[00:00:03]
[CALL TO ORDER ]
WITH OUR ONLINE PERSON, RIGHT? 1, 2, 3.UH, WE DO HAVE A COUPLE OF ERS THAT ARE RUNNING LATE, SO WE'LL GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED.
SO WELCOME TO THE SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2025, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION MEETING.
UH, WE ARE AT THE PERMITTING AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER ROOM 1405 AT 6 3 1 WILLAMINA DELCO DRIVE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
LET'S HAVE A ROLL CALL AND WE'LL START WITH, UH, ONLINE.
ISABELLA, I'M SORRY, COMMISSIONER.
UH, COMMISSIONER, CAN YOU HEAR US ONLINE AT ALL? YEAH, SORRY, YOU WERE MUTED, BUT NOW I CAN HEAR
UH, IF YOU JUST GO AHEAD AND SAY THAT YOU'RE PRESENT.
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
APPROVE EVERYBODY HAVE A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THE MINUTES FROM LAST MEETING? YES.I'LL MOVE APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE AUGUST 20TH MEETING.
EVERYBODY RAISE THEIR HAND IN FAVOR.
SO THAT PASSES AND LET'S GET STARTED WITH, UM, WE HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING ON
[2. Name: The Clovis at Mckinney Falls, SP-2024-0202D]
THE CLOVIS AT MCKINNEY FALLS STATE PARK.DO WE HAVE ANY? WE DON'T HAVE ANY, UM, PUBLIC COMMENT.
UH, IF Y'ALL WANNA GO AHEAD AND TAKE IT AWAY.
I AM WITH THE LUR DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT.
I, I AM A ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW SPECIALIST SENIOR.
AND THIS, UH, HEARING IS TO DISCUSS THE CLOVIS AND MCKINNEY FALLS AT 65 0 7 MCKINNEY FALLS PARKWAY, SP 20 24 0 2 0 2D.
TODAY WE'LL BE DISCUSSING A LITTLE BIT OF THE PROPERTY DATA, THE SYNOPSIS, SITE CONSTRICTIONS, AND ITS REGULATIONS, UH, THE, THE VARIANCE REQUESTS, THE GRADING EXHIBITS, AND, UH, VARIANCE RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONDITIONS.
UH, THIS IS THE PROPERTY ON, UH, INTERSECTION OF D GABRIELLE COLLINS ROAD AND MCKINNEY FALLS PARKWAY.
IT IS WITHIN THE COTTON COTTON MOUTH CREEK WATERSHED, WHICH IS CLASSIFIED AS A SUBURBAN WATERSHED, THEREFORE MAKES AN, MAKING IT A DESIRED DEVELOPMENT ZONE.
IT IS NOT LOCATED OVER THE EDWARDS AQUIFER, UH, EDWARDS AQUIFER RECHARGE ZONE, AND IT IS WITHIN THE TWO MILE ETJ, THEREFORE, THERE'S NO DISTRICT FOR IT.
THIS IS ALMOST A 16 ACRES SITE LOCATED IN THE INTERSECTION IN MCKINNEY FALLS PARKWAY AND THE GABRIELLE COLLINS ROAD.
IT'S ELEVATIONS RANGE FROM 6 31 FEET TO 5 78 FEET.
THE SITE IS GENERALLY FLAT, THOUGH THERE ARE SOME STEEP SLOPES AS, UH, SHOWN IN HIGHLIGHTED, UH, ORANGE ALONG THE DIG GABRIEL ROAD, UH, COLLINS ROAD.
UH, THE SITE CONSTRICTION IS ACCESSIBILITY.
UH, THERE A, A DRIVEWAY IS REQUIRED, UH, TO BE CONSTRUCTED FROM, UH, WITH FILL UP TO EIGHT TO 15 FEET, UH, BY THE TRAVIS COUNTY FIRE MARSHAL TO PROVIDE TWO DIFFERENT ACCESS POINTS TO THE PROPERTY.
THE VARIANCE REQUEST IS TO ALLOW FOR, UH, FILL FROM EIGHT TO 15 FEET IN THE DESIRED DEVELOPMENT ZONE, WHICH IS TO VARY FROM LDC 25 8 3 42.
[00:05:01]
IS THE GRADING EXHIBIT.WHAT'S HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW IS WHAT'S, WHAT'S PRETTY MUCH THE ONLY FILL FROM EIGHT TO 15 FEET, UH, THAT, THAT'S REQUESTING THE VARIANCE.
