE WAY FROM CEDAR PARK TO, UH, THE ROUND ROCK HU AREA.

SO TECHNICALLY YOU COULD PROBABLY THROW A WILCO IN THERE TOO, EVEN THOUGH I KNOW WILCO IS LAME.

SO , THERE'S ALSO THE GILLAND CREEK GREENWAY, UM, OH, NICE.

TRAVIS COUNTY WILL IS CURRENTLY WORKING ON TO CONNECT, UM, THE COLORADO RIVER TO, UH, ROUND ROCK.

UM, THERE'S ALSO A TRAIL JUST OPEN THAT GOES TO MAINOR, WHICH, UH, PEOPLE DO COMMUTE ON.

IT'S THE WALNUT CREEK TRAIL, AND THEN IT TURNS INTO THE, THE MANNAR TRAIL OR WHATEVER.

YEAH, YEAH.

AUSTIN TO MANNAR TRAIL.

GREAT NAME.

UM, WELL, LET'S GO AHEAD AND READ THIS MOTION.

UH, I'D LIKE TO, OH, IF YOU'RE NOT GONNA CLOSE FOR PUBLIC, YOU CLOSE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.

OH, WELL, I MEAN, IT'S NOT A HEARING, RIGHT? IT'S JUST THIS OH, OKAY.

THEN I'D, REGARDLESS, I'D LIKE TO WAIT.

OH, YEAH.

FRIDAY, AND I SPENT THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS, UH, DOING A LITTLE BIT OF RESEARCH IN THE GREAT SPRINGS PROJECT, AND I CONTACTED SOME OF OUR COLLEAGUES IN THE MUNICIPALITIES BETWEEN HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.

UH, YOU, WE GET, THIS WAS POSTED ON OUR

[02:15:01]

AND, UH, THE FEEDBACK I RECEIVED WAS THAT, UH, THEY FOUND THAT THE GREAT SPRINGS PROJECT FOLKS WERE OF A, YOU KNOW, BENEFIT.

THIS WAS MOSTLY IN THE SMALLER COMMUNITIES BETWEEN HERE IN, IN SAN ANTONIO, BECAUSE FRANKLY, THEY HAVE A SMALLER INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE ABILITY OF THE NONPROFITS THERE IS NOT QUITE AS GREAT AS THEY ARE, YOU KNOW, HERE.

UH, THE PEOPLE IN SAN ANTONIO WERE RECEPTIVE AS WELL, BUT, UH, THEY FELT THAT, YOU KNOW, IT WAS AN ADJUNCT TO, TO WHAT THEY HAVE BECAUSE THEY HAVE A LARGE INFRASTRUCTURE KIND OF LIKE WE DO.

AND THEY CAN LEAN UPON A LOT OF, WELL-FUNDED, YOU KNOW, IN PLACE ORGANIZATIONS IN AUSTIN.

WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE VIAL COUNT TRAIL, UH, FOLKS, UH, UNDER THE HILL CONSERVANCY, AND WE HAVE, UH, THE TRAIL CONSERVANCY, UH, WHICH IS A VERY WELL-FUNDED AND VERY CAPABLE ORGANIZATION TO DO THIS TYPE OF THING.

UH, THE CONCERN THAT I HAVE BROADLY SPEAKING IS THAT WE'RE INTRODUCING ANOTHER LAYER OF MANAGEMENT ON TOP OF A GROUP OF ALREADY VERY CAPABLE AND WELL PROVEN ORGANIZATIONS.

AND WHEN I LOOK AT THEM TRYING TO INTEGRATE THIS TYPE OF THING INTO, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEY'RE DOING WITH WHAT THESE FOLKS ARE DOING THAT WE ALREADY HAVE THAT ARE PROVEN, TRIED AND TRUE, THEY WORK WELL WITH PARD AND MANY OTHER ORGANIZATIONS WITH THE CITY.

I DON'T SEE IN A CITY LIKE AUSTIN THAT WE NEED ANOTHER ORGANIZATION TO DO THIS TYPE OF WORK.

UH, IF WE WERE IN SAN MARCOS, KYLE BUTTA, YOU KNOW, NEW BROWNFIELDS, I WOULD SEE THAT THIS WAS PERHAPS A, A GREAT ADDED VALUE.

UH, IF I MAY, MY PERSONAL OPINION IS THAT IN A SMALLER, YOU KNOW, THAT IN A LARGE ORGAN, YOU KNOW, LARGER CITY LIKE AUSTIN, YOU KNOW, BRINGING IN ANOTHER GROUP LIKE THIS IS A MARGINAL VALUE.

I THINK WE CAN RELY ON THE GROUPS OF PEOPLE THAT WE ALREADY HAVE HERE THAT WE KNOW WE RELY ON.

WE WORK WITH THEM DAILY, AND WE CAN GO TO THEM ANYTIME WE WANT AND SAY, HEY, WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? WE NEED THIS, THAT, AND THE OTHER THING, UH, BRINGING SOMEONE ELSE IN, I DON'T SEE THE VALUE IN IT.

THAT'S MY PERSONAL OPINION.

SO, NOT TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THE TRUCK CONSERVANCY, BUT, UM, THOSE OTHER GROUPS THAT YOU MENTIONED DON'T WORK IN THE AREAS WHERE WE'RE IDENTIFYING.

SO THE TRAIL CONSERVANCY WORKS ON THE BUTLER TRAIL, AND THE HILLCO TREE CONSERVANCY WORKS ON THE VIOLET CROWN TRAIL.

WELL, I'M NOT TALK, I'M TALKING ABOUT AUSTIN AND IF I WANT SOMETHING DONE HERE, BUT THOSE PROJECTS ARE IN AUSTIN.

WELL, I'M TALKING ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT WE WORK WITH ON A REGULAR BASIS, AND I, I'M GIVING MY OPINION.

I'M JUST SAYING IF YOU WERE TO RELY ON THOSE TWO GROUPS, THEN WELL, THAT'S JUST WHERE I, THERE WOULDN'T BE ANY ADDITIONAL TRAIL.

THERE WOULD JUST BE THE TRAIL PROJECTS THAT THOSE GROUPS ARE COMMITTED TO, AND THERE'S THE PEACE PARK CONSERVANCY, AND I CAN, YOU KNOW, I CAN PULL UP A LIST A MILE LONG OF GROUPS THAT WORK ON TRAILS WITHIN AUSTIN AND SURROUNDING AUSTIN.

IT'S NOT HARD, IT'S JUST I HAVE TO GO ON THE INTERNET AND FIND THEM.

SO MY FEELING IS BRINGING, YOU KNOW, RECOMMENDING STAFF TIME, YOU KNOW, TO WORK WITH ANOTHER ORGANIZATION.

WE ALREADY HAVE STAFF WORKING WITH VERY COMPETENT PEOPLE, DOING A VERY GOOD JOB.

I FULLY AGREE THAT THE PEOPLE WHO WORK AT THOSE ORGANIZATIONS ARE COMPETENT.

AND SO I'M GIVING MY OPINION.

MY OPINION IS THAT IF YOU WERE RELY ON GROUPS THAT ARE FOCUSED ON SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHIES, YOU WOULD OMIT THE REST OF THE CITY.

SO, SURE.

I'D LIKE TO SUGGEST THAT THE MOTION BE READ.

LET'S GO AHEAD AND READ THE MOTION.

NETWORK TO INCREASE CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN NEIGHBORHOODS, FACILITATE ACTIVE TRIPS, PROMOTE HEALTHY LIFESTYLES AND OUTDOOR EXPERIENCES, AND STRENGTHEN OUR COMMUNITY'S CONNECTION TO NATURE AND OUR ECOSYSTEM.

UH, WHEREAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION WAS GIVEN A PRESENTATION BY TRAILS AND TRANSPORTATION PLANNER, MIKEY GURALNICK OF THE GREAT SPRINGS PROJECT, THE GREAT SPRINGS PROJECT.

GSP IS AN AUSTIN BASED NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION WITH A DEMONSTRATED CAPACITY TO SUPPORT LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND OTHER PARTNERS IN THE REGION WITH IMPLEMENTING PRIORITY TRAIL AND CONSERVATION PROJECTS.

AND WHEREAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION UNDERSTANDS THE GREAT SPRINGS PROJECT IS CREATING A GREENWAY OF PROTECTED LANDS BETWEEN AUSTIN AND SAN ANTONIO, OVER TO EDWARDS AQUIFER RECHARGE ZONE, CONNECTED BY A NETWORK OF SPRING TO SPRING TRAILS, WHICH LINK THE FOUR ICONIC SPRINGS OF CENTRAL TEXAS, MARTIN SPRINGS, SAN MARCO SPRINGS, KAMALA SPRINGS, AND SAN ANTONIO SPRINGS.

GREAT SPRINGS PROJECT WORKS TO UNIFY EXISTING LOCAL EFFORTS TO ADDRESS THE MOST CRITICAL WATER, LAND, WILDLIFE, AND PUBLIC HEALTH CHA CHALLENGES FACING THE CENTRAL TEXAS REGION.

AND WHEREAS THE AUSTIN STRATEGIC MOBILITY PLAN IDENTIFIES THE URBAN TRAILS SYSTEM HIGHLIGHTED BY THE TIER ONE AND TIER TWO URBAN TRAILS AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE TRANSPORTATION

[02:20:01]

AND WHEREAS NUMEROUS LOCAL AND REGIONAL PLANNING EFFORTS, INCLUDING THE AUSTIN STRATEGIC MOBILITY PLAN, CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN, GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE, STRENGTHS, AND UH, GAPS ASSESSMENT, AND CENTRAL TEXAS REGIONAL AIR QUALITY PLAN STATE THE IMPORTANCE OF PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN THE CITY AND NONPROFIT PARTNERS FOR RAPIDLY AND FULLY IMPLEMENTING THE C'S VISION OF A CONNECTED, RESILIENT, HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS AUSTIN.

AND WHEREAS THE GREAT HI GREAT SPRINGS PROJECT HAS A MISSION CAPACITY AND RESOURCES TO SUPPORT THE CITY'S CONNECTIVITY, MOBILITY, RESILIENCY, VITALITY, AND EQUITY, UH, OBJECTIVES.

THE ORGANIZATION ALSO FURTHERS THE GOALS OF CON CONSERVATION AND WATERSHED PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE CARS, AR AREAS AND SPRINGS.

AND THEREFORE, THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOMMENDS THE PARKS AND RECOMMEND, UH, PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT, WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENT, TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENTS AND OTHERS AS NECESSARY, BE ENCOURAGED TO PARTNER AND COLLABORATE WITH THE GREAT SPRINGS PROJECT.

COLLABORATION COULD ENTAIL A VARIETY OF ACTIVITIES SUCH AS PARTNERING ON APPLICATIONS TO STATE AND FEDERAL GRANTS TO SUPPORT VARIOUS TRAIL IMPLEMENTATION ACTIVITIES THAT THE PARTNERSHIP DETERMINES TO BE NECESSARY AND EFFECTIVE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOMMENDS CITY COUNCIL CONSIDER A ME A MEMORANDUM OF, UM, OF AGREEMENT, A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING, RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT, OR SIMILAR TO ESTABLISH A PARTNERSHIP WITH GREAT SPRINGS PROJECT THAT WILL SERVE THE CITY'S INTERESTS WITH RESPECT TO CONNECTIVITY, TRANSPORTATION, CONSERVATION, AND WATERSHED PROTECTION OUTCOMES.

SO I'LL, I'LL MAKE THAT MOTION.

SO THE MOTION I'LL, YEAH.

I'LL SECOND IT.

AND CAN I ADD A COMMENT? OKAY.

LEMME GO AHEAD AND PUT, OKAY.

UM, YEAH, I JUST, AGAIN, TONIGHT I, AND EVERY NIGHT I'M HOPING TO GIVE VOICE TO PEOPLE WHO DON'T FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE A VOICE ON THIS COMMISSION.

TAKE VERY SERIOUSLY THAT I'M HERE AS AN EAST AUSTIN REP.

I LIVE IN EAST AUSTIN.

I LOVE IT.

UM, AND I APPRECIATE ALL THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLKS SENT TO ME OVER EMAIL, THE PUBLIC COMMENT THAT WE RECEIVED.

I THINK IT'S GREAT TO HAVE THAT KIND OF FORWARD THINKING.

AND SO I UNDERSTAND LIKE THE GRANULAR LEVEL QUESTIONS OF HOW WIDE WILL THE PATH BE AND WHAT WILL THE IMPERVIOUS COVER BE? AND I THINK THAT'S GREAT TO BE THINKING THAT FAR AHEAD.

AND WHEN I LOOK AT THIS RECOMMENDATION AND HEAR WHAT WAS SAID TONIGHT, LIKE I THINK THAT THAT STUFF COMES WAY DOWN THE LINE.

, AND IT'S GONNA GO THROUGH ALL THE APPROPRIATE, UH, BODIES, INCLUDING THIS BODY.

UM, AND THE HOPE IS WITH THIS RECOMMENDATION, IT'S ALSO GONNA GO THROUGH CITY DEPARTMENTS THAT WE KNOW AND TRUST WHO HAVE OUR BEST INTEREST, YOU KNOW, IN MIND.

AND SO THERE WILL BE MORE AND MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR INPUT CONVERSATION FOR PUBLIC CON YEAH.

FOR CONVERSATION.

UM, YOU KNOW, GREAT SPRINGS PROJECT IS VERY RECEPTIVE TO PARTNERING WITH, UM, OTHER ORGANIZATIONS WANTS TO BE INTRODUCED.

SO I FEEL REALLY CONFIDENT, UM, IN SUPPORTING THIS RECOMMENDATION ON A, ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, I THINK IT'S REALLY EXCITING.

UM, I USED TO BIKE EVERYWHERE AND OTHER PLACES THAT I'VE LIVED, AND I'M JUST NOT ABLE TO DO THAT HERE.

AND SO I THINK THE PUBLIC HEALTH BENEFIT IS GONNA BE GREAT ANYWAY, DOWN, DOWN THE LINE.

BUT THIS IS, THIS IS A START.

IT'S NOT A FINISH.

WE'RE NOT CODIFYING ANY PARTICULAR PLAN, UM, THAT THAT COMES WAY DOWN THE LINE.

THIS IS JUST THE START OF A RELATIONSHIP, AND I THINK IT'S AN IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIP TO HAVE BECAUSE THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS HERE TO REPRESENT THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN.

WE'RE NOT HERE AS A PRIVATE ENTITY, A FOR-PROFIT GROUP.

SO I ACTUALLY THINK THAT THIS REALLY BENEFITS THE COMMUNITY BY ESTABLISHING THIS RELATIONSHIP.

SO I ALWAYS WELCOME THE EMAILS, WELCOME THE PUBLIC COMMENT.

I THINK THEY'RE SO IMPORTANT, AND I HOPE THAT MY ASKING SOME OF THE QUESTIONS TONIGHT HELPED BRING, BRING A LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING TO THE FOLKS THAT HAD CONCERNS.

AND AGAIN, I FEEL VERY ENCOURAGED AND EXCITED ABOUT THIS, SO I'LL BE SECONDING.

KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE JUST AUSTIN BUILD A HIGHWAY FROM THE CITY LIMITS ON THE NORTH TO THE CITY LIMITS ON THE SOUTH, YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOME OTHER ORGANIZATION THAT CONTINUES IT IN A UNIFORM WAY.

AND I'LL, I'LL JUST SAY ONE THING TO ADD ON TO THIS, THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT OUR TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE, WE'VE GOT AN ORGANIZATION CALLED TDOT THAT BUILDS HIGHWAYS.

WELL, THERE'S NO, YOU

[02:25:01]

WELL, THE SAME THING WITH TRAILS.

I MEAN, THERE'S NO ONE ORGANIZATION THAT DOES TRAILS FOR THIS SIT THIS STATE, OR FOR OUR, OUR MSA OR OUR COG.

SO I CAN COUNT ON THIS ORGANIZATION TO REALLY REPRESENT SOMETHING THAT REPRESENTS CENTRAL TEXAS FOR TRAILS COMMISSIONER BRIER.

I WOULD LIKE TO ADD A CLAUSE IN THERE THAT, UH, SAYS SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF THAT, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO INCLUDE, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD BASED, UH, COMMUNITIES DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY THIS PROJECT AS THEY HAVE A HIGHER IMPORTANCE IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.

AND THIS BUILDS UPON WHAT, UH, COMMISSIONER KRUGER WAS SAYING BEFORE, AND IT BRINGS ADDED EMPHASIS TO THAT.

ANY OBJECTIONS? COMMISSIONERS? OKAY.

LET ME GO AHEAD AND ADD ANOTHER ENTRY.

CAN YOU REPEAT THAT AGAIN, COMMISSIONER? ER I DON'T DO OFF THE CUFF.

WE WHERE? I'M NOT QUITE SURE WHERE YOU'RE GONNA PUT IT.

SO I CAN'T SAY IT'S GONNA GO AFTER THIS, WHEREAS, OR WHEREAS, OKAY.

SO I'M GONNA LET YOU HANDLE THAT PART OF IT.

BUT WE NEED TO INCLUDE COMMUNITY OF COLOR AS PART OF THE PROCESS IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE PART OF THE SOLUTION TO THE DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF TRAILS.

IS THAT, DOES THAT GET YOU WHERE YOU NEED TO BE THERE? I THINK SO.

JUST THINKING AND TYPING BECAUSE, AND I MEAN, I PUT IT BECAUSE IN THERE, BECAUSE PEOPLE OF COLOR HAVE BEEN UNDERREPRESENTED IN THE PAST, THAT'S A CLAUSE YOU WANT TO ADD AT THE END.

UM, I'M STILL TRYING TO, TO INCLUDE ME COLOR AS A PART OF THE PROCESS TO INCLUDE WHILE YOU'RE WRITING THAT, I JUST WANTED TO COMMENT THAT LOOKING INTO THE GREAT SPRINGS PROJECT ONLINE AND LOOKING IN SOME OF THE PR I CAN TELL THAT THE NONPROFIT IS DOING A REALLY GOOD JOB AT RAISING MONEY AND MAKING THIS A, YOU KNOW, AN AN EFFORT.

UM, YOU KNOW, TO, TO HAVE HOLD RACES, UM, HOLD EVENTS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, RELATED TO THE, TO THE PROJECT.

YOU NEED TRAILS IN ORDER TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE A HYPOTHETICALLY A HUNDRED MILE RACE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

SO I, YOU KNOW, I'M DEFINITELY VERY SUPPORTIVE OF YOUR ORGANIZATION AND THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING.

[02:30:47]

LET'S SEE.

ADDED A NEED TO INCLUDE COMMUNITIES OF COLOR AS PART OF THE PROCESS TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK AND FACILITATE OPEN COMMUNICATIONS ALONG EVERY PART OF THE PROJECTS TO ENSURE THOSE COMMUNITIES ARE NOT UNDERSERVED, AS HAS BEEN THE CASE IN OUR HISTORY.

ANY OBJECTIONS TO THAT? OKAY.

NOT AWARE AS CLAUSE.

UM, I PUT IT LIKE AT THE END WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL CON, UH, CONDITIONS.

ALRIGHT.

I CAN ACTUALLY, IF WE WANNA CONSIDER IT WITHIN THAT TOO, I THINK WE CAN ACTUALLY JUST ADD A CONNECTOR WHERE AFTER WATERSHED PROTECTION OUTCOMES, WE COULD JUST SAY, AND THAT SUCH A PARTNERSHIP EMPHASIZES THE NEED TO ALL OF THE THINGS YOU JUST SAID.

I LIKE, SO THAT IT'S, I LIKE THE WAY YOU DID IT MORE.

SO AFTER YOU'RE A GREAT WRITER.

SO AFTER A TRANSPORTATION CONSERVATION AND WATERSHED PROTECTION OUTCOMES, WE PUT IT RIGHT THERE.

AND THAT SUCH A PARTNERSHIP EMPHASIZES, OKAY.

THE NEED TO WORDS, WORD, WORDS.

AND SUCH A PARTNERSHIP.

I WAS TALKING NOT THIS OVER, UH, YOUR MIC'S ON.

OH, YEAH.

WELL, IT'S LIKE, I'M STILL GOOGLE DOCS.

I MEAN, I TRY AND COPY AND PASTE AND JUST PUT, SO YOU CAN'T DO THAT.

SO TYPE IT ALL OUT.

OF COURSE, STAFF WILL, UH, LISTEN TO THE, UH, RECORDING AND MAKE SURE IT'S CORRECT SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE IT.

PERFECT.

, JEN, IF ANYBODY FROM GOOGLE IS LISTENING TO AT TXN, PLEASE HELP OUT PERRY .

YOU CAN REACH ME AT PERRY DOT ED DOG, BOTH OF OUR LISTENERS ON A TXN WILL PHONE IN THEIR OPINIONS IS OKAY, SO, OKAY.

SO I PUT IT AT THE END OF THE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED.

SO I'LL JUST READ THAT AGAIN.

SO BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED.

OH, I'M JUST , I'M JUST LAUGHING.

UHHUH.

IT'S HILARIOUS.

NOW , BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOMMENDS CITY COUNCIL, UH, COUNCIL CONSIDER MEMO, MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT, MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING RES, UH, RESOLUTION OF RE OF SUPPORT, OR SIMILAR TO ESTABLISH A PARTNERSHIP WITH GREAT SPRINGS PROJECT THAT WILL SERVE THE CITY'S INTEREST WITH RESPECT TO CONNECTIVITY, TRANSPORTATION, CONSERVATION, AND WATERSHED PROTECTION OUTCOMES AND SUCH.

A PARTNERSHIP EMPHASIZES, UH, THE NEED TO INCLUDE COMMUNITIES OF COLOR AS PART OF THE PROCESS TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK AND FACILITATE OPEN COMMUNICATIONS ALONG EVERY PART OF THE PROJECTS TO ENSURE THOSE COMMUNITIES ARE NOT UNDERSERVED, AS HAS BEEN THE CASE IN OUR HISTORY.

ANYTHING ELSE? COMMISSIONERS? SORRY.

ARE WE READY TO TAKE A VOTE ON IT? OKAY.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION AS AMENDED, RAISE YOUR HANDS.

F RESI, KRUEGER, BEDFORD, SHERA NICHOLS, SULLIVAN, ALL THOSE ABSTAINING.

WE HAVE FER.

ALL THOSE OPPOSED?

[02:35:01]

WE HAVE BRIMER.

SO, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6, 1, 1.

MOTION PASSES.

COMMISSIONERS.

LEMME TRY AND TYPE THIS IN REAL QUICK.

I PROPOSE WE TAKE A FIVE MINUTE RESTROOM BREAK, OR IS THAT LONG ENOUGH FOR Y'ALL? .

ITEM NUMBER FOUR, DISCUSSION ITEMS. BRIEFING ON THE LISTING STATUS OF NATIVE MUSCLES.

UM, LET'S COME BACK AT EIGHT 40.

WELL, EIGHT 40, WELL, YEAH.

EIGHT 40.

ALL RIGHT, COMMISSIONERS, LET'S COME BACK FROM RECESS.

IT, IT IS NOW 8 41.

HOPE EVERYONE GOT A GOOD STRETCH.

UH, .

UH, LET'S GO TO THE NEXT ITEM,

[4. Presentation on the listing status of native mussels – Matt Johnson, Texas Freshwater Mussel Conservation and Recovery Coordinator, Fish and Wildlife Service]

MATT JOHNSON.

ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

UH, MY NAME IS MATTHEW JOHNSON.

I AM WITH US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE OUT OF OUR AUSTIN ECOLOGICAL SERVICES FIELD OFFICE.

UH, MY ROLE WITH THE FISH WILDLIFE SERVICE IS TO SERVE AS THE TEXAS FRESHWATER MUSSEL, UH, CONSERVATION AND RECOVERY COORDINATOR.

IN THIS ROLE, I WORK WITH OUR VARIOUS SPECIES LEADS WITHIN THE SERVICE ACROSS OUR OFFICES, AS WELL AS COORDINATE WITH OUR HATCHERY SYSTEM AND OUR FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION OFFICE IN SAN MARCUS TO ENSURE THAT THE SERVICES APPROACHING, APPROACHING MUSCLE CONSERVATION AND RECOVERY ISSUES IN A SIMILAR MANNER ACROSS THESE DIFFERENT OFFICES FOR THESE DIFFERENT SPECIES.

SO OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T HAVE DIFFERENT OFFICES TAKING DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO CONSERVATION OR VIEWING POTENTIAL IMPACT SOUP TO SPECIES IN A DIFFERENT WAY.

SO KIND OF WORKING WITH THESE FOLKS TO MAKE SURE WE'RE, WE'RE HAVING A SIMILAR APPROACH TO WHAT WE'RE, WHAT WE'RE TACKLING FROM A MUSCLE ISSUE PERSPECTIVE.

UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO, IN THIS PRESENTATION, UH, I DIDN'T EXACTLY KNOW WHAT THE BASE LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE REGARDING FRESHWATER MUSCLES IS.

SO WE'RE GONNA DO SOME MUSCLE 1 0 1 TO START, UM, AND THEN I WILL FOLLOW UP WITH SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES OR ACTIONS THAT THE SURFACE HAS TAKEN IN RECENT YEARS, AND THEN I'LL KIND OF ZOOM IN ON SOME OF THE MORE PERTINENT ISSUES FOR, FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

SO TO START OFF WITH THE GENERAL FRESHWATER MUSSEL ECOLOGY, UH, THE SPECIES OF THE SERVICE HAS BEEN CONCERNED WITH REGARDING REVIEW FOR POTENTIAL LISTING, AND THEN EVENTUAL LISTING UNDER THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT, THEY ARE GOING TO OCCUPY FRESHWATER RIVERS, CREEKS, AND STREAMS. THE SPECIES THAT WE HAVE BEEN CONCERNED WITH OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS DO NOT NECESSARILY OCCUPY, UH, LARGE LAKES.

HOWEVER, THERE ARE SPECIES OUT THERE THAT DO OCCUPY THOSE, THOSE HABITATS.

UH, WITHIN THESE STREAM INSTREAM HABITATS, THEY'RE GONNA OCCUPY MIXTURES OF BEDROCK, GRAVEL, COBBLE SAND.

UH, REALLY WHAT ARE LOOKING FOR IS, IS A NICE STABLE SUBSTRATE THAT'S NOT GOING TO BE MOBILIZED DURING HIGH FLOW EVENTS OR HAVE INDIVIDUAL, UH, SCENARIOS WHERE MUSCLE CAN GET PICKED UP AND WASHED DOWNSTREAM.

UH, INDIVIDUAL MUSCLES, THEY REQUIRE A FISH HOST IN ORDER TO COMPLETE THE REPRODUCTIVE LIFECYCLE.

SO WHEN YOU'RE CONCERNED ABOUT FRESH WATER MUSCLE ISSUES, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE MUSCLES THEMSELVES.

YOU ALSO HAVE TO BE CONSERVED WITH THE FISH COMMUNITY THAT THEY HAVE TO INTERACT WITH TO REPRODUCE.

UH, WHAT WILL HAPPEN, IF YOU LOOK AT THE PICTURE ON THE RIGHT, THAT'S A KIND OF A, A GENERALIZED, UH, LIFE CYCLE FOR A FRESHWATER MUSSEL.

THE, UH, MALE RELEASE SPERM INTO THE WATER COLUMN, THE FILL, UH, THE, UH, FEMALE WILL FILTER IT OUT, FERTILIZE EGGS, AND THEN DEVELOP WHAT ARE CALLED, UH, THESE IMMATURE, UH, EDIA, WHICH ARE THESE LITTLE PARASITIC LIFE STAGE THAT REQUIRES A FISH HOST IN ORDER TO TRANSFORM INTO A JUVENILE.

UM, THAT, THAT COULD THEN SURVIVE ON ITS OWN INDIVIDUAL MUSCLE SPECIES.

THEY CAN BE EITHER FISH HOSTS, GENERALISTS, OR SPECIALISTS DEPENDING ON THEIR GENUS AND A NUMBER OF OTHER FACTORS.

BUT YOU CAN HAVE, YOU KNOW, CERTAIN SPECIES THAT COULD USE HUNDREDS OF TYPES OF FISH.

AND THEN YOU CAN HAVE CERTAIN SPECIES THAT THEY RELY ON A SINGLE TYPE OF FISH IN ORDER TO COMPLETE THEIR LIFECYCLE.

SO IN ORDER FOR A, UH, UH, A FRESHWATER MUSCLE TO SURVIVE WITHIN THEIR HABITAT, THAT THEY'RE GONNA REQUIRE STABLE HABITATS THAT IN THE END REQUIRE, UH, ADEQUATE WATER QUANTITY AND ADEQUATE WATER QUALITY.

SO WE'RE GONNA BE CONCERNED WITH THINGS REGARDING POLLUTION, APPROPRIATE STREAM TEMPERATURES AND INSTREAM FLOWS.

UM, YOU CAN ALSO HAVE SOME SPECIES WHERE THEY DON'T EVEN NECESSARILY EMBED IN THE STREAM BED ITSELF.

TO GET A LITTLE BIT MORE INTO SOME OF THE HABITAT REQUIREMENTS FOR, UH, SUBSTRATE IS REALLY ONE OF THE BIG FACTORS THAT WE NEED TO BE CONCERNED WITH THAT WE CAN PHYSICALLY SEE.

UH, LIKE I HAD MENTIONED BEFORE, COBBLE GRAVEL, SAND, SILT, THEY CAN ALL BE A SUITABLE HABITATS OR SUITABLE SUBSTRATES FOR THESE SPECIES.

HOWEVER, THE BIG THING, IT'S STABILITY.

YOU WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, THAT THAT SUBSTRATE'S NOT GONNA BE MOVING AROUND.

[02:40:01]

THEY WILL DIG UP INTO THE BANKS.

UM, AND IN SOME CASES, LIKE IN THE BLANCO RIVER, YOU HAVE A SPECIES THAT IT DOES NOT ON THE STREAM BED AT ALL.

IT BASICALLY HAS WORKED ITS WAY INTO ROOT WADS ON THE BANKS.

SO IT'S NOT TOUCHING THE STREAM BED AT ALL BECAUSE OF THE FLASHY NATURE OF THAT SYSTEM, THEY HAVE ESSENTIALLY ADAPTED TO STAY OFF THE STREAM BED AND JUST WEDGE THEMSELVES INTO ROOTS.

SO WHEN YOU HAVE THIS HIGH FLOW EVENTS, THEY DON'T GET WASHED DOWNSTREAM.

SO THAT'S AN EXAMPLE OF ONE OF THE ADAPTATIONS THEY CAN RUN INTO F FROM FRESH WATER MUSSELS.

UH, FOR, FOR THOSE HABITATS, UH, LIKE WE HAD MENTIONED BEFORE, UH, YOU NEED TO HAVE ADEQUATE WATER FLOW AT ADEQUATE WATER QUANTITY.

THEY NEED TO BE SUBMERGED AT ALL TIMES.

YOU HAVE A COUPLE SPECIES THAT CAN TOLERATE BEING, UM, DRY FOR SPIKE PERIODS, BUT YOU'RE GONNA NEED CONSISTENT STREAM FLOW, UM, TO, TO HAVE THESE SPECIES PERSISTING IN INDIVIDUAL HABITATS.

AND THEN HAVING WATER IN AND OF ITSELF IS NOT ALWAYS NECESSARY.

AND NOT ONLY THE ONLY NECESSITY, YOU NEED TO HAVE APPROPRIATE FLOW REGIME.

SO IF THESE SPECIES ARE ADAPTED TO HAVE A CERTAIN LEVEL OF FLOW AT CERTAIN PERIODS OF YEAR, YOU CAN HAVE BEHAVIORAL OR REPRODUCTIVE RESPONSES THAT RESPOND TO THAT.

UM, SO IF YOU RUN INTO SCENARIOS DOWNSTREAM OF HYDRO, UM, HYDROPOWER DAMS, FOR EXAMPLE, HAVING VERY HIGH FLOW EVENTS WHILE THEY'RE GENERATING, AND THEN THE RIVER DROPS DOWN DURING NON FLOW, NON GENERATING EVENTS, THAT MASSIVE FLUCTUATION STREAM THAT, OR SORRY, IN STREAM FLOW, COULD BE DETRIMENTAL TO THE LONG-TERM PERSISTENCE OF THE SPECIES.

UH, IN MANY OF THESE INSTANCES, YOU'LL NEED FLOW UGIA WITHIN THE HABITAT FOR THESE SPECIES TO OCCUPY.

UH, THESE COULD BE PLACES WHEN YOU HAVE THESE HIGH FLOW EVENTS, THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE PICKED UP AND MOBILIZED.

THEY'RE GONNA BE SHELTERED FROM THESE HIGH FLOW EVENTS.

SO, UM, ALONG BANKS CAN, CAN BE ONE OF THE WAYS THAT, UH, YOU COULD HAVE THESE FLOW UGIA FOR THESE SPECIES.

WATER QUALITY, UH, REGARDING POLLUTION, SORRY, POLLUTION, AMMONIA, TURBIDITY, CONDUCTIVITY.

THESE ARE ALL GONNA BE FACTORS THAT ARE GONNA INFLUENCE MUSCLE SURVIVAL AND STRESS LEVELS TO SOME EXTENT.

AND THE, THE DIFFERENCE, UH, UH, THE DIFFERENT LEVELS OR, UM, THRESHOLDS THAT YOU'RE GONNA RUN INTO FOR EACH OF THESE FACTORS, IT'S GONNA VARY ON A SPECIES TO SPECIES BASIS.

UH, ONE OF THE THINGS WE RUN INTO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT MUSCLES IS THEY KINDA GET TREATED AS A BIT OF A MONOLITH THAT THEY ALL ARE EXACTLY THE SAME.

IT'S NOT TRUE IF THEY'RE ALL INDIVIDUAL SPECIES.

THEY HAVE INDIVIDUAL NEEDS.

AND WE'RE STILL WORKING ON FIGURING OUT WHAT SOME OF THESE INDIVIDUAL HABITATS, UM, AND, UH, THESE, THESE, THESE TOXICOLOGY THRESHOLDS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, FOR EXAMPLE, ARE FOR THESE INDIVIDUAL SPECIES.

AND THEN ANOTHER HUGE FACTOR FOR THE HABITAT THAT IS GONNA BE AFFECTING THESE SPECIES, IT'S GONNA BE YOUR WATER TEMPERATURE.

IT TIES, UH, THERE'S A LOT OF FACTORS THAT A TIE INTO THE STREAM, UH, SORRY, INTO THE BEHAVIOR AND, UH, FEEDING RATES DISSOLVED, OXYGEN CONSUMPTION, REPRODUCTIVE TIMING.

THESE ARE ALL GONNA BE TIED INTO TEMPERATURES.

SO AS WE RUN INTO, FOR EXAMPLE, A VERY WARM SPRING, YOU CAN HAVE A LIFE CYCLE EVENT START EARLIER IN THE YEAR VERSUS HAVING A LONG WINTER THAT COULD START LATER IN THE YEAR.

SO YOU CAN HAVE THOSE, THOSE EVENTS THAT ARE INFLUENCED BY STREAM TEMPERATURES.

AND THEN IF YOU START GETTING INTO REALLY HIGH TEMPERATURES, YOU CAN START HAVING, UH, ISSUES TO WHERE THE INDIVIDUAL SPENDING SO MUCH ENERGY JUST SURVIVING AND TRYING TO PROCESS FOOD AND BRING IT FOR ITS, UH, HIGHER, UH, METABOLIC RATE THAT IT CAN SLOWLY STARVE TO DEATH OR IT CAN NOT BE PUTTING, ITS, ITS, UH, ENERGY INTO REPRODUCTIVE EFFORTS OR GROWTH AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO THERE'S A LEVEL OF, OF SUB LETHAL STRESS THAT CAN BE ASSOCIATED WITH WATER TEMPERATURE ISSUES.