SO IT'S A SMALL AREA COMPARED TO THE, THE WHOLE PROPERTY.
AND THAT'S, THAT'S THE DRIVEWAY.
THE AREA IS ABOUT 1700 SQUARE FEET AND ABOUT 630 CUBIC YARDS.
THE STAFF RECOMMENDS THIS VARIANCE, HAVING DETERMINED THAT THE REQUIRED FINDINGS FACT HAVE BEEN MET WITH CONDITIONS WITH TWO CONDITIONS.
THE FIRST ONE BEING CONTAIN THE FILL WITH AN ENGINEERED AND STRUCTURAL RETAINING WALL AND PARKING LOT TREES OF AT LEAST 1.5 INCH CALIPER FROM ECM APPENDIX F WITHIN 50 FEET, 50 FEET RADIUS OF ALL PARKING SPACES.
KEEP IN MIND, THIS IS ETJ, SO USUALLY THERE'S NO LANDSCAPE REQUIREMENTS.
SO WE WERE, WE WERE REQUIRE PARKING LOT TREES SINCE IT IS ETJ.
AND THEN, UH, THE APPLICANT WILL, UH, PRESENT HIS THEIR PRESENTATION.
UH, GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.
I'M THE ENGINEER OF RECORD FOR CLOVIS AT MCKINNEY FALLS.
UM, THIS IS, UH, A PROJECT AT THE INTERSECTION OF, UM, MCKINNEY FALLS PARKWAY AND D GABRIEL COLLINS ROAD, MCKINNEY FALLS PARKWAY IS A CITY ROAD D GABRIEL COLLINS IS A COUNTY ROAD.
UH, THE, THE, THE PARK IS ACROSS THE STREET AS IT WAS MENTIONED.
IT IS A SINGLE LOT SUBDIVISION THAT WAS PLATTED, UH, NOT TOO LONG AGO.
UH, IT'S BEEN AN AGRICULTURAL USE FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
WE HAVE ON THE LEFT, 1985, UH, THIS PREDATES MCKINNEY FALLS PARKWAY.
UH, BUT YOU CAN SEE ON 2022 HOW, UH, D GABRIEL COLLINS CAME ABOUT AND WHERE THE, THE NEW, UM, MCKINNEY FALLS PARKWAY IS.
UH, THIS IS THE COMPLETE SITE PLAN LAYOUT.
UH, WE DO HAVE THAT BAND OF STEEP SLOPES ALONG OUR FRONTAGE, BOTH FRONTAGES, UH, IT'S, UH, 16 ACRES, 15.98 ACRES, 264 UNITS WHERE ALLOWED 60% IMPERVIOUS COVER, BUT WE'RE ONLY ABOUT 50.7.
THE HEIGHT RANGES OF THE BUILDING ARE 37.42 TO 40.58.
LET'S KEEP THAT NUMBER IN OUR HEAD FOR THE NEXT SLIDE.
UH, AND AGAIN, UH, THIS IS A HUD AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT.
UH, THERE ARE NO FLOODPLAINS, NO CE ALL RIGHT.
SO THIS IS WHAT BRINGS US HERE TODAY.
UH, THERE ARE TWO REQUIREMENTS THAT THIS PROJECT FALLS UNDER.
UH, WE HAVE SECTION D 1 0 3 0.2, UH, THAT SAYS THE FIRE APP APPARATUS ACCESS ROAD SHALL NOT EXCEED 10% IN GRADE.
TRAVIS COUNTY HAS AMENDED IT TO ADD ADDITIONAL, UH, EXCEPTIONS, UH, GRADES FROM 10 TO 12%, UH, AND 13 TO 15% WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF APP ASPHALT.
UH, SO KEEP THAT IN MIND, 10%.
UH, THE SECTION PART OF, SECOND PART OF THE CODE IS THAT IF YOU HAVE BUILDINGS EXCEEDING 30 FEET, YOU MUST HAVE TWO ACCESS POINTS.
SO THAT'S WHY WE HAVE A DRIVEWAY ON MCKINNEY FALLS PARKWAY AND A DRIVEWAY ON, UH, D GABRIEL COLLINS ROAD.
NOW, IF WE LOOK AT THIS, WE SEE AGAIN THAT BAND OF STEEP SLOPES.