SO WHEN YOU DESCRIBE ALL OF THESE KINDS OF HABITAT FACTORS, YOU, YOU KIND OF GET AN IDEA OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE, BUT YOU CAN, YOU COULD HAVE THESE SIMILAR FACTORS THAT PRESENT THEMSELVES IN DIFFERENT WAYS ACROSS THE, ACROSS THE STATE.

SO STARTING AT THE, THE TOP LEFT, THAT IS GOING TO BE, UH, PART OF THE LOWER CANYONS IN THE RIO GRANDE, WHERE YOU HAVE A COUPLE SPECIES THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN REVIEW OR PROPOSED FOR, FOR LISTING UNDER THE ESA.

UM, RIGHT NOW, AT THE TOP RIGHT YOU HAVE THE UPPER GUADALUPE BASIN, AND WHERE WE HAVE SOME SPECIES THAT WERE RECENTLY LISTED.

UH, THE BOTTOM LEFT IS GOING TO BE THE ANO RIVER NEAR, UH, I BELIEVE THAT'S NEAR MASON, UH, WHERE WE HAVE A NUMBER OF THE SPECIES THAT WERE LISTED.

AND THOSE ALL KIND OF FIT YOUR IDEA OF THIS IS GONNA BE GOOD MUS HABITAT, THIS IS WHAT A RIVER SHOULD LOOK LIKE, AND THIS IS KIND OF THE NATURAL CONDITION.

AND THEN YOU HAVE SITUATIONS LIKE THE BOTTOM RIGHT, THAT IS A CANAL NEAR BEAUMONT, THAT'S OPERATED BY LNBA, AND IT IS PACKED FULL OF MUSSELS.

UM, THERE ARE TONS OF PROPOSED SPECIES AND COMMON SPECIES, AND IT IS JUST LIVE LIKE PAVEMENT ON THE BOTTOM OF THOSE CANALS BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE THE VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF WHAT YOU'RE THINKING WOULD BE GOOD HABITAT, IT CHECKS A LOT OF THIS HABITAT BOXES BECAUSE IT'S VERY CONSISTENT.

IT HAS MAINTAINED TEMPERATURES AND FLOWS AND IT, IT CHECKS THINGS, BUT IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE THAT, THAT LOOK OF WHAT YOU WOULD THINK.

QUANTITY, UH, SEDIMENT ACCUMULATION, REDUCE WATER QUALITY BARRIERS TO FISH MOVEMENTS OR FISH PRESENCE.

PRIMARY THREATS TO A LOT OF THESE SPECIES INCLUDE HABITAT, HABITAT, ALTERATIONS, FLOW ALTERATION, DECLINE, WATER

[02:45:01]

AND THEN OVER COLLECTION.

UH, YOU CAN CAN HAVE PEOPLE OUT THERE LOVING THEM TO DEATH DOING TOO MUCH SCIENCE ON THEM.

UH, A LOT OF THESE PRIMARY THREATS ARE BIG AND VISUAL.

YOU CAN THINK OF.

YOU HAVE A, A RIVER, YOU PUT DOWN A DAM, IT'S NO LONGER A RIVER ANYMORE.

YOU'VE COMPLETELY TRANSFORMED THAT RIVERING HABITAT INTO A LAKE, AND THAT LAKE CANNOT BE OCCUPIED BY THE SPECIES THAT PREVIOUSLY OCCUPIED THAT AREA.

SO YOU CAN RUN INTO SIMILAR ISSUES WITH FLOW, ALTERATION, DECLINE, IF YOU'RE STARTING TO IMPOUND AREAS, IT'S GOING TO AFFECT YOUR DOWNSTREAM FLOW, UH, QUANTITY, AND THEN YOUR, YOUR FLOW REGIME.

BUT SOME OF THE MORE CRUCIAL, UM, THREATS THAT WE'RE RUNNING INTO, OR THAT WE'RE LEARNING MORE ABOUT IN IN RECENT YEARS IS THAT THINGS AREN'T NECESSARILY VERY VISIBLE, LIKE PUTTING A DAM ON A RIVER AMMONIA IS A VERY IMPORTANT THREAT TO THE PERSISTENCE OF FRESHWATER MUSSELS.

UH, AND THE, WHAT I HAVE FLAGGED OUT HERE, AND THE NUMBERS THEMSELVES DON'T REALLY MATTER, BUT, UM, SO THE CIRCLES AREAS RIGHT THERE, THOSE ARE FRESHWATER MUSCLE, UH, BASICALLY THRESHOLDS WHERE ACUTE AND CHRONIC TOXICOLOGY TOXICITY TESTING HAS BEEN DONE FOR AMMONIA.

UM, AND YOU CAN SEE THERE'S A, THERE'S A DASH LINE AND THEN THERE'S A SOLID LINE BELOW IT.

THE, THE DASH LINE THAT IS KIND OF ON THE HIGHER END.

THAT IS WHAT THE 1999 EPA, UM, WATER QUALITY STANDARDS WERE SET.

AND THEN YOU STARTED DOING ADDITIONAL TESTING ON JUVENILE FRESHWATER MUSSELS TO FIND OUT THERE'S ACTUALLY QUITE A FEW SPECIES THAT ARE BELOW THAT THRESHOLD.

SO EVEN THOUGH WE THOUGHT WE WERE BEING PROTECTIVE OF FRESHWATER MUSSELS, WE WEREN'T NECESSARILY, BECAUSE WE WERE NOT SEEING THE EFFECTS TO THESE VERY YOUNG LIFE STAGES OF THESE SPECIES.

SO THERE'S A, A CLUSTER OF FRESHWATER MUSCLES IN THE LOWER END OF THESE TOXICOLOGY STUDIES OF WHAT WE'RE RUNNING INTO IN COMPARISON TO WATER FLEAS AND FATHEAD MINNOWS AND THESE TRADITIONAL WATER QUALITY TESTING, UH, SPECIES THAT HAVE BEEN USED IN THE PAST.

AND THEN IF YOU GET INTO THE TABLES IN THE BOTTOM, THE ONES THAT I HAVE HIGHLIGHTED, THEY'RE NOT JUST NECESSARILY FRESHWATER MUSCLE SPECIES.

THOSE ARE GONNA BE SPECIES FROM THE SAME GENUS AS TEXAS FAT MARKET, WHICH IS GOING TO BE, UH, THE SPECIES THAT IS GONNA BE MOST RELEVANT TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

SO EVEN THOUGH SOME OF THESE TOXICOLOGY WORK HASN'T DONE WITH SPECIES THAT IS RELEVANT TO THE CITY, YOU HAVE THE WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE WITH SPECIES THAT ARE CLOSELY RELATED TO, TO THOSE, UH, NEXT SLIDE.

AND WHY, WHY, WHY DO WE, WHY DOES THIS MATTER? UH, FRESHWATER MUSSELS, TO PUT IT VERY QUICKLY, THEY PROVIDE A LOT OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES THAT WE DON'T NECESSARILY RECOGNIZE, UM, UPFRONT BECAUSE THEY ARE SUCH A, A HIDDEN ANIMAL.

YOU DON'T SEE THEM AT THE, IN THE RIB BED VERY MUCH UNLESS YOU'RE DOWN THERE LOOKING FOR 'EM.

BUT A SINGLE FRESHWATER MUSCLE CAN FILTER ANY BETWEEN EIGHT, ANYWHERE BETWEEN EIGHT TO 15 GALLONS OF WATER A DAY.

SO WHEN THEY'RE FILTERING, THEY'RE PULLING OUT BACTERIA, THEY'RE PULLING OUT ALGAE, UH, THE TRIUS SEDIMENT, THEY ARE CLEANING AND PURIFYING THE WATER.

NOW, IF YOU THINK OF HISTORICALLY THE WAY THAT THESE POPULA USED TO USED TO OCCUR, THINK OF TENS OF THOUSANDS OR HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF THESE ANIMALS OCCUPYING A RIVER THAT IS MILLIONS AND GALLONS OF WATER IN A RIVER SYSTEM THAT COULD BE JUST PURIFIED ESSENTIALLY BY AN ANIMAL THAT JUST HAPPENS TO EXIST.

AND THAT IS A LOT OF WORK THAT WE HAVE TO DO OURSELVES NOW BECAUSE WE DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE THESE ANIMALS OUT THERE DOING THE WORK FOR US.

UM, THERE HAVE BEEN, UH, STUDIES THAT HAVE BEEN DONE BY KAREN VAUGHN AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA TO QUANTIFY OR PUT A, A NUMBER OF VALUE ON THE AMOUNTS OF SERVICE OR THAT WOULD BENEFIT FROM AN ECONOMIC STANDPOINT THAT HAVING HEALTHY MU MUSCLE COMMUNITIES AVAILABLE COULD BE FOR US.

AND IT'S IN MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, UH, OF HAVING HEALTHY COMMUNITY MUSCLE COMMUNITIES ON THE, ON THE LANDSCAPE.

SO IN ADDITION TO WATER QUALITY, UH, YOU CAN START THINKING THEY CAN PROVIDE FRUIT SOURCES FOR OTHER SPECIES.

THEY ARE HELPING AERATE THE STRIP, THE, THE RIVERBED AS YOU HAVE, HAVE A SPECIES MOVING AROUND PREVENTING, SO PREVENTING STREAMBED, COMPACTION, UH, THEY CAN PROVIDE HABITAT FOR OTHER SPECIES.

YOU HAVE A LOT OF SNAILS OR SMALL FISH THAT WILL LAY EGGS INSIDE OF THE DEAD SHELLS.

SO THEY PROVIDE A BENEFIT TO OTHER SPECIES.

AND THEN ANOTHER THING THAT THEY CAN DO IS THINK FROM A POLLUTION STANDPOINT, THESE ANIMALS, IF THEY DON'T, IF THEY DON'T DIE FROM THE POLLUTION, THEY CAN SEQUESTER CHEMICALS AND HEAVY METALS INTO THEIR BODIES OR INTO THEIR SHELLS.

SO THEY CAN PULL SOME OF THESE CONTAMINANTS OUTTA THE WATER AND ESSENTIALLY PULL IT OUT OF THE SYSTEM FOR 10, 15, 20 YEARS UNTIL IT DIES.

SO YOU'RE NOT REMOVING IT FROM THE SYSTEM, BUT YOU'RE KIND OF PULLING OUT OF CIRCULATION, IF YOU WILL.

THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE FOR LISTING SPECIES.

SO I WILL GO THROUGH THIS VERY QUICKLY.

UM, OVER THE PAST 15 YEARS OR SO, FRESHWATER MUSSELS BECAME A TOPIC OF INTEREST WITHIN THE STATE OF TEXAS DUE TO, UM, A SUITE OF PETITIONS THROUGH, UH, TWO,

[02:50:01]

UNDER THE SA, UH, IN 2009, THE SERVICE ISSUED A, A POSITIVE 90 DAY FINDING FOR MOST PETITION SPECIES, NOTING THAT WE HAD SUFFICIENT INFORMATION TO LOOK AT IT, AND IT WAS WARRANTED TO, TO AT LEAST DO A FURTHER REVIEW.

UH, WHILE THE SERVICE WAS GETTING INTO THIS PROCESS, TPWD AND UP LIST 1580 SPECIES ACROSS THE STATE AS STATE THREATENS.

AND THEN THE SERVICE IN 2011, UH, DETERMINED THAT LISTING FOR A LOT OF THESE SPECIES WAS WARRANTED.

HOWEVER, UH, IT WAS PRECLUDED BY OTHER ACTIVITIES BECAUSE WE DID NOT HAVE, ESSENTIALLY THE, THE FUNDING AND, AND PERSONNEL TO LOOK AT THOSE ACTIVITIES AT, AT THAT TIME.

FOLLOWING THIS, WE GOT INTO KIND OF THE MEGA PETITION SETTLEMENTS TO WHERE THERE WERE, YOU KNOW, HUNDREDS SPECIES THAT WERE BEING PETITIONED THROUGH CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY AND WILD, WILD, WILD EARTH GUARDIANS.

THE SERVICE WORKED OUT A BIG SETTLEMENT TO SAY, OKAY, WE'RE GONNA WORK OUR WAY THROUGH THESE INDIVIDUAL SPECIES AND A WORK PLAN, AND IN CERTAIN YEARS WE'LL WORK ON THESE FIVE SPECIES.

AND THEN THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR WE WORK ON THIS SET OF SPECIES.

SO A LOT OF THESE CENTRAL TEXAS MUSSELS GOT PUT INTO THE WORK PLAN TO BE, UH, REVIEWED BETWEEN FY 20 AND 5 22.

AND THE PROCESS THAT IS, THAT WE, WE GO THROUGH TO REVIEW THESE SPECIES IS CALLED THE SPECIES SPECIES STATUS ASSESSMENT.

UM, WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY THE SERVICE WILL GO THROUGH, COLLECT ALL THE INFORMATION THAT'S AVAILABLE THROUGH INTERNAL, UH, ROUTES, AS WELL AS, UH, WE WILL REACH OUT TO INTERESTED PARTIES OR, UM, OTHER FOLKS THAT MIGHT HAVE INFORMATION, COLLECT EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE TO CREATE THE BEST AVAILABLE SCIENCE, CREATE A, AN ASSESSMENT REPORT, AND THEN PRESENT IT TO A RECOMMENDATION TEAM THAT IS, UH, CONSISTS TYPICALLY A REGIONAL DIRECTOR, A ASSISTANT REGIONAL DIRECTOR LEVEL FOLKS WITHIN THE SERVICE, UH, DETERMINE IF A SPECIES WARRANTS A LISTING UNDER THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT, OR ALL OR NOT, BECAUSE THERE'S A, A LEVEL OF LIST OF, OF, UH, SEPARATION BETWEEN THE BIOLOGISTS WHO ARE COLLECTING ALL THIS INFORMATION AND COMPLETING THE ASSESSMENT, AND THEN THE FOLKS THAT ARE APPLYING POLICY TO IT.

SO THE BIOLOGIST LEVEL FOLKS IN THE FIELD OFFICES ARE NOT THE ONES WHO ARE MAKING THE DECISION OF A SPECIES SHOULD BE LISTED UNDER THE END ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT OR NOT.

THAT IS GOING TO BE MANAGEMENT TYPICALLY AT THE, THE REGIONAL OFFICE LEVEL.

IT COULD BE THE FOLKS THAT MAKE THAT, THAT RECOMMENDATION TO THE DIRECTOR.

SO WHAT HAVE WE DONE LATELY? UH, IN AUGUST OF 2021, THE SERVICE PROPOSED THE LISTING OF FIVE FRESHWATER MUSSELS AS ENDANGERED WITH ASSOCIATED CRITICAL HABITAT, AND ONE SPECIES AS THREATENED WITH A FOUR D RULE AND ASSOCIATED CRITICAL HABITAT.

AND WITHIN THAT CRITICAL HABITAT, THERE WERE 27 UNITS, ALMOST 2000 RIVER MILES TOTAL THAT WERE, THAT WERE PROPOSED.

UM, THAT NUMBER IS GONNA SEEM A LITTLE HIGH BECAUSE THAT'S NOT COUNTING AREAS WHERE WERE UNITS FOR INDIVIDUAL SPECIES OVERLAPPED WITH ONE ANOTHER.

SO THAT IS A, A TOTAL MILEAGE, BUT NOT NECESSARILY A TOTAL OF WHAT YOU WOULD SEE ON THE LANDSCAPE.

IN JUNE OF THIS YEAR.

WE END UP HAVING OUR FINAL RULE COME OUT WHERE WE END UP LISTING SIX SPECIES AS ENDANGERED WITH ASSOCIATED CRITICAL HABITAT.

AND ONE SPECIES IS THREATENED WITH THE FOUR D RULE AND CRITICAL HABITAT.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PROPOSAL AND THE FINAL RULE IS THERE WAS SOME TAXONOMIC UPDATES FOR ONE OF THE SPECIES THAT WERE PROPOSED.

IT BECAME SPLIT INTO TWO SPECIES, AND WE ENDED UP DOING A FINAL LISTING FOR, FOR BOTH THOSE SEPARATED SPECIES.

UM, AND THEN ONCE WE REVIEWED THE, UH, CRITICAL HABITAT BETWEEN THE PROPOSAL RULE AND THE FINAL RULE, WE ENDED UP EXCLUDING A NUMBER OF AREAS DUE TO EXISTING VOLUNTARY CONSERVATION AGREEMENTS THAT WERE PUT IN PLACE, UM, AND JUST ADEQUATE THAT WE FELT, UM, CONSERVATION MEASURES THAT WERE IN PLACE OR MAYBE NECESSARILY NOT NECESSARILY A, A LACK OF ADDED VALUE OF FROM A CONSERVATION RESPECTIVE OF ADDING THIS CRITICAL HABITAT.

SO WE END UP PULLING OUT, UH, SEVEN UNITS AND, UH, A, A DECENT CHUNK OF RIVER MILEAGE THROUGH THAT EXCLUSION PROCESS.

WHEN DISCUSSING SPECIES LISTINGS UNDER THE ESA, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO DEFINE AND, AND MAKE SURE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT THE DIFFERENCE IS BETWEEN AN ENDANGERED SPECIES AND A THREATENED SPECIES.

REALLY, IT'S, IT'S A MATTER OF TIME IS THE TIME FACTOR, IS WHAT THE DIFFERENCE IS.

UH, ENDANGERED SPECIES IS, UH, A SPECIES THAT'S ENDANG OF EXTINCTION THROUGHOUT ALL, OR RISK, OR A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF ITS RANGE RIGHT NOW, A THREATENED SPECIES IS LIKELY TO BECOME AN ENDANGERED SPECIES WITHIN THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE.