UH, KEEP IN MIND THAT WITH ALL THE VARIANCES, YOU HAVE TO SHOW THAT THIS IS NOT AS A RESULT OF, OF SOMETHING, YOUR DESIGN.
ANY DEVELOPMENT ON THIS SITE THAT WOULD REQUIRE THE TWO DRIVEWAYS HAS TO CROSS THESE STEEP SLOPES.
ALRIGHT, SO THAT'S WHERE WE'RE AT.
THE, THE POSITION OF THE DRIVEWAYS ON MCKINNEY FALLS PARKWAY IS, UH, SET BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE EXISTING DRIVEWAY IS.
WE DON'T WANNA GET ANY CLOSER TO THE INTERSECTION.
WE CAN'T GET ANY FURTHER AWAY FROM THE INTERSECTION BECAUSE IT STARTS TO INTERFERE WITH THE, UH, THE DRIVEWAY TO OUR, OUR NEIGHBOR.
AND THERE'S SOME, UH, TOPOGRAPHIC CHALLENGES TOO, AS WELL.
THE LOCATION OF THE DRIVEWAY ON D GABRIEL COLLINS IS THE RESULT OF THE, UH, EXHAUSTIVE, UH, TRAVIS COUNTY TIA REVIEW.
UH, IT'S LOCATED, UH, FAR ENOUGH AWAY FROM THE INTERSECTION FOR THAT SITE DISTANCE AND IS FAR ENOUGH EAST SO THAT YOU COULD SEE AROUND THE CURVE AS VEHICLES APPROACH.
ALRIGHT, UH, AS STAFF SAID, THIS IS OUR AREA, UH, ABOUT 1700 FEET, 630 CUBIC YARDS PHYLLIS CONTAINED WITHIN THE RETAINING WALLS.
UH, AND THIS IS A PROFILE, THIS IS A CENTER
[00:10:01]
LINE PROFILE FROM ABOUT THE SIX 20 ELEVATION TO THE 6 32.6 32 IS THE END OF OUR DRIVEWAY AT IT.
WHEN IT ATTACHES TO THE GABRIEL COLLINS, UH, YOU CAN SEE THE EXISTING GRADE, WHICH IS THE LOWER LINE.
UH, AND ESSENTIALLY WHAT HAPPENS IS THE, UH, THE, THE GROUND DROPS OFF UNDERNEATH US.
A DRIVEWAY, UH, AND THEN THE GROUND, UH, IF YOU RECALL FROM THE SLOPE MAP IS AT 35%.
AND WE JUST CAN'T KEEP UP WITH THAT, UH, BECAUSE OF THE FIRE, UH, ACCESS REQUIREMENTS.
AND SO THE DASH LINE IS THE LIMIT OF THAT EIGHT FOOT FILL.
AND SO YOU CAN SEE THERE'S THAT LITTLE TRIANGLE THERE, UH, WHERE WE ARE IN EXCESS OF THE EIGHT FEET AND GOING BACK A SLIDE, UH, THAT AT THAT, UH, PROFILE IS AT THE CENTER.
AND THEN AS YOU GO FURTHER OUT, UH, IT GETS A LITTLE BIT WORSE.
THE AREA SPREADS OUT BECAUSE WE'RE GOING DOWNHILL, UH, WITH THE, THE DRIVE.
UM, LET'S START WITH COMMISSIONER PRIMER.
DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? NO.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR, UH, PRESENTATION OF THAT STAFF.
UM, SO HAVE YOU HAD A, A TRAFFIC ENGINEER? OKAY, THIS YES.
THE, THE TIA WAS REVIEWED AND APPROVED.
WELL, THE TIA IS ABOUT THE VOLUME OF TRAFFIC, BUT AS FAR AS THE DRIVEWAY WIDTH, THE SLOPE, ET CETERA.
UH, WHEN TRAVIS COUNTY REVIEWS THE TIA, THEY ALSO REVIEW DRIVEWAY PLACEMENT.
UH, AND THEN THE, THE SLOPE ON THE DRIVEWAY, IS IT BASED ON THE, AND THE CURVY RADIUSES ON THE DRIVEWAY ARE BASED ON TURN STUDIES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN GET MOVING VANS AND FIRE TRUCKS AND STUFF IN THERE.
UH, COMMISSIONER LUKI, I'M SORRY.
THE TREES, UM, REGARDING YOUR TREES, UM, HOW MANY TREES ARE YOU GONNA BE PLANTING? YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT NUMBER.
THAT WAS, THE LANDSCAPE PLAN WAS PREPARED BY THE, THE ARCHITECTS.
UH, BUT I BELIEVE THE TREE PLANTING PLAN FOR THE PARKING LOT MEETS CITY REQUIREMENTS FOR PARKING LOT PLANTING.
UH, AND THAT IS THE CHOICE OF THE DEVELOPER BECAUSE THEY LIKE TO HAVE A NICE LOOKING PROJECT.
UM, UH, UH, I THINK STAFF, MR. ABDUL DEER HAS, HAS THE DRAWING, UH, IF Y'ALL WANNA SEE IT AGAIN.
UM, BUT THEY DO HAVE TREES IN LIKE EVERY ISLAND.
MOHAM,
AND I DO HAVE THE EXHIBIT, IF YOU GUYS WOULD LIKE TO LOOK AT THAT AS WELL.
UM, I, I'M ASSUMING YOU, YOUR LANDSCAPERS ARE GONNA BE CHOOSING THE, THE, LIKE APPROPRIATE TREES.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT THEY ARE? YES.
IT'S, UM, THEY'RE ALL FROM APPENDIX F, WHICH IS THE, UH, THE, THE PREFERRED TREE LISTS.
AND THEY ARE CEDAR LIVE OAK, CEDAR ELM, UM, SCHU MAR OAK, AND CHINON OAK.
UH, THANK YOU, UH, FOREWARN YOU, I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS.
I FREQUENT, UH, THAT ALMOST DAILY, SO KNOW THE INTERSECTION.
UH, WELL, CAN YOU HELP ME VISUALIZE 600 CUBIC FEET? IS IT HALF OF THIS ROOM? A QUARTER OF THIS ROOM? HOW MANY TRUCKLOADS? YOU SAID IT WAS SMALL.
SO EACH CUBIC YARD IS 27 CUBIC FEET.
UH, CAN YOU FILL THIS ROOM? SO I GUESS THIS ROOM IS PROBABLY LESS THAN 16, LESS THAN 1700 SQUARE FEET.
AND I THINK OUR MAXIMUM, I THINK OUR AVERAGE DEPTH IN THE MIDDLE IS SOMEWHERE AROUND 10 FEET.
SO I, I GUESS IF WE FILLED THIS ENTIRE ROOM WITH DIRT, THAT'D BE MORE THAN, THAN WHAT WE WOULD NEED.
UH, TRYING TO JUST GAUGE A LITTLE VERSUS A LOT, UH, AND HOW THAT FEELS.
UM, SO, UH, PART OF MY QUESTIONS MAY BE FOR THE CITY, FOR THE COUNTY, UM, THIS, SORRY, GO AHEAD.
MIKE MCDOUGALL, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW.
[00:15:01]
I WOULD CHARACTERIZE IT AS, AS A LITTLE ACTUALLY.BASED ON THE, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S NOT MUCH WIDER THAN THE DRIVEWAY.
AND IT'S, AND AS FAR AS LENGTH, IT'S NOT VERY MANY LINEAR FEET.
SO COMPARED TO THE GRADING REQUESTS THAT WE TYPICALLY SEE VERY SMALL.
I MEAN, SOMETIMES WE SEE INITIALLY GRADING VARIANCES FOR UP TO 30 FEET OF SIZES, NOT IN SQUARE FEET, BUT IN ACRES.
SO I WOULD SAY IT'S, IT'S, IT'S PRETTY MINIMAL.
AND THEN, UH, MY NEXT KIND OF QUESTIONS, UH, AGAIN, I MIGHT BE MORE OF THE SYSTEMS PLANNING FOR THAT AREA.
UH, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT D GABRIEL COLLINS AND THAT INTERSECTION IN MCKINNEY FALLS, IT'S UNDER A LOT OF DEVELOPMENT.
IT'S GOT ADDISON DEVELOPMENT, IT'S GOT A QUARRY UP TO THE NORTH, UH, SPECIFICALLY AT THAT INTERSECTION, I BELIEVE YOU CAN'T DO U-TURNS.
AND SO ALL THE FOLKS THAT ARE TURNING FROM THESE NEW DEVELOPMENTS STOP AT THAT INTERSECTION WHERE IT SAYS, DON'T, DO YOU U-TURN 55 MILES AN HOUR? I BELIEVE THEY'RE PASSING.
ARE ARE Y'ALL WORKING WITH THE CITY TO IMPROVE THAT INTERSECTION IN PARTICULAR? UH, YES.