SO IT'S EITHER AT RISK OF EXTINCTION RIGHT NOW, OR IT COULD BE AT RISK OF EXTINCTION IN THE FUTURE.

AND THAT'S KIND OF THE BIG DIFFERENCE, UH, BETWEEN AN ENDANGERED SPECIES AND A THREATENED SPECIES.

WHEN YOU MAKE THAT DIFFERENCE, A DESIGNATION BETWEEN THE TWO, IT'S UH, IT CHANGES THE PROTECTION AVAILABILITY THROUGH THE ESA FOR THE TYPE OF SPECIES, AND YOU CAN ACTUALLY IMPLEMENT FOUR D RULES, WHICH CAN TAILOR SOME OF THOSE PROTECTIONS FOR THREATEN RULES.

HOWEVER, YOU CAN'T MAKE THOSE, THOSE ADJUSTMENTS FOR PROTECTIONS FOR ENDANGERED SPECIES.

WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT IS NOT, UH, FOR THESE PARTICULAR SPECIES.

CRITICAL HABITAT, UH, IS ONE OF THOSE, UH, TERMS AND, AND THINGS THAT KINDA GETS CONFUSED, GETS CONFUSING A LITTLE BIT FOR SOME FOLKS.

UH, SO WE LIKE TO DEFINE WHAT THAT IS AND MAKE SURE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND, UM,

[02:55:01]

WE DEFINED.

UH, OR IN GENERAL, IT'S, UH, IT DEFINES GEOGRAPHIC AREAS, UH, THAT ARE ESSENTIAL TO THE CONSERVATION OF THE FEDERALLY LISTED SPECIES.

UM, AND THEY INCLUDE WHAT WE DEFINE OR WE, WHAT WE CALL PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL FEATURES.

SO THAT COULD BE INDIVIDUAL HABITAT CHARACTERISTICS OR INDIVIDUAL, UM, LIKE A BIOLOGICAL FEATURE, FOR EXAMPLE, IS THE PRESENCE OF THEIR HOST FISH.

UM, IN ORDER TO HAVE AN AREA THAT IS NEEDED FOR THE PERSISTENCE OF THAT SPECIES, IT HAS TO CHECK A NUMBER OF BOXES OF WHAT THOSE FEATURES ARE.

SO FOR THESE PARTICULAR SPECIES, WE DEFINED AS A RIVERINE SYSTEM THAT HAS SUITABLE HABIT, SUITABLE SUBSTRATE AND CONNECTED INSTREAM HABITATS, ADEQUATE FLOWS, ADEQUATE WATER SEDIMENT QUALITY, UM, AND IDENTIFIED WHO IS FISH PRESENT THE DESIGNATION OF CRITICAL HABITAT, IT DOES NOT AFFECT LAND OWNERSHIP OR ESTABLISH REFUGES OR WILDERNESS AREAS.

PRESERVES, PRESERVES ANY OTHER CONSERVATION AREA.

IT DOESN'T, IT DOESN'T CHANGE ANY OF THAT.

WHAT IT DOES REQUIRE IS THAT FEDERAL AGENCIES, UH, HAVE TO CONSULT WITH THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE IF THEY UNDERTAKE, FUND, OR AUTHORIZE AN ACTIVITY THAT MAY AFFECT THE SPECIES OR ITS CRITICAL HABITAT.

SO THE POINT OF CONTACT THAT MOST PEOPLE RUN INTO FOR PROJECTS ON, ON THE LANDSCAPE THAT COULD PULL CRITICAL HABITAT IN IT'S GOING, FOR EXAMPLE, IN GETTING A PERMIT FROM THE US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS TO, UM, TO HAVE AN EFFECT OR HAVE A, A PROJECT WITHIN WATERS OF THE US OR IF WE'RE WORKING WITH TECH STOP ON A PROJECT, IT IS THEIR FEDERAL HIGHWAY, UH, DESIGNATED AUTHORITY THAT BECOMES THE, THE TOUCH POINT THAT BRINGS IN THE FEDERAL AGENCY POINT.

SO IT'S, IT'S THE FEDERAL AGENCIES THAT HAVE TO CONSULT WITH THE SERVICE, NOT NECESSARILY INDIVIDUAL LANDOWNERS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

IT'S, IT'S THE AGENCY THAT'S PROVIDING THAT PERMIT OR DOING A REVIEW OR PROVIDING FUNDING FOR A PROJECT.

SO THIS IS A MAP OF THE, THE FINAL DESIGNATED CRITICAL HABITAT, UM, FOR THE CENTRAL TEXAS MUSSELS.

UH, ORIGINALLY THERE WERE A LOT MORE, UH, CRITICAL HABITAT UNITS FOR, FOR LARGER AREAS IN THE TRINITY BASIN AND THE BRAZOS, AND THEN THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER AND DOWN DOWNSTREAM OF BASTROP, MORE OR LESS WAS, WAS ABOUT THE, THE CUTOFF, UM, EVERYTHING UPSTREAM OF AUSTIN AND IN INDIAN CREEK, WE KEPT THOSE AREAS BECAUSE THE CONSERVATION AGREEMENTS THAT WERE IN PLACE DIDN'T NECESSARILY HAVE A LOT OF EFFECT IN THOSE AREAS.

SO WE FELT THAT IT WAS, IT WAS IMPORTANT TO KEEP THOSE CONSERVATION AREAS IN, IN, IN PLACE.

THAT IS GONNA PREVENT, PREVENT THEM FROM UNDERTAKING OUR NORMAL LIFE PROCESS AS IF THEY WERE, AS IF THEY WOULD WITHOUT YOU BEING THERE, THAT COULD BE CONSIDERED TAKE.

THE CRITICAL HABITAT THAT IS, I GUESS OF INTEREST TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS GOING TO BE UNIT TX FM SIX, WHICH IS ONION CREEK FOR THE TEXAS FAT MARKET.

UH, ON THE TOP RIGHT WE HAVE A PICTURE OF, OF THAT UNIT, WHICH EXTENDS FROM THE CONFLUENCE OF ONION CREEK WITH THE COLORADO RIVER UP TO THE I 35 CROSSING WHEN THIS, UH, IT'S A LITTLE UNDER 24 RIVER MILES ALONG.

UM, AND ORIGINALLY WHEN THIS WAS PROPOSED, IT WAS BROKEN UP INTO BOTH AN OCCUPIED AND AN UNOCCUPIED UNIT, UH, WHICH BASICALLY IS AS EXACTLY AS IT SOUNDS.

IT WAS AN AREA WHERE WE KNEW THAT THE TEXAS FAT MILK HAD OCCURRED IN HUNTING CREEK, AND THEN AREAS WHERE WE KNEW THAT THE HABITAT WAS AVAILABLE, BUT THE SPECIES HADN'T BEEN OBSERVED.

IN BETWEEN THE PROPOSAL AND THE FINAL RULE, WE RECEIVED SOME INFORMATION THROUGH THE PUBLIC COMMENT PROCESS THROUGH TXDOT THAT THEY HAD FOUND LIVE TEXAS FAT MARKET UNDER I 35 WHEN THEY WERE WORKING ON ONE OF THEIR PROJECTS.

SO WE ENDED UP GOING THROUGH AND CONVERTING THE UNOCCUPIED UNIT TO AN OCCUPIED UNIT.

SO NOW THE ENTIRE SECTION BETWEEN I 35 AND THE CONFLUENCE WITH THE COLORADO RIVER IS OCCUPIED CRITICAL HABITAT.

UM, ONE THING TO, TO MAKE CLEAR ABOUT THE WAY THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED CRITICAL HABITAT AS WELL, IS THE CRITICAL HABITAT IS LIMITED TO THE ORDINARY, ORDINARY HIGH WATERMARK OF THE CREEK.

SO ONCE YOU GET ABOVE THAT ORDINARY HIGH WATERMARK INTO THE BANK, SO INTO THE UPLAND AREAS, YOU'RE NO LONGER IN CRITICAL HABITAT.

IT IS WITHIN THAT OHWM OF THE CREEK ITSELF.

UH, OH, AND ANOTHER INTERESTING THING ABOUT ONION CREEK IS THE OHWM CAN BE A LITTLE TRICKY IN PLACES BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF HABITATS IN ONION CREEK WHERE YOU HAVE WHAT LOOKS LIKE THE BANKS, BUT THEN YOU HAVE THESE BIG UNDERCUT AREAS UNDERNEATH WHERE YOU CAN REACH BACK THREE OR FOUR FEET TO WHAT THE WATER GOES INLAND UNDER THE BANK.

SO IT CAN BE A LITTLE TRICKY UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE HABITAT LOOKS LIKE IN THOSE AREAS.

SO JUST A, A QUICK LITTLE TIDBIT ABOUT, UH, AN IN CREEK, UH, NEXT SLIDE.

SO NOW THAT THESE SPECIES ARE LISTED, UM, WHAT PROTECTIONS THEY RECEIVE, SO NOW THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE IS CONCERNED ABOUT TAKE OF THESE SPECIES.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE WILL MAKE CLEAR IS TAKE IS NOT PURELY LETHAL TAKE.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO KILL AN ANIMAL FOR IT TO BE CONSIDERED TAKE, UH, YOU CAN HUNT, SHOOT, WOUND, TRAP HARM, HARASS, COLLECT.

SO IF YOU HANDLE, OR IF YOU UNDERTAKE AN ACTIVITY

[03:00:01]

UH, AND YOU CANNOT DO THAT WITHOUT HAVING SOME FORM OF AUTHORIZATION UNDER SECTION 10 OF THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT AND RECEIVING AN AUTHORIZATION CONSISTS OF, YOU COULD EITHER HAVE A PERMIT FOR SCIENTIFIC COLLECTION, WHICH IS WHEN YOU HAVE CONSULTANTS OR TECH FOLKS THAT WANNA GO OUT AND DO SURVEYS, THEY'LL GET A SECTION 10, A ONE A PERMIT THAT'LL ALLOW THEM TO HANDLE THOSE, THOSE SPECIES.

OR THEY CAN GO THROUGH A HABITAT CONSERVATION PLAN OR A CANDIDATE CONSERVATION AGREEMENT, THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT'LL ALLOW AN ENTITY OR NON-FEDERAL ENTITY TO UNDERTAKE ACTIVITIES AND HAVE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF ALLOWED TAKE AS LONG AS THEY, UM, THEY HAVE THEIR ACTIVITIES ARE COVERED AND THERE'S CONSERVATION MEASURES PUT IN PLACE AND A A LOT OF THINGS LIKE THAT.

UM, BUT THEN INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS, WE NEED TO GO THROUGH A SECTION SEVEN CONSULTATION PROCESS WHERE THE SERVICE REVIEWS PROPOSED IMPACTS, UM, DETERMINE THE AMOUNT OF TAKE THAT WOULD BE ASSOCIATED WITH THAT PROJECT.

AND WE CAN AUTHORIZE A CERTAIN LEVEL OF INCIDENTAL TAKE FOR A PROJECT, UM, THAT'LL HELP KEEP, KEEP A PROJECT MOVING FORWARD.

UM, AND WHEN THE SERVICE REVIEWS THESE DIFFERENT PROJECTS UNDER A SECTION SEVEN CONSULTATION, WE REVIEW IMPACTS TO INSTREAM HABITATS, UM, PARTICULARLY CRITICAL HABITAT VIA CONSTRUCTION, SEDIMENTATION, FLOW ALTERATION, UM, AND, AND THINGS LIKE THAT TO, TO SEE IF WE ARE GONNA BE POTENTIALLY IMPACTING THE SPECIES OR THE HABITAT ITSELF.

HEY, APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION.

SO I'VE TRIED TO KEEP THIS VERY QUICK.

UM, SO AGAIN, MY NAME IS MATT JOHNSON.

IF FOLKS HAVE QUESTIONS, FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT TO ME.

UM, ONE THING OF NOTE IS, UH, MOST OF THE NAMING AND CONDITIONS FOR EMAILS FOR A FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, IT'S A FIRST NAME AND A LAST NAME.

THERE'S ANOTHER MATT JOHNSON THAT WORKS FOR THE SERVICE IN ARKANSAS WHO WORKS WITH REFUGES.

HE GOT THERE FIRST, SO I HAVE A MIDDLE INITIAL, UM, AND THERE ARE UNDERSCORES BETWEEN THE, ON OTHER SIDE OF, OF THE S SO, ALRIGHT, AND I'LL OPEN UP FOR QUESTIONS.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

UH, LET'S OPEN UP THE QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONER KARAHI.

UH, SO I WAS WONDERING, YOU KNOW, YOU WERE SAYING THAT THE, UH, THE 35 AREA NEAR ONION CREEK, YOU FOUND MUSSELS THERE, SO Y'ALL ARE CONSIDERING THAT PART OF THE CRITICAL TERRITORY.

UM, DOES THE SOUTH 35 EXPANSION CAPITAL PROJECT, WHATEVER THE TERM IS FOR THAT, DOES THAT ENCROACH ON THAT AREA OR NO? SO WE'VE WORKED CLOSELY WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP AT TDOT AS WELL AS THE AUSTIN DISTRICT, UM, FOR, FOR THOSE PARTICULAR CROSSINGS.

UM, IT CROSSES OVER CRITICAL HABITAT AND IF I'M, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, I WANNA SAY THAT THEY SPAN, UM, HUNTING CREEK IN THAT AREA.

MM-HMM, .

SO WHILE WE DID SURVEYS TO MAKE SURE THAT, TO SEE IF THE SPECIES WAS PRESENT, UM, I DON'T BELIEVE THERE WERE ANY INSTREAM IMPACTS TO THAT AREA.

SO WHEN THEY COMPLETED THAT SURVEY, IF I'M REMEMBERING CORRECTLY, IT WAS MORE OF A PRECAUTIONARY.

WE WANTED TO KNOW WHAT IS THERE JUST IN CASE SOMETHING CHANGES AND WE NEED TO ADAPT ON THE FLY.

UM, SO YES, YOU'RE GONNA BE CROSSING OVER THAT CRITICAL HABITAT, BUT, UM, IT'S, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THERE WERE ANY INSTREAM IMPACTS ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE, WITH THOSE CROSSINGS.

GOTCHA.

AND THEN, UH, MY OTHER QUESTION WAS AS FAR AS LIKE, YOU KNOW, YOU SORT OF COMPARED UH, 2021 TO 2024.

UM, IT SEEMS LIKE BASICALLY THERE WASN'T NECESSARILY THAT BIG SHIFT AS FAR AS LIKE BEING ABLE TO DECLARE A SPECIES NOT ON THE ENDANGERED OR THREATENED LIST, OR A SPECIES BECAME ENDANGERED OR THREATENED.

IS THAT CORRECT? IN, IN, AM I CORRECT IN THAT STATEMENT? YEAH.

THERE, THERE WERE NOT ANY MAJOR OR SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN OUR INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF THE SPECIES AND WHAT WE ENDED UP HAVING FOR THE FINAL RULE, SOME OF THE BIG HOLDUPS THAT WE RAN INTO WAS THAT TAXONOMIC UPDATE.

AREAS WHERE THERE HAVE BEEN DRAMATIC DIE OFFS.

WHERE WE HAD TO GO THROUGH AND BASICALLY SPLIT SPECIES IN TWO RIGHT.

AND REWRITE A LARGE CHUNK OF OUR SPECIES STATUS ASSESSMENT REPORT AND REWRITE PORTIONS OF THE RULE TO BASICALLY PULL PROPOSED CRITICAL HABITAT AND PROPOSED LISTING FROM ONE SPECIES, REDEFINE WHAT THAT SPECIES IS, PULL IN A WHOLE NEW SPECIES, REDEFINE ALL THAT.

UM, SO THAT WAS ONE OF THE BIG THINGS THAT WE RAN INTO.

WE ALSO HAD SOME CONSERVATION AGREEMENTS THAT WE WERE WORKING ON AT THE TIME, UM, THAT WE WANTED TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD THE, THE CORRECT, YOU KNOW, CONSERVATION VALUE ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE, UM, DOCUMENTED WITHIN IN THE ROOM MOVING FORWARD.

SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE HAD THOSE, THOSE IN PLACE.

BUT THERE WASN'T ANY SUBSTANTIAL ASSESSMENT CHANGES WHERE WE THOUGHT IT WAS ONE WAY AND THEN WE LEARNED ALL THIS NEW INFORMATION, THEN IT, IT CHANGED WHAT OUR UNDERSTANDING WAS FOR THE STATUS OF THE SPECIES.

AND THEN, UH, MY LAST QUESTION WILL BE, YOU KNOW, FOR THE ENDANGERED OR THREATENED, UH, MUSCLES, YOU KNOW, DID Y'ALL NOTICE ANY TRENDS IN THE POPULATION IN THE THREE YEARS? WAS IT LIKE, OH, SNAP THEY'RE GOING DOWN, WE'RE SCREWED, YOU KNOW? OR WAS IT LIKE, OH, SOMETHING HAPPENED TO THE MUSCLES, THEY'RE GROWING HURRAH.

UM, IT'S NOT GOOD.

UM, RIGHT.

SO I, I'D SAY WHAT WE HAVE RUN INTO NOW, I, I WOULD SAY IS WE'VE HAD INDIVIDUAL

[03:05:01]

MM.

UM, THEY HAVE NOT BEEN THESE ENIGMATIC DIES WHERE WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS.

IT'S, WE HAVE, WE HAVE VERY CLEAR IDEAS OF WHAT IT IS.

IT'S DROUGHT.

WE, WE HAVE ISSUES WITH CREEKS AND RIVERS GOING DRY MORE FREQUENTLY AND STAYING DRIER LONGER THAN THEY HAVE HISTORICALLY.

OR WE'VE HAD FLOODS WHERE THE RIVER GETS PICKED UP AND IT GETS TOTALLY REARRANGED.

YOU HAVE MUSSELS PICKED UP FROM AN AREA AND DROPPED OFF INTO A HABITAT THAT CAN'T PERSIST IN.