NOT SO MUCH FROM THE CITY SIDE, BUT FROM THE COUNTY SIDE.
SO, FROM D GABRIEL COLLINS, UH, I DUNNO IF WE COULD THROW OUR, OUR POWERPOINT BACK UP, BUT, UH, WE WERE REQUIRED AS PART OF OUR TIA TO ADD A, UH, RIGHT TURN LANE ON D GABRIEL COLLINS.
SO YOU'LL HAVE THE, UH, SO WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE WIDENING D GABRIEL COLLINS AT THE, AT THE INTERSECTION.
UM, SOME CITY REQUIREMENTS THAT THEY HAD US DO AT THE INTERSECTION ARE NOT REALLY RELATED TO TRAFFIC LANES.
THERE'S, THEY'RE PEDESTRIAN, UH, ISSUES.
WE'RE ADDING, UH, MAKING SURE ALL THE FOUR CORNERS HAVE, UH, OR THREE OF THE FOUR CORNERS HAVE RAMPS AND THE PEDESTRIAN BUTTONS, UH, WITH A 10 FOOT WIDE SIDEWALK ALONG OUR FRONTAGE.
UH, AND THAT'S MORE FOR THE, THE MOBILITY.
THANK YOU FOR PUTTING THAT BACK UP.
UH, I GUESS YOU CAN'T REALLY SEE IT UNLESS YOU'RE, I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL HAVE BETTER MONITORS, BUT, UM, IF YOU NOTICE THAT THERE, THERE'S AN ADDITIONAL LANE RIGHT THERE AT THE GABRIEL COLLINS IN MCKINNEY FALLS PARKWAY AS, UH, SO AGAIN, UH, D GABRIEL COLLINS IS UNDER A LOT OF STRESS WITH THE, THE ADDISON, THE OTHER DEVELOPMENTS, UH, ALL THE TRAFFIC GOING OUT TO DAKOTA, ALL THE TRAFFIC TRYING TO CONNECT TO 180 3.
THAT ROAD HAS, I THINK, ALL ON IT.
I DON'T KNOW IF WOULD NEED A VARIANCE.
MCKINNEY FALLS PARK IS RIGHT THERE, UH, YOU KNOW, AUSTIN URBAN TRAILS NETWORK.
SO I'M JUST CURIOUS HOW THIS, THE INCREASED DEVELOPMENT ALONG THE, PARTICULARLY THIS AREA.
I'M NOT TOO CONCERNED ABOUT THE CLOVIS PROJECT, BUT THE CLOVIS AND THE CONTEXT OF THE LARGER DEVELOPMENT, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMPACT THAT THAT QUARRY IS A PROBLEM WITH ALL THE DUST AND THE BIG TRUCKS, UH, GOING ALONG.
IT, IT'S, IT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE SAFEST.
I THINK BECAUSE THIS IS AN UNUSUAL INTERFACE BETWEEN THE CITY.
'CAUSE MCKINNEY FALLS PARKWAY IS THE CITY.
TRAVIS COUNTY IS DE GABRIEL COLLINS.
UM, THEY HAVE, THEY HAVE DIFFERENT, UH, REQUIREMENTS.
UM, THE REASON TRAVIS COUNTY WAS SO, UH, INSISTENT ON OUR DRIVEWAY LOCATION, IT'S PART OF WHAT YOU HAD MENTIONED, THERE'S A LOT OF TRAFFIC.
AND SO THEY WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE HAD THE, UH, THE SITE DISTANCE IN BOTH DIRECTIONS.
UM, THERE ARE OTHER PROJECTS COMING ON BEHIND US, UH, TO OUR EAST.
UH, BUT AS I UNDERSTAND, THE COUNTY HANDLES THOSE ON A, UH, A BUILDING BASIS.
SO WE WERE THE FIRST ONES IN THE DOOR, FIRST ONES HOPEFULLY TO GET OUR PERMIT, HOPEFULLY.
AND THEN, UH, ADDITIONAL IMPROVEMENTS MAY BE REQUIRED AS EVERYBODY ELSE COMES ONLINE.
SO IT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE WE KNOW OF A LARGER TRAVIS COUNTY, CITY OF AUSTIN OR DEVELOPMENT ALONG WHAT, WHAT THE PLAN IS FOR D GABRIEL COLLINS.