UM, BUT AS FAR AS LIKE POPULATION WIDE TRENDS, IT HASN'T BEEN ENOUGH TIME FOR US TO, TO REALLY TELL IF WHAT'S GOING ON.

BUT WE'VE HAD THESE INDIVIDUAL EVENTS WHERE WE'RE LIKE, OH, THAT'S, THAT'S NOT GOOD .

COMMISSIONER KRUEGER, THANKS FOR SITTING THROUGH THREE HOURS OF THIS MEETING AND MAINTAINING A PRESENCE OF MIND TO CONVEY THAT LEVEL OF INFORMATION.

, I REALLY APPRECIATE IT.

UM, IT'S LATE AT NIGHT TOO.

UM, I JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION.

WHAT ACTIONS, UM, CAN THE CITY OF AUSTIN TAKE THAT IT'S NOT ALREADY TAKING TO SUPPORT THE FAT MUCKE POPULATION IN ONION CREEK? SO, UM, IN ADDITION TO THE TYPICAL, I GUESS, PERMIT REVIEW PROCESSES AND, AND MAKING SURE THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE COORDINATING WITH THE APPROPRIATE AGENCIES ALONG THE WAY, UH, SOMETHING THAT WILL BE COMING UP IS PART OF A CANDIDATE CONSERVATION AGREEMENT WITH ASSURANCES THAT WAS SIGNED OFF ON AN ENHANCEMENT SURVIVAL PERMIT THAT WAS ISSUED TO THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER AUTHORITY.

UH, THERE WAS A CONSERVATION MEASURE INCLUDED WITHIN THAT AGREEMENT TO DEVELOP AN ONION CREEK WORKING GROUP CONSERVATION GROUP OF SOME SORT, UM, TO PULL TOGETHER PARTNERS TO TRY TO IDENTIFY CONSERVATION ACTIVITIES WITHIN THAT, THAT WATERSHED THAT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO THE TEXAS, TEXAS FAT BUCKET POPULATION THERE.

UH, WE MADE A CALL OUT SPECIFICALLY FOR THAT POPULATION BECAUSE IT IS GEOGRAPHICALLY IS GEOGRAPHICALLY ISOLATED FROM EVERY OTHER POPULATION OF THE SPECIES.

UM, EVERY OTHER POPULATION OF THAT SPECIES IS UPSTREAM OF THE HIGHLAND LAKES.

SO THERE'S, IF YOU WERE TO LOSE THAT POPULATION, ONION CREEK, THERE IS NO NATURAL WAY FOR THAT POPULATION TO BE REPOPULATED FROM OTHER AREAS.

SO THAT IS, THAT IS WHY WE HAD A SPECIFIC CALL OUT FOR ONION CREEK.

SO IN TERMS OF WHAT THE CITY CAN DO, SUPPORT THIS WORKING GROUP, ARE THERE ANY OTHER PARTICULARS SUPPORT IT BEING ACTIONS? UH, AT THIS POINT IT HASN'T BEEN SET UP YET, SO I'M NOT SURE, UM, WHAT THAT'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE FROM A A, A DAY TO DAY ACTIONABLE PERSPECTIVE.

BUT I WOULD SAY PARTICIPATING IT IN ITS, AND, AND I MEAN AT THAT'S POINT, IF THAT'S WHAT I CAN SAY, PARTICIPATE.

I KNOW YOU, WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS IN THE PAST ABOUT THAT, AND WE'RE HAPPY TO, TO ASSIST IN ANY WAY.

AND I, I WILL NOTE THAT, UM, ALONG ONION CREEK, THE CITY IS, UH, IN, IN THE STRETCH OWNS QUITE A BIT OF THE LAND, UM, WITH, UH, EITHER PARKLAND OR, UM, WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT OR, OR WHAT HAVE YOU.

AND SO WE'RE, WE'RE HAPPY TO TO PARTNER WITH THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE ON THAT.

AND WE ARE MUSCLE NERDS AND LOVE THEM .

AND ONE THING I WILL ADD TO, TO THAT, IT'S LIKE I HAD MENTIONED WITH THOSE UNDERCUT BANKS IN DUN CREEK, THAT IS AN AREA THAT TEXAS SPAM OCCUPIES WITHIN THE CREEK.

SO IF WE, BEFORE WE GET IN THERE AND START DOING A BUNCH OF STREAM BANK RESTORATION, THAT KIND OF STUFF, TO ADDRESS THESE COLLAPSING BANKS, WE NEED TO BE MINDFUL THAT WHILE THESE BANKS MAY NOT LOOK GREAT, THEY RIGHT NOW ARE SERVING A FUNCTION FOR THESE SPECIES.

WE CAN'T GET IN THERE AND BASICALLY FIX THE PROBLEM TO POTENTIALLY LEAD TO A LOSS OF HABITAT AVAILABILITY FOR THESE SPECIES.

SO THAT'S NOT TO SAY THAT THERE ISN'T RESTORATION WORK THAT CAN BE DONE, IT IS JUST SOMETHING THAT BUILD A LOT OF THOUGHT WE NEED TO BE PUT INTO BEFORE WE JUST RUN IN THERE WITH SHOVELS THAT JUST START DOING WORK.

THAT'S A REALLY GOOD NOTE.

COMMISSIONER SHERA.

THAT CRITICAL MASS TO WHERE THEN THEY CAN START TAKING CARE OF THEMSELVES.

I APPRECIATE YOUR, YOUR PRESENTATION.

I REALLY DON'T KNOW THAT MUCH ABOUT MUSCLES.

UM, I'M CURIOUS, WHAT ARE LIKE THE MAIN METHODS OF SUPPORTING THE POPULATION GROWTH, UH, FOR, FOR MUSCLE POPULATIONS? YEAH.

UM, SO RIGHT NOW THERE'S A COUPLE WAYS TO LOOK AT IT.

UM, ANYTHING THAT YOU CAN DO THAT'S GOOD FOR A WATERSHED IS GONNA BE GOOD FOR MUSSELS.

SO ANYTHING THAT YOU CAN DO TO PREVENT, UH, RUNOFF, PRODUCE, IMPERVIOUS COVER, THAT KIND OF THING, IT'S GOING TO IMPROVE HABITAT.

SO TO, FOR SOME LEVEL, HOPEFULLY THEY CAN REBOUND THEMSELVES TO THAT EXTENT OR FROM THOSE ACTIVITIES.

HOWEVER, WE START RUNNING INTO SCENARIOS WHERE POPULATIONS ARE SO LOW THAT THEY BECOME FUNCTIONALLY EXTIRPATED.

YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MALES AND FEMALES INTERACTING WITH ONE ANOTHER FREQUENTLY ENOUGH TO WHERE THEY CAN SUPPORT THEMSELVES AND THEY JUST KIND OF SLOWLY DRIFT OFF.

UM, IN THOSE INSTANCES, WHAT WE WILL DO IS WE WILL EMPLOY HATCHERY SYSTEMS TO PRODUCE A BUNCH OF HATCHERY PRODUCED JUVENILES AND TRY TO SEED THOSE POPULATIONS TO GIVE THOSE POPULATIONS A BOOST FOR A PERIOD OF TIME.

AND HOPEFULLY YOU CAN REACH

[03:10:01]

UH, WE'VE STARTED DOING SOME OF THAT WORK WITH THE FEDERAL HATCHERIES, UM, AT THE INK DAM, NATIONAL FISH HATCHERY AND THE SAN MARCO AQUATIC RESOURCES CENTER.

UH, THE UVALDE NATIONAL FISH HATCHERY IS ALSO TRYING TO GET UP AND RUNNING.

UM, IT'S STILL VERY MUCH A WORK IN PROGRESS.

UH, LIKE A LOT OF THINGS WITH THE FISH HATCHERY SYSTEM, YOU CAN LEARN HOW TO WORK WITH ONE SPECIES OF ONE AT ONE FACILITY, BUT THEN YOU'RE STARTING OVER FROM SCRATCH, ESSENTIALLY THE NEXT FACILITY YOU GO TO BECAUSE THERE'S DIFFERENT WATER QUALITY THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S DIFFERENT WATER CONDITIONS AND DIFFERENT, UH, SPACE, UH, ALLOWANCES AND SYSTEMS THAT YOU CAN USE.

SO WE ARE WORKING ON IT.

UM, BUT FROM THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S PERSPECTIVE, IT'S, IT'S DOING WHAT YOU CAN TO HELP KEEP THE HABITAT AT MINIMUM, YOU KNOW, AS, AS GOOD AS IT IS NOW, PREVENT DEGRADATION IN THE FUTURE, AND THEN TRY TO IMPROVE HABITAT MOVING FORWARD.

I THINK THAT'S FROM, FROM THE CITY'S PERSPECTIVE, THAT'S KIND OF ROUTE YOU COULD TAKE.

SO IS IS, UM, THE, LIKE FISH POPULATION HAVE A GREAT IMPACT ON, ON THE, ON THE MUSSEL POPULATION SINCE THEY HAVE TO USE THE FISH? SO YEAH.

TO HOST THEIR YES.

GENERALLY SPEAKING, YES.

UM, HOWEVER, IT'S NOT AS MUCH OF AN ISSUE WITH THESE TEXAS SPECIES, UH, TEXAS FAT MUCK.

IT USES BLUE GILL AND GUADALUPE BASS AND GREEN SUNFISH, SMALL MOUTH BASS, THINGS THAT ARE SPECIES THAT ARE WIDELY AVAILABLE AND THEY ARE PRESENT.

SO WE ARE NOT RUNNING INTO A FISH LIMITATION ISSUE FOR, FOR THESE SPECIES.

BUT GENERALLY SPEAKING, YES, THE, THE FISH POPULATIONS ARE IMPORTANT FOR THE MUSEL, BUT RIGHT NOW IT'S NOT OUR UNDERSTANDING THAT THEY ARE A LIMITING FACTOR FOR THESE POPULATIONS HERE.

AND THEN, AND THEN THERE'S LIKE A METHODOLOGY OF REINTRODUCING MUSSELS TO EACH HABITAT BASED ON OTHER SIMILAR HABITATS.

ANYTHING, UM, ELSE BESIDES THAT, SO WE, THE FISH WILDLIFE SERVICE FUNDED A PROJECT THROUGH TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY AND TEXAS A AND M RECENTLY TO COMPLETE A LARGE MODELING PROJECT TO LOOK AT BIOTIC AND ANTIBIOTIC FACTORS.

UM, SO STREAM HABITATS, UM, FISH, COMMUNITY PRESENCE, BUG PRESENCE, THAT KIND OF THING TO IDENTIFY AREAS THAT ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE OCCUPIED OR SHOULD BE OCCUPIED BY THESE SPECIES.

SO WE COULD USE THAT AS A PRIORITIZATION TOOL TO IDENTIFY STREAM REACHES WHERE WE WOULD WANT TO TRY TO PRIORITIZE, OR WE WANNA FOCUS OUR, OUR RECOVERY EFFORTS MOVING IN THE FUTURE.

UM, AND THEN ONE THING THAT THE SERVICE COULD DO IS WE CAN USE OUR PARTNERS PROGRAM AND SOME OF THE FUNDING THAT'S AVAILABLE THROUGH THAT PROGRAM TO IDENTIFY INDIVIDUAL LANDOWNERS FOR STREAM PROJECTS OR LAND MANAGEMENT PROJECTS THAT COULD BE BENEFICIAL FOR THE CREEKS OR RIVERS THAT THEY, THAT THEY, UM, ABUT AGAINST.

SO, UM, YEAH.

COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN.

ONE, UH, QUICK QUESTION.

YOU KNOW, YOU, ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT YOU MENTIONED WAS THE FACT THAT THEY, UH, MUSSEL ARE IN STREAKS, UH, STREAMS AND CREEKS, BUT NOT IN LAKES.

IS THAT BECAUSE THEY NEED THE WATER FLOW FOR, UM, CARRYING THEIR SPERM OR THEIR FOOD FOR SOURCES OR WHATEVER? SO, SO THAT'S NOT ALL MUS SPECIES.

THAT IS THE, THE SUITE, THE CENTRAL TEXAS SPECIES THAT WERE JUST LISTED UNDER THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT THIS, THIS PAST SUMMER.

UM, AND THAT IS JUST THE HABITAT.

IT JUST HAPPENS TO BE WHAT THE HABITAT REQUIREMENTS OR FOR ARE FOR THOSE ANIMALS.

UM, THE TEXAS FAT MUCK AND GUADALUPE FAT MUCKE.

SO TWO OF THOSE SPECIES, THEY CAN TOLERATE IMP EMPOWERMENTS TO AN EXTENT, BUT WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE HIGHLAND LAKES.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LITTLE RUN OF THE RIVER DAMS. MM-HMM.

TO WHERE THEY DON'T GET MORE THAN, YOU KNOW, FIVE, SIX FEET DEEP.

THEY'LL LIVE ALONG THE BANKS.

UM, BUT YEAH, SO YOU DO HAVE OTHER MUSCLE SPECIES THAT CAN TOLERATE THOSE, THOSE LARGER IMPOUNDED AREAS.

IT JUST DOESN'T HAPPEN TO BE THE SPECIES THAT THE SERVICE REVIEW FOR LISTING.

THE OTHER, THE OTHER THING I, I WAS GONNA ASK YOU ABOUT, YOU ALREADY MENTIONED, AND THAT'S THE HATCHERIES, LIKE HAVING ARTIFICIAL, UH, HABITATS FOR THE ENDANGERED SPECIES SO THAT YOU CAN BUILD UP THEIR POPULATIONS.

BUT YOU'VE ALREADY, YOU'RE ALREADY ON THAT COURSE.

WE, WE ARE TRYING, UM, WHEN WE GET INTO THE RECOVERY PLANNING PROCESS FOR THESE SPECIES, THAT IS, I IMAGINE GOING TO BE A COMPONENT OF THE RECOVERY PLAN MOVING FORWARD IS, IS HAVING SOME LEVEL OF ARTIFICIAL POPULATION AUGMENTATION THROUGH THE HATCHERY SYSTEMS. UH, BUT BEFORE WE GET THAT UP AND GOING, THERE'S GOING TO BE NOT ONLY FIGURING OUT THE PROCESS, WE'RE PRODUCING ANIMALS, WE NEED TO WORRY ABOUT OUR GENETIC MANAGEMENT PLANS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT BASICALLY FLOODING A POPULATION WITH A VERY SPECIFIC GENETIC RIGHT MAKEUP, SO THEY WON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO ADAPT TO, TO, UM, CHANGES IN THE FUTURE.

WELL THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COMMISSIONER BRIBER.

I APPRECIATE YOUR PRESENTATION.

[03:15:01]

HAVE TWO QUESTIONS.

WE SEE ZEBRA MUSSELS AS AN INVASIVE SPECIES, UH, BUT THEY CLEAN THE WATER THE SAME AS THE NATIVE MUSSEL.

THAT'S, IS THAT NOT CORRECT? SO I MEAN, THE, IN A WAY THEY SERVE A SIMILAR PURPOSE, SO YES AND NO.

SO THEY ARE GOING TO SERVE A SIMILAR FUNCTION, BUT IT'S GOING TO PRESENT ITSELF IN THE LANDSCAPE IN A DIFFERENT WAY.

UM, WE ARE NOT QUITE I'LL, I'LL USE THE GREAT LAKES AS AN EXAMPLE, JUST BECAUSE IT'S A MUCH MORE EASIER TO DEMONSTRATE.

EXAMPLE IS THE DENSITIES OF ZEBRA MUSS THAT YOU RUN INTO CAN DWARF THE DENIES OF FRESHWATER MUSCLES THAT YOU'D RUN INTO.

SO YOU CAN ACTUALLY RUN INTO A SCENARIO.

YOU HAVE TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING TO WHERE INSTEAD OF CLEARING OUT A, A HEALTHY AMOUNT OF DETRITUS AND BACTERIA, THAT KIND OF THING, THEY CAN BASICALLY WIPE IT CLEAN AND YOU CAN LOSE THAT FOOD AVAILABILITY FOR OTHER SPECIES THAT MAY NEED THAT.

SO WHAT YOU RAN INTO IN THE GREAT LAKES IS YOU HAD ZERO MUSCLES THAT EVENTUALLY QUAD MUSCLES COME IN, ESSENTIALLY CLEAN UP THE GREAT LAKE STAND AND SAID, THIS IS FANTASTIC.

THE WATER'S CLEAR, WE'VE WANTED THIS FOR, FOR YEARS.

BUT THEN YOU'LL START HAVING POPULATION COLLAPSES OF FISH THAT NEEDED ZOOPLANKTON AND OTHER THINGS TO SURVIVE.

SO YOU HAVE THIS DRAMATIC, UH, CA TROPHIC CASCADE ESSENTIALLY IS WHAT YOU RAN INTO TO WHERE YOU, YOU BASICALLY UNDERCUT THE FOOD WEB FOR ALL THESE SPECIES THAT WERE HIGHER UP IN THE FOOD WEB THAT NEEDED TO HAVE THAT TO EXIST.

SO YOU CAN RUN INTO A THING WHERE YES, YOU'RE CLEARING OUT THE WATER, BUT YOU COULD BE DOING IT AFTER THE DETRIMENT OF THE NATIVE SPECIES THAT ARE OCCURRING.

AND ARE THE NATIVE MUSSEL HERE EDIBLE? TECHNICALLY, I MEAN, HISTORICALLY THEY HAVE SERVED KIND OF AS A PROTEIN SUPPLEMENT TO, TO NATIVE POPULATIONS.

UM, BUT IT WAS NEVER MY UNDERSTANDING THAT IT WAS A PRIMARY FOOD SOURCE.

IT WAS KIND OF A, IF YOU NEEDED TO EAT SOMETHING, YOU COULD DO IT.

UM, THERE ARE STORIES FROM, UH, THE CIVIL WAR WHERE I, I WANNA SAY SOUTHERN ARMIES WERE BASICALLY RUNNING LOW ON FOODS.