UH, WE LOOKED INTO IT AND NO, THERE WAS NOT, AT LEAST WHEN WE STARTED, BUT MAYBE SINCE YOU MENTIONED IT, MAYBE WE CAN GET, GET SOMETHING STARTED.
UH, AGAIN, I'M QUITE CONCERNED IF Y'ALL LOOK IN GOOGLE EARTH AND SPEND SOME TIME AND JUST LOOK AT THIS AREA, THAT ROAD IS, UH, VERY, UH, CHALLENGING.
UH, I DO THINK OF THE TH THOUSANDS OF FOLKS THAT ARE SOMEWHAT TRAPPED.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE A VEHICLE AND WANT TO GET OUT ONTO DE GABRIEL AND, AND AND, AND THEN START TO TRY TO MOVE AROUND IT, UH, IS A REAL CHALLENGE IS.
UM, SO NO, NO, UH, AGAIN, I FEEL IT'S SMALL.
THE, THE ASK OF THE, THE, THE VARIANCE.
BUT, UM, JUST, UH, THAT, THAT NO MAN'S LAND IS, UH, NOBODY'S HOLDING ANYBODY ACCOUNTABLE, UH, OR TO SOME SORT OF STRATEGIC PLAN IS THE PROBLEM.
UM, RECORD OF SAYING THAT, THAT'S WHERE I'LL LEAVE IT.
UH, COMMISSIONER CHEN, THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS RIGHT NOW.
UH, YOU CAN, YOU KNOW, I'M LOOKING AT THE MAP
[00:20:01]
AND AERIAL, YOU KNOW, THERE IS A BIKE TRAIL THAT'S ALONG MC MCKINNEY FALLS ROAD.WILL IT BE, IS THERE ANY PLANS TO EXTEND THAT TO, TO YOUR STREET? ON OUR SIDE? UH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ONLY REQUIRED TO DO LIKE THE, UH, THE FIVE FOOT SIDEWALKS.
UH, WE'RE DOING THE 10 FOOT SIDEWALK IN ANTICIPATION OF SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE.
UH, SO THE, THE 10 FOOT WIDTH OF THE SIDEWALK IS THE MULTIMODAL, RIGHT? YES.
SO YES, WE DO HAVE, UH, THE 10 FOOT WIDTH ON MCKINNEY FALLS.
PARKWAY, UH, WHERE'RE DOING THE, UH, RAMPS AND THE SIGNALING TO GET PEOPLE FROM OUR CORNER ACROSS THE, THE STREET MM-HMM
ACROSS MCKINNEY FALLS PARKWAY, UH, SO THEY CAN GET TO THE, THE STATE PARK.
UM, WE ARE NOT DOING ANY SIDEWALK IMPROVEMENTS ON MCKINNEY FALLS PARKWAY ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET.
BUT THE POINT IS THAT THERE'S OTHER IN FORMS OF INFRASTRUCTURE IN THIS AREA BESIDES JUST THE ROAD, BUT THEY'RE NOT EXTENDING TO THIS PROPERTY.
BUT I ASSUME THAT WHEN THE PROPERTY IS DEVELOPED, THEN THE COUNTY WOULD LOOK AT IT AS EXTENDING THE, THE TRAIL.
I, I JUST WANNA MAKE THAT POINT.
YEAH, I, I'VE GOT SOME QUESTIONS HERE TOO.
SO, UM, AND I, I HAD WRITTEN DOWN, YOU KNOW, QUESTIONS ON THE SIDEWALKS.
WILL THERE BE SIDEWALKS ALONG THESE DRIVEWAYS THAT YOU'RE PUTTING IN ALSO AS YOU'RE LEAVING, TRYING TO GET PEOPLE OUT TO THIS PROPERTY? OR IS IT JUST ALONG THE ROADS? IT'S JUST ALONG MCKINNEY FALLS PARKWAY.
IT IS NOT ALONG D GABRIEL COLLINS ROAD.
THERE ARE NO SIDEWALKS, UH, ALONG THE DRIVEWAYS BECAUSE THEY'RE TOO STEEP.
UH, WE COULD PUT SIDEWALKS IN, BUT THEY WOULD NOT BE ACCESSIBLE BECAUSE THE DRIVEWAY SLOPES ARE, ARE TOO HIGH.
SO PEOPLE WALKING WITHOUT A MOBILITY DEVICE ALSO COULD NOT, THEY WOULD HAVE TO WALK DOWN THE ROAD TO GET OUT THE DRIVEWAY TO GET OUT? YES.