THEY WOULD GO TO THE RIVERS AND PULL OUT MUSS AND DESCRIBE IT AS THEIR STOMACHS IS, UH, HAVING LIKE FOUR MILLSTONES IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS THE NIGHT AFTER.

I MEAN, IT'S, IT IS, YOU CAN DO IT IF YOU HAVE TO, BUT IF YOU START THINKING ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE, UH, THEY FILTER EVERYTHING OUT OF THE WATER AND THEY DON'T NECESSARILY PROCESS EVERYTHING.

SO THEY, IF THEY PULL OUT HEAVY METALS, THEY MIGHT NOT NECESSARILY DISPEL IT.

THEY COULD JUST SEQUESTER IT IN THEIR BODY AND JUST BASICALLY ENCAPSULATE IT AND JUST HOLD ONTO IT AND THEY DON'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT IT.

SO YOU POTENTIALLY COULD BE RUNNING INTO HEALTH ISSUES FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, NOT THAT DISSIMILAR FROM WHAT YOU RUN INTO WHERE YOU HAVE, UH, HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS NOTING PARTICULAR LIKE OYSTER BEDS THAT ARE GOOD FOR, FOR, UH, GOOD FOR HARVEST AND ONES THAT AREN'T BASED OFF OF THE BACTERIA THAT ARE PRESENT AND THAT KIND OF THING.

SO TECHNICALLY, YEAH, BUT I WOULDN'T DO IT.

I ASK ONLY BECAUSE, UH, UP IN NEW ENGLAND, YOU KNOW, YOU EAT MUSCLES AND OYSTERS AND ALL THIS STUFF ALL THE TIME AND, AND YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND THERE ARE BACTERIAL PROBLEMS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE WILLING TO STOMACH A RAW OYSTER, YOU KNOW, OR WHATEVER YOU, YOU CAN DO THAT, UH, DID THERE, BUT I'M JUST CURIOUS ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT I CAN RUN DOWN TO MY NEAREST CREEK AND, UH, HARVEST ALL THE, UH, NATIVES I CAN FIND.

AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I HAVE A OYSTER ROAST IN THE BACKYARD.

WELL, I, I WOULD SAY FROM A PURELY PHYSICAL STANDPOINT, YOU COULD DO IT, BUT THEN YOU'D START RUNNING INTO TPWD REGULATIONS AS FAR AS GOING AND HARVESTING A BUNCH OF MUSCLES AS WELL.

WELL, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, NEXT TIME I RUN INTO ONE OF THOSE GUYS, I'LL KEEP QUIET, BUT THANKS.

APPRECIATE IT.

ALRIGHT, CHAIR FER, NO QUESTIONS.

I JUST, I APPRECIATE ACTUALLY UNDERSTANDING THE, UM, BENEFITS BEYOND BIOFILTRATION.

SO THANK YOU FOR GOING INTO THAT.

COOL.

JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATIVE PRESENTATION.

UM, I DON'T HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, BUT I WANT A SHIRT THAT SAYS SAVE THE FAT MUCK.

I ACTUALLY HAVE A, A QUESTION.

UH, ARE WE NOW ALLOWED TO, UH, INSTEAD OF THE BIRDS AND BEES, SAY THE MU AND THE FISH? IS THAT THAT A THING? IT'S A LITTLE MORE COMPLICATED.

THE, THE MUSCLES ARE NOT BREEDING WITH THE FISH .

WELL, I DON'T THINK THE BIRDS ARE BE BIRDS ARE BREEDING WITH THE BEES.

YEAH, SURE.

IF THAT, IF IT MAKES YOU HAPPY, YOU CAN GO FOR IT.

UP WE HAVE BRIEFING ON OCCURRENCE, UH, DISTRIBUTION AND PROTECTED STATUS OF AUSTIN AREA FRESHWATER MUSSELS, BIANCA PER PEREZ.

UH, I JUST LEFT MY, OKAY.

UH, NEXT

[5. Presentation on Occurrence, Distribution, and Protected Status of Austin-Area Freshwater Mussels – Bianca Perez, Environmental Scientist, Watershed Protection Department]

[03:20:06]

HELLO.

THANK YOU FOR STICKING WITH ME FOR THIS LATE NIGHT.

UM, I AM BIANCA PEREZ AND I'M AN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENT.

AND TODAY I'LL BE GIVING A BRIEFING ON THE OCCURRENCE DISTRIBUTION AND PROTECTED STATUS OF AUSTIN AREA FRESHWATER MUSSELS.

I ALSO WANNA MENTION THAT THIS WAS A HUGELY COLLABORATIVE E EFFORT ACROSS WATERSHED PROTECTION, WHERE WE HAD MANY VOLUNTEERS AND PEOPLE WHO, OR MANY STAFF WHO WERE WORKING TO DO THIS ARDUOUS FIELD WORK IN REALLY HOT, REALLY MUDDY, REALLY BUGGY CONDITIONS.

SO IT WAS REALLY A GROUP EFFORT TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS KIND OF SURVEY ON THIS KIND OF SCALE.

UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO JUST TO REITERATE A BRIEF INTRODUCTION ON THE IMPORTANCE OF FRESHWATER MUSSELS.

THEY PROVIDE MANY ECOSYSTEM SERVICES TO US AS PEOPLE, AS WELL AS THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT.

WE SEE IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER QUALITY AS FRESHWATER MUSSELS FILTER BOTH THE SURFACE WATER AND THE INTERSTITIAL SPACES BETWEEN SEDIMENT.

THEY CAN ALSO PROVIDE STRUCTURAL HABITAT FOR OTHER ORGANISMS, BOTH WHILE THEY'RE ALIVE AND AFTER THEY HAVE PASSED.

WHEN WE HAVE OUR RELIC SHELLS STILL IN OUR HABITAT IN OUR ENVIRONMENT, THEY CAN ALSO PROVIDE NUTRIENT RECYCLING AND STORAGE WHERE THEY, UM, REMOVE THESE NUTRIENTS FROM THE WATER COLUMN AND INTEGRATE THIS INTO THEIR, UH, INTO THEIR OWN BODIES THAT WILL EVENTUALLY BE RELEASED AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN PASSED ON.

AND FRESHWATER MUSSELS CAN ALSO BE CONSIDERED SENTINEL SPECIES, MEANING THAT IF WE SEE DIVERSE, ROBUST POPULATIONS OF FRESHWATER MUSSELS IN OUR ENVIRONMENT, THIS MAY BE INDICATIVE OF HIGHER BIOTIC INTEGRITY AND ECOLOGICAL RESILIENCE.

UNFORTUNATELY, MANY OF THESE ECOSYSTEM SERVICES ARE LIKELY REDUCED DUE TO DECLINING POPULATIONS OF DISTRIBUTIONS AND ABUNDANCE ACROSS THE UNITED STATES.

AND THIS COULD ALSO BE HAPPENING HERE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.

SO SOME OF THE MAIN FACTORS THAT ARE, UM, CAUSING THESE DECLINES OF FRESHWATER MUSSELS INCLUDE HABITAT DEGRADATION, WHERE WHEN WE SEE IN THESE, UM, HIGHLY URBANIZED ENVIRONMENTS, WE HAVE INCREASES OF IMPERVIOUS COVER, WHICH REDIRECTS RAINFALL, UM, VERY SWIFTLY AND IN HIGH VOLUMES TO OUR ADJACENT CREEKS AND STREAMS. AND WHEN THIS HAPPENS, IT CAN ALSO PICK UP, UM, ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION THAT IS IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND REMOVE THE, AND, UH, MOVE IT FROM OUR TERRESTRIAL ENVIRONMENT INTO OUR AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT.

UM, WE ALSO SEE A LOT OF FLOW MANAGEMENT, UM, IN OUR AQUATIC SYSTEMS, ESPECIALLY HERE IN CENTRAL TEXAS, WHERE WE HAVE OUR CHAIN OF HIGHLAND LAKES, WHICH IS SEVEN DAMS AND ASSOCIATED RESERVOIRS, UM, THAT HAVE NOW MODIFIED THE COLORADO RIVER INTO MORE OF AN IMPOUNDED, UM, ECOSYSTEM.

UM, WE ALSO HAVE NUMEROUS, UH, OR AT LEAST TWO DIFFERENT INVASIVE SPECIES OF FRESHWATER MUSSELS THAT ARE KNOWN HERE IN THE AUSTIN AREA.

THOSE WOULD BE THE ZEBRA MUSSELS AND THE ASIAN CLAMS. UM, ALTHOUGH THE ZEBRA MUSSEL TEND TO GET A LOT MORE ATTENTION AND HAVE HAD SOME NEGATIVE, UH, CAN HAVE NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON OUR NATIVE FRESHWATER MUSSEL POPULATION, AS WELL AS, UH, NUMEROUS OTHER, UM, ISSUES.

SO, UM, TODAY I'M GONNA BE DESCRIBING A RESEARCH PROJECT THAT WAS DONE IN 2018 BY WATERSHED PROTECTION.

AND OUR MAIN OBJECTIVES OF THIS RESEARCH PROJECT WAS TO DOCUMENT THE SPECIES OF FRESHWATER MUSSELS THAT ARE EITHER PRESENT OR ABSENT HERE IN AUSTIN, WE DIDN'T REALLY HAVE A GREAT UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT SPECIES ARE OCCURRING IN OUR CITY.

UM, WE ALSO DIDN'T REALLY KNOW THE ABUNDANCE, HOW MANY INDIVIDUALS WE WERE SEEING ACROSS OUR CITY.

UM, AND THEN THE SITE CHARACTERISTICS WHERE WE SEE FRESHWATER MUS, WHAT IS ALLOWING THESE ORGANISMS TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE IN THAT ENVIRONMENT.

UM, AND TO MEASURE THIS, UM, ACROSS THE DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHIC AREAS, WE USE DI UM, DIVERSITY INDICES THAT MEASURE DIVERSITY, EVENNESS AND DOMINANCE, UM, BETWEEN WATERSHEDS BECAUSE AS YOU'LL SEE IN THE NEXT SLIDE, WE COVERED A PRETTY LARGE GEOGRAPHIC AREA.

RANDOM SAMPLING, WHICH IS JUST A FANCY WORD TO SAY THAT IF YOU LOOK UP AT THE LEGEND, WE BROKE THESE, UM, STREAMS AND TRIBUTARIES INTO HEADWATERS, WHICH IS KIND OF WHERE THESE STREAMS AND CREEKS ORIGINATE DOWN TO THE MID, MID REACHES, WHICH TEND TO, UM, GET A LITTLE BIT LARGER.

SO, UM, TO OUR RIGHT YOU'LL SEE, UM, SOME OF THE STREAMS, CREEKS, AND TRIBUTARIES THAT WERE SELECTED FOR SURVEY IN THIS RESEARCH PROJECT.

MOST OF THESE OCCUR ON THE EASTERN SIDE OF TOWN, AND SPECIFICALLY THE TRIBUTARIES THAT WERE SELECTED WERE TRIBUTARIES THAT LEAD TO THE COLORADO RIVER.

UM, AND THEY ARE DOWNSTREAM OF THE LONGHORN DAM.

SO IN THE CENTER OF THE PHOTO, YOU CAN SEE IN BLACK AND WHITE, THE LONGHORN DAM IS, UM, IS POINTED OUT WITH A VERTICAL BLACK BAR.

AND BELOW THAT THE COLORADO RIVER GENERALLY, UM, RUNS FREELY DOWN TO THE, UM, THE GULF OF MEXICO.

UM, AND THAT, UM, AND THAT BECAUSE OF THAT WE ESTIMATED THAT THERE'S LESS IMPOUNDMENT, UH, LESS LIMITATION OF FISH MOBILITY THROUGH THE SYSTEM.

UM, AND SPECIFICALLY WE TARGETED 21 WATERSHEDS FOR SAMPLING.

UM, AND BECAUSE OF THE VARIOUS SIZES OF THESE WATERSHEDS, SOME MEASURING AROUND 640 ACRES, UP TO 220,000 ACRES OF SURFACE AREA LEADING TO THESE TRIBUTARIES, WE CONDUCTED STRATIFIED

[03:25:01]

AND THEN WE HAVE OUR LOWER REACHES, WHICH ARE, UH, DENOTED IN DARK BLUE.

SO, UM, LIGHT BLUE TO THE MIDDLE, BLUE TO THE DARK BLUE IS THE, UM, IS THE DIFFERENT, UH, SAMPLING AREAS.

SO FOR FIELD STUDIES, UM, THESE WERE CONDUCTED, UM, WITH A HUGE EFFORT FOR LI FROM LIZ JOHNSON, WHO IS STILL WITH CITY OF AUSTIN, SUMMER LEE SWARM, WHO IS NOW WITH US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, ASHLEY SEAGROVE DRUPAL, WHO IS ALSO WITH US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, AND MANY OTHER INDIVIDUALS ACROSS WATERSHED PROTECTION.

UM, GOING TO 89 DIFFERENT SITES ACROSS EAST AUSTIN.

UM, SO THIS SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED FROM JUNE THROUGH NOVEMBER OF 2018 AND 89 SITES WERE VISITED FOR SURVEYS.

AND ONCE YOU GET TO A SITE, UM, DEPENDING ON WATER CLARITY, IF THE WATER IS CLEAR ENOUGH THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO DO A VISUAL SURVEY, YOU CAN VISUALLY LOOK TO SEE IF THERE ARE ANY FRESHWATER MUSSELS EMBEDDED IN THE STREAM, IN THE STREAM, IN THE STREAM BED.

YOU CAN ALSO DO TACTILE SURVEYS IF THESE CREEKS ARE A LITTLE BIT MORE CLOUDY AND MUDDY AND YOU CAN'T REALLY SEE THROUGH THEM, UM, YOU ESSENTIALLY JUST RUN YOUR HANDS ON, UM, THE SUBSTRATE.

AND THEN IF YOU HAVE A LARGE ENOUGH FRESHWATER MUSSEL, YOU CAN GENERALLY TELL WHAT YOU'RE FINDING.

YOU GRAB IT, YOU PULL IT UP, UM, AND THEN YOU CAN IDENTIFY IT, UM, TO SPECIES.

UM, SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO SAY THAT BOTH LIVE INDIVIDUALS THAT WERE IN THE STREAM WERE COLLECTED AS WELL AS RELIC SHELLS.

ANYTHING THAT WAS IN THE SURVEY AREA WAS COLLECTED FOR DATA PURPOSES.

UM, AND AT THE SAME TIME WHILE THEY WERE AT THESE SITES, THEY COLLECTED, UM, SITE INFORMATION AND INSTREAM DATA.

AND I WILL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THOSE, UM, IN THE, IN THE COMING SLIDES.

SO ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS WE WANTED TO, UH, QUANTIFY WHEN VISITING THESE SITES WAS WHETHER OR NOT THEY ACTUALLY HAD WATER AVAILABLE AT THE SITES AND WHAT THE FLOW CONDITIONS WERE.

UM, SO APPROXIMATELY 20% OF THE SITES THAT WERE VISITED, 20, SORRY, 25% OF THE SITES THAT WERE VISITED WERE DRY, MEANING THERE WERE, THERE WAS NO WATER THERE PRESENT.

SO THEREFORE WE DID NOT BELIEVE THAT FRESHWATER MUSSELS WOULD BE ABLE TO SUR TO SURVIVE IN THOSE CONDITIONS FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME.

UM, AND ANOTHER 20% OF SITES HAD NO FLOW.

AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO DISTINGUISH THAT THAT MEANS THAT THERE WAS WATER PRESENT AT THE SITE.

THE WATER WAS JUST NOT MOVING.

UM, WE HAD A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF SITES THAT WERE LOW FLOW, MEANING LOWER THAN EXPECTED FLOW CONDITIONS.

ABOUT 50% OF THE SITES WERE NORMAL FLOW MEANING IT'S ABOUT WHAT YOU HAD EXPECTED FOR THAT, FOR THAT CREEK IN THAT, UM, IN THAT TIME OF YEAR.

UM, AND A FEW SITES DID HAVE, UH, HIGHER THAN EXPECTED FLOW, UM, CONDITIONS WHICH ARE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH RAIN EVENTS.

AND THEN, UH, FLOODING CONDITIONS ARE HIGHER FLOW CONDITIONS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH RAIN EVENTS.

BUT I WILL SAY, UM, THAT THE TEAM TRIED TO AVOID SAMPLING DURING THOSE CONDITIONS, UM, FOR SAFETY AND OTHER REASONS AS WELL.

SO AT THESE SITES, UM, WE COLLECTED ENVIRONMENTAL PARAMETERS OF THE WATER THAT THESE ORGANISMS ARE LIVING IN.

SO SOME OF THESE BASIC PARAMETERS INCLUDE PH, WATER TEMPERATURE, DISSOLVED OXYGEN AND CONDUCTIVITY.

UM, AND MOST OF THESE PARAMETERS ARE NORMALLY DISTRIBUTED IN WHAT WE WOULD EXPECT.

SO PH IS, UM, GENERALLY ABOVE SEVEN.

UM, GENERALLY ABOVE SEVEN, THOUGH WE DID HAVE AN INSTANCE OF A HIGHER ELEVATED PH AROUND NINE.

UM, WATER TEMPERATURE IS RANGES, UM, RANGES FROM ABOUT 19 DEGREES C UP, UM, ABOVE 25 DEGREES C AND DISSOLVED OXYGEN.

WE ALSO DO SEE SOME LOW, UM, SOME LOW CONCENTRATIONS OF THE DISSOLVED OXYGEN.

WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING FOR, UM, IDEAL CONCENTRATIONS OF DISSOLVED OXYGEN FOR BIOLOGICAL ORGANISMS, YOU'RE PROBABLY LOOKING FOR ABOUT FIVE, UH, MILLIGRAMS PER LITER PARTS PER MILLION.

UM, AND BELOW THAT YOU START TO GET, UM, IS THERE LESS THAN IDEAL CONDITIONS.

UM, AND SO THE GENERALLY AROUND FIVE IS IDEAL.

UM, AND FOR THE CONDUCTIVITY, UH, IT WAS ESSENTIALLY NORMALLY DISTRIBUTED, BUT WE DID HAVE SOME HIGH CONDUCTIVITY EVENTS AND LOOKING INTO THOSE THAT ARE POINTED OUT IN RED, UM, THOSE EVENTS MAY BE JUST ASSOCIATED WITH ILLICIT DUMPING WHEN WE KIND OF DUG INTO THE DATA AND THE LOCATIONS A LITTLE BIT MORE.

SO THOSE ARE LIKELY ANTHROPOGENICALLY CAUSED.

A NUMBER OF COMMON SPECIES WHICH INCLUDE A THREE BRIDGE LIKE ADA.

SO WHAT DID WE FIND ACROSS ALL OF THESE SURVEY SITES? SO 13 SPECIES OF FRESHWATER WERE FOUND IN THIS STUDY.

IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT NOT ALL OF THESE SPECIES WERE FOUND, UM, LIVING DURING THIS STUDY, BUT WE DID HAVE, UM, WE DID HAVE

[03:30:01]

WE ALSO HAVE ANOTHER COAL NAME, THE, UH, MAP THE MAPLE LEAF, WHICH IS QUADA QUADA CLOSER TO THE CENTER OF THE SCREEN.

UM, WE ALSO HAVE, UH, SOME FUN NAMES OF YELLOW SAND SHELL, WHICH IS TERRIES UP ON THE TOP RIGHT.

AND I DO WANNA POINT OUT THAT SOME SPECIES OF FRESHWATER MUSSELS DO, UH, DISPLAY SEXUAL DIMORPHISM, WHICH IS WHERE THE MALE AND THE FEMALE, UM, OF THAT SPECIES APPEAR SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT.

IN GENERAL, THE FEMALE TENDS TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE BLUNTED AND TRUNCATED, UM, ON, UH, ONE OF THE ENDS OF THE, OF THE MUSCLES.

UM, AND THIS IS ALSO THE CASE WITH, UH, ILS BRATA, WHICH WE, UH, NOW KNOW IS A ENDANGERED FRESHWATER MUSSEL.

SO WE DID FIND LE ONE INDIVIDUAL OF ILS BRATA IN THIS STUDY.

UM, AND THESE, UM, AND UH, UH, AND THIS IS JUST A GOOD REPRESENTATION OF THE VARIETY OF MORPHOLOGIES THAT WE SEE IN FRESHWATER MUSS ACROSS THE CITY.

SO WHEN WE REALLY GET INTO THE NUMBERS OF THESE MUSSELS, UM, WE HAD MUSSELS FOUND AT SIX AT, UM, NOT 66 SITES, BUT 66 SITES WERE SURVEYED, AND WE HAD 13 SPECIES OF MUSCLE FOUND.

AND IN TOTAL WE HAD 535 INDIVIDUALS.

BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO, TO REMEMBER THAT NOT ALL OF THESE INDIVIDUALS WERE ALIVE.

SO ABOUT 50% OF THE INDIVIDUALS ACROSS THE ENTIRE STUDY WERE LIVE INDIVIDUALS.

AND APPROXIMATELY 50% OF THE INDIVIDUALS WERE RELIC SHELLS, MEANING THAT THEY'RE NO LONGER ALIVE.

AND THESE SHELLS, YOU CAN ALSO KIND OF AGE THEM IN A GENERAL, UM, INTO GENERAL CATEGORIES, UM, FROM MORE RECENTLY DYED INDIVIDUALS, UM, AND ALL THE WAY UP TO LIKE A SUB FOSSIL.

BUT WE CAN ALSO SEE THAT THERE ARE LARGE VARIATIONS IN THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE FOUND BY SPECIES.

SO THE, THE NEXT PHOTO THAT I'M GONNA, THE NEXT GRAPH THAT I'M GONNA SHOW Y'ALL IS GOING TO BREAK UP THESE SPECIES INTO THE SPECIES THAT HAVE HIGH COUNTS, WHERE WE HAVE A HIGH NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS FROM THOSE.

AND THEN WE'LL LOOK AT THE SPECIES THAT HAD, UH, LOW AMOUNTS OF INDIVIDUALS FOUND.

SO JUST FIVE SPECIES ACCOUNTED FOR 92% OF ALL THE INDIVIDUALS FOUND.

SO WE'RE SEEING HIGH NUMBERS OF JUST A FEW NUM, JUST A FEW SPECIES ACROSS THE SURVEY.

UM, SO THIS, THE INDIVIDUALS THAT WE, SORRY, THE INDIVIDUAL SPECIES THAT WERE FOUND MOST COMMONLY INCLUDE PHYLLIS TES AL GRANDIS, TOX LAMA, TEXAS SCENTS, UNIM TESUS, AND UTTER BAUS IN BACILLUS.

AND WHEN WE LOOK AT THE PROPORTIONS OF LIVE INDIVIDUALS, WHICH ARE DENOTED IN THE GREEN AND RELIC SHELLS, WHICH ARE DECEASED INDIVIDUALS, UM, IN THE ORANGE WE'RE SEEING THAT THERE'S GENERALLY A HIGHER PROPORTION OF LIVE INDIVIDUALS AND THEN SOME EVIDENCE OF RELIC INDIVIDUALS IN THIS SURVEY.

UM, AND THEN THE MOST, UH, MOST THE HIGHEST COUNT OF INDIVIDUALS THAT WE FOUND WAS FOR, UH, TOX PLASMA TEXAS SENSE.

AND WE FOUND AROUND 150 INDIVIDUALS OF THAT SPECIES ACROSS THE VARIOUS SITES.

UM, SO THAT'S AN IMPORTANT SCALE TO KEEP IN MIND.

UM, SO LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.

AND SO THE REMAINDER OF THE EIGHT SPECIES THAT WERE FOUND IN THE STUDY, UM, AT THE MOST WE FOUND JUST OVER 15 INDIVIDUALS.

SO A ENTIRE ORDER OF MAGNITUDE SMALLER THAN OUR PREVIOUS SPECIES.

UM, SO ACROSS THESE EIGHT SPECIES, SOME OF THEM WERE ONLY REPRESENTATIVE, UH, REPRESENTED BY SHELLS, MEANING WE DID NOT FIND ANY LIVE INDIVIDUALS OF THESE, INCLUDING EMLI, PLATAS, UH, CYCLIC OSA.

WE'RE ALSO SEEING A IZED AMP, PICOS AND ER DECLA.

SO BASICALLY WE'RE SEEING SIGNS THAT THESE INDIVIDUAL, THESE INDIVIDUAL SPECIES HAVE OCCURRED IN THIS AREA, BUT WE DID NOT FIND ANY LIVE ONES.

SO WE WOULD LIKELY WANT TO CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR THESE INDIVID, THESE INDIVIDUAL SPECIES IN FUTURE, UH, IN FUTURE SURVEYS.

UM, AND THEN IN THE MIDDLE WE DO HAVE A LITTLE STAR FOR OUR ENDANGERED SPECIES, OUR LANDFILLS, BRE ADA, WHERE WE FOUND A LIVE INDIVIDUAL.

UM, AND WE, I ALSO WANNA POINT OUT THAT OF THESE SPECIES THAT ARE, WE ARE FINDING LESS FREQUENTLY, UM, WE'RE SEEING A HIGHER PROPORTION OF RELIC SHELLS IN, IN CONTRAST TO THE LIVE INDIVIDUALS.

SO THIS MAY ALSO BE SOME CAUSE FOR CONCERN, BUT THERE'S PROBABLY A, A, YOU KNOW, NUMEROUS EXPLANATIONS FOR THIS.

UM, SO THOSE ARE LISTED OUT ON THE LEFT AND RIGHT HAND, UH, PANEL OF THE SCREEN.

SO WHERE GEOGRAPHICALLY ACROSS THIS VERY LARGE SURVEY AREA, DID WE FIND THESE ORGANISMS? UM, WE FOUND THEM, WE FOUND LIVE, INDIVIDUAL LIVE MUSSELS IN 12 OUT OF THE 21 WATERSHED SURVEYED.

[03:35:01]

AND ANYWHERE WHERE YOU SEE A CIRCLE IS WHERE WE DID FIND LIVE INDIVIDUALS.

UM, AND THEN DEPENDING ON THE COLOR OF THE CIRCLE IS RELATED TO THE NUMBER OF SPECIES THAT WERE FOUND AT THAT GIVEN LOCATION, WHERE DARKER COLORS INDICATE MORE SPECIES FOUND AT THAT LOCATION.

UM, AND A LARGER CIRCLE INDICATES A HIGHER NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS OF MU THAT WERE FOUND AT THAT SITE.

UM, SO THERE ARE A LOT OF VARIATIONS IN THE NUMBER OF SPECIES AND THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS THAT WERE FOUND ACROSS SITES.

AND MANY SITES WE DID NOT FIND ANY LIVE INDIVIDUALS, AND THOSE ARE DENOTED IN A GREEN TRIANGLE.

SO WE WANTED TO BE ABLE TO COMPARE, UM, NOT JUST THE ABSOLUTE VALUE OF NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS THAT WE FOUND, UM, ACROSS SITES, BECAUSE THESE SITES DID, UM, WE DID HAVE A VARYING NUMBER OF SITES IN EACH, IN DIFFERENT WATERSHEDS, AS WELL AS DIFFERENT SITES OF THOSE SITES ACROSS THESE WATERSHEDS.

UM, SO WE WANTED TO COMPARE THE RELATIVE DENSITY.

SO HOW MANY INDIVIDUALS WOULD YOU FIND IF YOU SEARCHED, FOR EXAMPLE, A SQUARE FOOT OF AREA? SO THESE ARE NUMBERS ARE ALL PRETTY SMALL, UM, ACROSS MOST OF THESE WATERSHEDS, WHICH IS GENERALLY TELLING US THAT WE ARE HAVING LOW DENSITIES OF FRESHWATER MUSSELS AT THE LOCATIONS THAT WE SURVEYED.

UM, AGAIN, ACROSS 21 WATERSHEDS.

IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO CONCEPTUALIZE THAT A LOT OF TIMES WHEN WE SEE THESE RELATIVE DENSITIES, THEY'RE GENERALLY IN A SLIGHTLY LARGER AREA.

THEY USUALLY MEASURE THESE IN, UH, METERS, METERS SQUARED.

BUT, UH, IN THIS, UM, EXAMPLE, WE'RE USING, UH, FEET SQUARED, UM, DUE TO THE MEASUREMENTS THAT WERE TAKEN IN THIS STUDY.

AND WE'RE ALSO SEEING THAT MANY OF THE WATERSHEDS WE'VE GOT, UH, WILLIAMSON CREEK, WALNUT WILLIAMSON, WALNUT, SOUTH FORK, E, SOUTH FORK, DRY EAST, SOUTH BOGGY, UM, LOCKWOOD HARRIS BRANCH, DRY, DRY, NORTHEAST, AND BEAR ALL OF THOSE WATERSHEDS.

WE DID NOT FIND ANY LIVE INDIVIDUALS.

SO I JUST WANNA HIGHLIGHT THE POINT THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF LOCATIONS WHERE WE'RE JUST NOT SEEING THESE BEING ABLE TO SURVIVE.

UM, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THEY'RE NECESSARILY NOT THERE AT ALL, IT'S JUST THAT WE DID NOT FIND THEM WHEN WE WERE IN THE LOCATIONS THAT WE WERE LOOKING.

UM, AND THEN AGAIN, TO GET BACK TO THESE, UM, THAT IF WE CONSIDER, UH, THE DENSITY, THE VARIATIONS OF DENSITY, YOU KNOW, THESE, THERE'S JUST A NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS THAT YOU FIND IN AN AREA, BUT IT'S NOT REALLY TELLING YOU ABOUT THE HEALTH OF THE POPULATION.

AND WHEN YOU WANNA LOOK AT THINGS LIKE THAT, WE, AS YOU KNOW, BIOLOGISTS LOOK TO INDICATORS LIKE THE DIVERSITY, MEANING THE NUMBER OF SPECIES THAT WE ARE FINDING AT A LOCATION, THE EVENNESS, WHICH TALKS ABOUT THE, THE RELATIVE NUMBERS OF INDIVIDUALS FROM EACH SPECIES THAT WE ARE FINDING, AND THE DOMINANCE, UM, INDICES, WHICH IS RELATED TO THE MOST ABUNDANCE SPECIES.

SO THE WHATEVER SPECIES YOU FOUND THE MOST OF AT THAT SITE, YOU KNOW, WHAT PROPORTION OF THE INDIVIDUALS THAT YOU FOUND WERE, UM, WERE FROM THAT SPECIES.

SO WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH THOSE.

UM, THREE REAL QUICK, NEXT SLIDE.

SO FOR THE DIVERSITY INDICES, UM, WE'RE SEEING LOW DIVERSITY ACROSS MANY OF OUR WATERSHEDS.

AND IF YOU SEE THAT ARROW TO THE LEFT, UM, A LOT OF THIS IS BECAUSE THE NUMBER OF SPECIES THAT WE'RE FINDING IS VERY LOW.

IT'S OFTEN ONE SPECIES FOR IN AN ENTIRE WATERSHED, TWO AND OCCASIONALLY THREE, BUT THESE IS STILL VERY LOW COMPARED TO IF YOU CONSIDER THE COLORADO RIVER BASIN WHERE THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED, YOU CAN FIND 23 SPECIES OF FRESHWATER MUSSELS IN THAT BASIN.

UM, SO FINDING ONE OR TWO OR THREE IS, UH, PRETTY LOW.

UM, AND FOR EVENNESS, WE'RE ALSO SEEING, UH, A LOW EVENNESS OF SPECIES ABUNDANCE WITHIN A COMMUNITY, MEANING THAT THERE IS OFTEN AN IMBALANCE BETWEEN THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS FROM ONE SPECIES AND THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS FROM ANOTHER SPECIES.

UM, SO THAT'S JUST KIND OF REALLY ALSO DISPLAYED WITH THE EVENNESS INDEX.

NEXT SLIDE AND THE DOMINANCE, UM, INDEX IS, UM, LIKE I SAID, WHAT PROPORTION OF INDIVIDUALS, UM, AT THAT, SORRY, AT THE WATERSHED LEVEL, WERE FOUND, UM, FROM THE MOST DOMINANT SPECIES.

SO WE'RE SEEING VERY HIGH NUMBERS, WHICH IS NOT A GOOD THING.

WE'RE SEEING, UH, A HUNDRED PERCENT OF INDIVIDUALS ARE FROM ONE SPECIES, 75% WERE FROM ONE SPECIES, 76.

UM, SO AGAIN, THESE ARE NOT VERY DIVERSE, UH, DIVERSE POPULATIONS THAT WE'RE SEEING.

AND THEN JUST TO, UM, UNDERSCORE, UM, EACH OF THESE VALUES, RED IS NOT VERY GOOD.

WE HAVE, UM, GREEN IS A LITTLE BIT BETTER RELATIVE TO, UM, EACH

[03:40:01]

OTHER.

UM, SO EVEN IF WE WERE TO CONSIDER, UH, YOU KNOW, DENSITY IS ONE METRIC, BUT LET'S LOOK AT OTHER ATTRIBUTES OF LIKE THE NUMBER OF SPECIES AND THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS FOR THOSE.

SO THIS JUST KIND OF GIVES US ANOTHER PICTURE OF THE HEALTH OF THESE POPULATIONS TO CONSIDER.

SO I WANNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE, THE 92%, THOSE FIVE SPECIES THAT WE FOUND THAT WERE VERY COMMON.

AND WHEN WE LOOK AT THE LIFE HISTORY TRAITS, THE, THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THESE SPECIES, WE'RE FINDING THAT A LOT OF THESE SPECIES ARE REALLY FAST GROWING.

THEY HAVE SHORT LIFESPANS.

THEY LIVE BETWEEN FIVE AND 13 YEARS.

THEY'RE ABLE TO PERSIST IN HIGHLY DISTURBED ENVIRONMENT.

THEY ALSO HAVE A VERY, THEY ACHIEVE A VERY EARLY AGE OF SEXUAL MATURITY, USUALLY AROUND A YEAR TO TWO YEARS.

AND SOME OF THESE SPECIES HAVE A REALLY HIGH FEMINE.

THEY PRODUCE A LOT OF, UM, AT LEAST LET'S SAY GIA, WHICH ARE THE, UM, THE, THE, NOT, NOT QUITE THE JUVENILES.

THIS WAS BEFORE THEY ACTUALLY, UH, GET TO THE INFESTATION STAGE, UM, THE LARVAE.

THAT'S WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR.

UM, SO WE'RE SEEING THAT THESE ONES ARE THE ONES THAT ARE DOING, UM, WELL.

SO WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS THAT ARE SELECTING FOR THE SUCCESS OF THESE KIND OF SPECIES.

UM, SO WE DID FIND, UH, ONE OF THE TEXAS FAT MUCK, THE LAMP SATA, WHICH IS NEWLY LISTED AS ENDANGERED AS OF JUNE 3RD, 2024.

UM, AND THE CRITICAL HABITAT HAS BEEN DESIGNATED FOR THE SPECIES, UH, FOR LOWER ONION CREEK WITH, UM, FOR ONION CREEK, WHERE IT CONFLUENCES CONFLUENCES WITH THE COLORADO RIVER UPSTREAM TO I THE I 35, UM, HIGHWAY.

UM, SO IN CONCLUSION, WE ARE SEEING THE HIGHEST ABUNDANCE OF SPECIES THAT CAN PERSIST IN HIGHLY DISTURBED ENVIRONMENTS.

MANY OF OUR WATERSHEDS ARE DOMINATED BY A SINGLE SPECIES.

WE SEE INDICATIONS OF LOW DIVERSITY AND EVENNESS, AND WE DO HAVE EVIDENCE OF AT LEAST ONE ENDANGERED SPECIES OF FRESHWATER MUSSEL OCCURRING IN AUSTIN.