IF, IF YOU WANTED, IF YOU WANTED TO RIDE YOUR BIKE OR IF YOU'RE IN A WHEELCHAIR AND YOUR, YOUR UNIT, I'M JUST SAYING ABOUT SOMEBODY WALKING.
UM, YOU KNOW, THEY WANT TO GO TO WORK AND THEY'RE GONNA TRY TO GET TO A BUS STOP.
YOU KNOW, UM, THIS IS A HUD HOUSING, RIGHT? YES.
UM, AND, AND IS THERE A BUS STOP NEARBY? THAT'S MY OTHER QUESTION.
DO YOU KNOW IF THERE'S A BUS STOP NEARBY? IS, I DON'T BELIEVE THERE IS.
UM, BUT I CAN'T BE, I CAN'T BE SURE.
UM, I KNOW WHEN I, UH, ALSO USED TO WORK AT TEX PARK WILDLIFE, UM, TRYING TO GET THERE BY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION WAS VERY DIFFICULT, UH, ALONG MCKINNEY FALLS PARKWAY.
UM, I THINK MY OTHER CONCERN HERE IS, UM, IT'S JUST A LOT OF IMPERVIOUS COVER, MAN.
I MEAN, THIS IS, I DON'T, I MEAN, IF I WAS A FAMILY AND I'M MOVING INTO THAT AND I'VE GOT KIDS, AND, UM, I MEAN, YOU'VE PLANNED A BEAUTIFUL SITE FOR CARS MM-HMM
YOU KNOW, I, I JUST DON'T SEE ANY PLACE FOR, FOR CHILDREN TO GET OUTDOORS OR, YOU KNOW.
UM, ARE THERE ANY PARK SPACE OR GREEN SPACE IN HERE THAT Y'ALL PLANNED? I DON'T SEE IT IN THE PLAN.
COMMISSIONER, IF YOU CAN, IF YOU HAVE THE OVERALL SITE PLAN DRAWING, UH, THE, THE DONUT HOLE IN THE MIDDLE, UHHUH
AND THEN THERE'S A, LET'S CALL IT THE DONUT HOLE.
IT'S, IT'LL BE A LAWN AREA BEHIND THE POOL.
AND THEN SOUTH OF THAT LAWN AREA, THERE'S A, THERE'S A SMALL PLAYGROUND.
AND, UM, IS LIKE, HOW, LIKE, IS THAT LIKE AN ACRE, YOU KNOW, HALF AN ACRE? WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT IS? I'VE NEVER MEASURED IT.
UM, BUT PROPORTIONALLY, THE, THE SITE IS 16 ACRES, THEN THAT'S PROBABLY, I WOULD SAY PROBABLY ABOUT HALF AN ACRE.
UM, ARE THERE ANY OTHER GREEN SPACES AVAILABLE FOR THEM? DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IT HERE.
THE, THE AREA ALONG OUR FRONTAGE, THERE'S, THERE, THERE'S SOME WOOD, THE AREAS THAT, IF YOU RECALL THE SLOPE MAP MM-HMM
UH, THE STEEP AREAS, THEY'RE, THEY'RE ALL WOODED.
UM, THEY'RE NOT PROBABLY GONNA BE IMPROVED.
I MEAN, I WOULDN'T, I WOULDN'T BY NO MEANS CALL IT A PARK, UH, BUT IF SOMEBODY WANTED TO EXPLORE THAT AREA, IT IS, IT IS A GREEN AREA.
I'M GONNA GO TO COMMISSIONER KRUEGER AND, UH, COME BACK.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
[00:25:01]
SPECIFIC CONCERNS ABOUT THE CUT AND FILL, WHICH I KNOW IS THE MAIN, YOU KNOW, POINT OF REQUEST HERE.I APPRECIATE YOU, YOU KNOW, ATTEMPTING TO MINIMIZE THAT BURDEN.
I CAN SEE THE EFFORT THERE AND DO APPRECIATE THAT.
UM, IN TERMS OF THE 105 TREES THAT YOU'RE PLANTING, CAN YOU TALK TO ME ABOUT ANY EFFORTS THAT YOU ALL MAKE DURING THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS TO RETAIN EXISTING TREES OVER CLEAR CUTTING AND THEN PLANTING NEW TREES? SURE.
COMMISSIONER, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU RECALL THE, UH, THE AERIAL THAT WE HAD UP.