UM, AND OUR REPORT IS CURRENTLY UNDER FINAL REVIEWS FOR PUBLICATION AND WHEN, UM, THAT IS AVAILABLE, THE REPORT WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THE WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENT'S PUBLICATION SEARCH.

UM, AND IT WILL BE UNDER, UH, THE TITLE ABOVE.

IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE WORDY.

HEY BIANCA, APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION.

UM, LET'S OPEN IT UP TO QUESTIONS.

COMMISSIONER RESI.

UM, NO QUESTIONS, UH, BUT CLEARLY, UH, PEOPLE COMING HERE AND SETTLING HERE SCREWED OVER THE MUSCLES.

, SORRY, COMMISSIONER KRUGER.

HI, THANKS FOR BEING HERE.

UM, YEAH, WOW, WHAT A FASCINATING STUDY.

SUCH IMPORTANT WORK.

I'M SO GLAD WE HAVE THIS DATA AND WHAT A SOMBER STORY THAT IT TELLS.

UM, AND IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT YOU'RE HERE TELLING IT, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT.

UM, I'M CURIOUS, UM, IN ABOUT SOME OF THE METHODOLOGY, LIKE 89 SITES JUNE TO NOVEMBER, UM, HOW DID YOU ALL CHOOSE THAT TIME OF YEAR? I IMAGINE WATER FLOW CHANGES SOMEWHAT DURING THAT PERIOD, AND I'M ALSO WONDERING IF THAT TIME PERIOD HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE RATIO OF LIVE TO RELIC THAT WE'RE SEEING? SURE, YEAH.

CITY OF AUSTIN COLLECTS AND HOW YOU ALL PARTNER WITH RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS AND OTHER GROUPS.

UM, SO SUMMER IS A, A TYPICAL TIME TO BE ABLE TO SURVEY FOR FRESHWATER MUSSELS.

IN GENERAL, YOU WOULD WANT TO KIND OF AVOID THE WINTER TO FALL MONTHS AS DISTURBING FRESHWATER MUSSELS BY PULLING THEM OUT OF THE SUBSTRATE CAN CAUSE SOME AMOUNT OF STRESS TO THE INDIVIDUALS.

SO WHEN THEY HAVE LESS RESOURCES AVAILABLE AND THERE'S LESS HEAT IN THEIR ENVIRONMENT FROM AIR TEMPERATURES AND WATER TEMPERATURES, IT CAN STRESS THEM OUT A LITTLE BIT MORE DURING THE WINTER TIME.

SO, UM, WE ALSO SEE, UH, A VERTICAL, VERTICAL MIGRATION OF SOME SPECIES WHERE THEY WILL MOVE, UH, WITHIN THE SUBSTRATE, EITHER HIGHER UP TOWARDS THE SURFACE OF THE WATER OR LOWER DOWN, UH, FRESHWATER MUSSELS.

UM, SOME SPECIES TEND TO BE FOUND LOWER DOWN IN THE, DURING THE WINTER TIME.

SO IN THAT SENSE YOU WOULD BE LIKE LESS LIKELY TO BE ABLE TO FIND THEM DEPENDING ON THE METHODOLOGY THAT YOU USED, UM, TO SURVEY FOR THE MUSSELS.

UM, SO IN SUMMERTIME WE GENERALLY DO EXPECT THEM TO BE UP AT THE SURFACE FOR MULTIPLE REASONS, ONE OF THEM BEING REPRODUCTION.

UM, SO THAT IS, UM, A, A NUMBER OF REASONS TO BE ABLE TO SURVEY DURING, UH, THE SUMMERTIME.

COOL.

VERY COOL, THANK YOU.

UM, NEXT IS THIS DATA SET PUBLIC, AND I'M KIND OF CURIOUS GENERALLY ABOUT LIKE DATA THAT THE

[03:45:01]

UM, SO YEAH, WE, WE, WE HAVE A, A, A DATABASE THAT, UM, IS USED TO STORE ALL OF OUR DATA.

UM, IT'S NOT REALLY EASILY ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC, BUT IF YOU ASK FOR IT, WE'RE CERTAINLY HAPPY TO, TO PROVIDE IT TO YOU.

SO IT, IT IS PUBLIC INFORMATION, IT'S JUST NOT EASILY, UM, UH, PRESENTED ON A, IN A PUBLICLY AVAILABLE PLATFORM.

RIGHT, OKAY.

BUT LIKE A GRADUATE RESEARCHER AT UT COULD REQUEST THE DATA SET? ABSOLUTELY, YES.

THAT'S COOL.

YEAH, SO I COULD SEE A LOT OF INTERESTING RESEARCH COMING OUT OF THIS.

UM, AND THEN, SO THIS, YOU ALL DID THE DATA COLLECTION IN 2018, IS THIS KIND OF DATA COLLECTION OF, YOU KNOW, FRESHWATER MUSSELS, THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN AUSTIN? AND IF SO, LIKE DO WE HAVE PLANS FOR ANY KIND OF FOLLOW UP LONGITUDINAL TYPE RESEARCH TO COME OUT OF THIS? UM, I CAN TACKLE THAT AND BIANCA CAN MAYBE ANSWER THE, THE NEXT QUESTION, BUT, UM, SO THERE HAD BEEN SURVEYS DONE PREVIOUS, UM, THIS WAS THE MOST EXTENSIVE.

UM, THERE WERE A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT SURVEYS, UM, DURING LAKE DRAWDOWNS, FOR EXAMPLE.

SO WE'VE DONE, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR, FOR LAKE AUSTIN, WE, WE'VE KIND OF HAVE A PRETTY GOOD IDEA OF WHAT, UM, SPECIES EXIST IN LAKE AUSTIN.

UM, AND THERE HAD BEEN OTHER KIND OF, UM, LESS, UH, UM, LESS IN DEPTH STUDIES, BUT, SO I, I THINK THIS WAS A, AND THE DATE I WASN'T NECESSARILY KEPT IN AN EASILY UNDERSTOOD WAY, AND WE DIDN'T, YOU KNOW, UM, HAVE A GOOD, UH, UH, ABSENCE INFORMATION ABOUT LIKE, WHERE THEY DIDN'T SEE, UM, MUSCLES.

AND SO THIS WAS, UH, A WAY TO KIND OF LIKE JUST GET A REALLY GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE MUSSEL WERE AND HOW, UM, DENSE THEY, UH, DENSE DENSELY POPULATED THE SPECIES WERE.

UM, AND AS FAR THE FUTURE GOES, I'LL GIVE THAT TO BIANCA.

GOOD, THANK YOU.

UM, SO WE ARE INTERESTED IN PURSUING FUTURE RESEARCH STUDIES ON FRESHWATER MUSSELS.

WE'RE STILL IN TALKS ABOUT WHAT SPECIFICALLY THOSE WILL LOOK, LOOK LIKE.

UM, BUT WE ARE INTERESTED IN DOING, IN-PERSON TACTILE SURVEYS AS WELL AS POTENTIALLY INCORPORATING NEWER TECHNOLOGIES SUCH AS EDNA, UM, WHERE WE CAN USE A SAMPLE OF, UH, SURFACE WATER OR SEDIMENT, FOR EXAMPLE, AND BE ABLE TO TEST IF WE FIND ANY GENETIC EVIDENCE OF FRESHWATER MUSSELS IN THAT AREA FROM THAT SAMPLE.

MM-HMM, COOL.

YEAH, I'M SURE YOU ALL AGREE.

I THINK HAVING THE HISTORIC COMPARISON WOULD BE SO INTERESTING AND IMPORTANT.

AND IT SOUNDS LIKE THE DATA THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE ISN'T REALLY ALL THAT COMPARABLE TO, TO THIS DATA SET, SO IT'D BE HARD TO DRAW TRENDS OR WRITE A STORY THERE.

BUT I THINK THIS, THIS DATA SET IS A VERY GOOD BASELINE, AT LEAST IN THOSE WATERSHEDS FOR SURE.

SO FOR MOVING FORWARD, HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE ABLE TO, IF, IF, IF, IF WE DO SIMILAR STUDY, MAYBE WE'LL BE ABLE TO TELL.

YEAH, IT WAS A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A PATCHWORK FROM OTHER STUDIES WHERE WE FOUND OBSERVATIONS OF THE UNUNITED MUSSELS WHEN WE WERE LOOKING FOR LIKE BENTHIC MACRO INVERTEBRATES SEEING DURING OUR, UH, EII, UM, SITE ASSESSMENTS, UM, OCCASIONALLY FRESHWATER MUS WERE FOUND.

SO IT WAS KIND OF LIKE RANDOMLY WHAT IF WE FOUND THEM IN PREVIOUS OTHER STUDIES.

VERY, THANK YOU.

I'M GONNA MAKE A MOTION TO EXTEND THE TIME TO 10 20.

IT'S LIKE WE'RE CUTTING, CUTTING IT CLOSE SECOND.

HOPEFULLY WE DON'T ACTUALLY HIT IT.

I KNOW.

, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? RAISE YOUR HANDS.

ONE COMMENT, YOU'RE RUINING YOUR YOUR RUN AS BEING , BUT WE'LL LET YOU GO THIS WAY.

LET'S, THERE'S STILL MINUTES.

UH, COMMISSIONER SHIRA, NO QUESTIONS, BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION AND OBVIOUSLY YOUR HARD WORK AND DEDICATED TIME TO, UH, WHAT YOU DO.

COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN.

UM, YEAH, I MEAN I, IT'S VERY INTERESTING.

UH, IT'S, IT'S KIND OF A DISAPPOINTMENT THAT WE ONLY HAVE 6-YEAR-OLD DATA AND IT HASN'T BEEN UPDATED, SO I'M VERY ANXIOUS TO HAVE IT UPDATED.

WOULD IT MAKE SENSE FOR US TO PUT THIS ON A FUTURE AGENDA, TO PASS A MOTION TO SUPPORT MORE RESEARCH IN THIS AREA? I MEAN, I THINK THAT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT THE, THE DEPARTMENT IS INTERESTED IN PURSUING IT.

I MEAN, IT CERTAINLY COULDN'T HURT, BUT, UM, I, YOU KNOW, I DON'T, I WE WILL, WE WILL, UM, CONTINUE TO, TO, UM, STUDY MUSCLES, UM, AS BANDWIDTH ALLOWS, UH, INTO THE FUTURE ANYWAY.

AND I THINK JUST HAVING AN ENDANGERED SPECIES HERE ONLY PUNCTUATES THE, THE, THE NEED.

UM, WHILE THERE'S ONLY ONE ENDANGERED SPECIES THERE, UH, IN AUSTIN CURRENTLY, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT SOME OF THESE MORE COMMON ONES MIGHT BECOME LISTED IN THE FUTURE DEPENDING ON, UM, SITUATIONS.

SO, UM, YEAH.

I, I, I, WE, WE'LL, WE'LL CONTINUE TO, TO, UH, LOOK INTO THE RESEARCH AND, AND, AND, UM, DO

[03:50:01]

WHAT WE CAN.

COMMISSIONER PRIMER? YEAH.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR, UH, YOUR PRESENTATION.

I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS.

ONE IS THE, UH, MUSSEL THAT IS ENDANGERED, IS THAT THE ONLY SPECIES OR THE PREDOMINANT SPECIES IN THAT PARTICULAR CREEK? UH, SO THAT WOULD BE IN THE ONION CREEK WATERSHED, I BELIEVE.

AND, UM, SO ONION CREEK WATERSHED, I THINK WE HAD AT LEAST FOUR SPECIES OF FRESHWATER MUSSEL THAT WERE FOUND THERE POTENTIALLY MORE.

UM, I'D HAVE TO GO BACK AND CHECK THE DATA.

UM, SO THERE ARE MORE THAN JUST THE ENDANGERED SPECIES OCCURRING IN THAT WATERSHED.

AND IN THE OTHER WATERSHEDS YOU MENTIONED, I, I THOUGHT I HEARD YOU SAY THAT THERE IS PREDOMINANTLY A SINGLE SPECIES IN THAT WATERSHED.

IS THERE ANY PARTICULAR REASON WHY ONE SPECIES PREDOMINATES IN ONE WATERSHED AS OPPOSED TO A MORE EVEN BALANCE IN SPECIES? SURE, I WILL PROBABLY CLARIFY THAT.

UM, WE, IF WE WERE, IF WE SURVEYED THAT WATERSHED AND WE ONLY FOUND ONE SPECIES IN THIS STUDY, THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THAT OTHER SPECIES ARE NOT ALSO OCCURRING.

IT'S JUST THAT WE WERE UNABLE TO FIND THEM DURING THIS STUDY PROCESS.

UM, SO I DO WANNA CAVEAT THAT THERE COULD STILL POTENTIALLY BE OTHER SPECIES IN THE ENVIRONMENT.

UM, BUT I THINK THIS KIND OF GETS BACK TO THE QUESTION OF THE 92%.

SO WHAT IS THAT SPECIES SPECIFICALLY THAT IS ABLE TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE IN THAT ENVIRONMENT? AND THEN WE TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION, AGAIN, THOSE LIFE HISTORY CHARACTERISTICS.

IS IT BECAUSE IT CAN WITHSTAND THESE STRESSFUL ENVIRONMENTS BECAUSE IT IS FAST GROWING, SO THEY HAVE A QUICK REPRODUCTION TIME WHERE EVEN IF SOME INDIVIDUALS WERE DYING OFF, UM, AND INDIVIDUAL PATCHES, YOU MIGHT ALSO HAVE COLONIZATION FROM OTHER AREAS WHERE, UM, LET'S SAY YOU HAVE A MUSCLE BED THAT'S UPSTREAM DURING HIGH FLOW, UH, UPSTREAM IN A CREEK AND HIGH FLOW EVENTS, YOU MIGHT HAVE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE EITHER WASHED DOWN, UM, AND THEY CAN ALSO BE SPREAD BY, UM, DISPERSION WITH THEIR FRESH, UH, THEIR FISH HOST.

SO THERE'S A NUMBER OF REASONS THAT COULD LEAD TO THAT.

BUT, UM, TO BE HONEST, TO SPECIFICALLY LOOK INTO A, UH, A REASON OF WHY THAT'S HAPPENING IN A GIVEN WATERSHED, WE WOULD PROBABLY HAVE TO DO MORE EXTENSIVE STUDIES.

I JUST, I WAS JUST A LITTLE CURIOUS.

COOVER, UH, I JUST HAVE EMAILS ABOUT THE MAP, SO I'LL JUST EMAIL YOU , OR SORRY, QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MAP.

I'LL JUST EMAIL YOU.

OKAY, NO PROBLEM.

FOR THE PRESENTATION, UH, ONE THING I WAS KIND OF WONDERING, UM, ABOUT WAS THE, THE SAMPLE THAT YOU TOOK WHERE IT HAD LIKE ELEVATED PH, LIKE IT WAS, UH, MORE BASIC.

I WAS KIND OF CURIOUS IF Y'ALL DISCOVERED LIKE WHAT CAUSED THAT AT THAT AREA OR NOT? SO THAT ONE, I'M NOT SURE SPECIFICALLY, UM, WHAT LOCATION THAT WAS.

, BUT WE DO SEE VARIATIONS BOTH IN GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS.

WE CAN SEE VARIATIONS OF PH, UM, AS WELL AS THE TIME OF DAY THAT THE SAMPLE WAS TAKEN.

SO, MM-HMM, , UM, WE CAN SEE, UM, CHANGES OF PH LIKE FROM THE MORNING TO THE AFTERNOON TO THE EVENING.

THEY'RE PROBABLY NOT VERY LARGE JUMPS, BUT IT COULD BE, UM, A FACTOR OF THE TIME THAT THAT SPECIFIC, UM, DATA WAS COLLECTED.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONERS? NO.

WHAT WHAT THE HIGH CONDUCTIVITY, SO SPECIFICALLY, UM, THAT OCCURRED AT TWO SITES, AND THOSE TWO SITES WERE VERY LIKE ADJACENT TO EACH OTHER.

THEY WERE IN THE SAME CREEK.

THEY WERE, UM, GEOGRAPHICALLY LOCATED.

THEY WERE KIND OF ON THE OUTSKIRTS EDGES OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S AREA.

UM, SO WE'RE KIND OF GETTING INTO, UM, SOME LESS URBAN, SOME YEAH, LESS URBANIZED AREA, BUT THEY ALSO HAD VERY LOW FLOW, SO THERE WASN'T VERY MOVING WATER.

THERE WASN'T A LOT OF MOVING WATER.

UM, AND SO, UM, IT WAS ALSO LOCATED NEAR A LOW WATER CROSSING.

UM, SO BASICALLY WHEN WE STARTED TO LOOK INTO THE SITES, IT'S THE POTENTIAL FOR, UM, ANTHROPOGENIC, UM, POLLUTION ESSENTIALLY FOR SHORT WORD, UH, THAT MAY HAVE BEEN CAUSING THAT.

SO YOU, YOU COULD MAYBE LOOK AT THE DO AND THE CONDUCTIVITY AT THE SAME TIME AND SEE THAT THEY WERE RELATED, THAT KIND OF THING? YES.

SO WE USED THE, WHAT EVIDENCE WE DID HAVE, UM, FROM THAT SITE.

AGAIN, THIS WAS, YOU KNOW, ON, UH, A LONG TIME AGO WHEN THAT THAT SPECIFIC DATA POINT WAS COLLECTED.

SO IT WOULD BE A LITTLE BIT DIFFICULT TO SEE IF IT STILL HAD THAT ELEVATED CONDUCTIVITY, BUT THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY TO BE ABLE TO LOOK INTO THAT.

THANKS.

, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEARING WITH US AND THANK YOU FOR THE GREAT INFORMATION.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

UH, NEXT UP WE HAVE FEATURE AGENDA ITEMS. NO, NO ONE'S RAISING THEIR HANDS.

IT IS 10.

IT'S 10 ON THE DOT, GUYS.

BLESS ADJOURN.