UM, AND IF WE COULD THROW THAT BACK UP IF, UH, IT, THERE ARE NOT VERY, THERE ARE NOT MANY TREES BECAUSE IT'S BEEN USED FOR AGRICULTURE FOR SO LONG.
UH, ON THE, UH, ON THE MAP RIGHT THERE, YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE'S A FEW TREES, BUT MOST OF THE TREES ARE IN THE FRONT, AND THAT'S WHERE THE STEEPER SLOPES ARE.
WE'LL GO FORWARD AGAIN, UH, YOU CAN SEE THE CIRCLES, UH, IN THOSE AREAS.
UM, IF YOU COULD SEE WHERE OUR DRIVE IS, UH, THE MOST OF THE TREES ARE, ARE BEING LEFT ALONE.
WE'RE, WE'RE CIRCLING DOWN BENEATH THEM.
DO YOU HAVE A SENSE OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF TREES ON THE PROPERTY NOW AND HOW MANY ARE BEING RETAINED? WELL, THANKS TO STAFF BEING ON THE, ON THE BALL HERE,
WE HAVE, UH, WE SURVEYED ABOUT 1700, UH, CALIPER INCHES.
UH, WE'RE REMOVING ABOUT 452 AND WE'RE PLANTING, UH, 315.
SO IT'S STILL, IT'S A NET LOSS OF CALIPER INCHES.
AND THEN I THINK, AS WE ALL KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY THE SURVIVAL RATE OF NEWLY PLANTED TREES IS, IT'S NOT GONNA BE A ONE FOR ONE RATIO.
SO I DO HAVE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THAT, ABOUT THAT.
I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ALL AREN'T LEGALLY REQUIRED TO HAVE PARKING LOT TREES, SO I DO APPRECIATE THAT.
I AGREE THAT IT'LL BE A BENEFIT TO THE PEOPLE LIVING THERE.
UM, AND THEN I'M ALSO WONDERING, YOU KNOW, IF YOU CAN GIVE A VERBAL COMMITMENT TO MAINTAINING THOSE TREES, YOU KNOW, AND THEIR SURVIVAL, IF ONE, YOU KNOW, DOESN'T, DOESN'T MAKE IT PAST A YEAR, ARE YOU GOING TO BE REPLANTING? UH, I'M, I'M THE ENGINEER FOR THEIR PROJECT, BUT I WILL GO OUT ON A LIMB AND SAY, SAY FOR THE DEVELOPER, I THINK CERTAINLY THEY, THEY HAVE QUALITY PRODUCTS, UH, ALL THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
UH, AND THEY'RE WELL MAINTAINED.
YEAH, THAT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING WE SEE IN AUSTIN A LOT IS THAT, YOU KNOW, TREES ARE PLANTED, BUT THE, THE LONG-TERM SURVIVABILITY JUST IS POOR.
SO I APPRECIATE THAT, UH, COMMITMENT AND HOPE THAT YOU'LL TAKE THAT BACK TO THE DEVELOPER AS WELL.
UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS FORMER AGRICULTURAL LAND, NOT A LOT OF TREES EXISTING, AT LEAST WHERE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE PARKING LOT WAS, AND SOME OF THE MULTIFAMILY UNITS ARE.
IT IS, YOU KNOW, TRADITIONALLY BLACKLAND PRAIRIE LANDSCAPE.
UM, AND I'M WONDERING IF YOU CAN TALK ABOUT WHAT KIND OF NATIVE GRASSES YOU'RE PLANNING ON INCORPORATING INTO THE PROPERTY.
UH, AS OF RIGHT NOW, COMMISSIONER, I DON'T RECALL SEEING A LANDSCAPE PLAN THAT CALLED FOR, UH, NATIVE GRASSES.
IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU ALL WOULD CONSIDER? SURE.
UM, UM, I'M, I'M, I'M GOING ON ANOTHER LIMB AND SPEAK FOR THE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT.
I DON'T KNOW IF IN THE, UH, THE DONUT HOLE MM-HMM
FOR THE, FOR THE CHILDREN AND STUFF ARE PLAYING WOULD BE THE BEST USE OF THE 6 0 9 S, BUT CERTAINLY AROUND THE PERIPHERY, UH, WE COULD PROBABLY WORK SOME.
I MEAN, EVEN IN THE SMALL AREA WHERE THE PARKING LOT TREES ARE, INSTEAD OF HAVING TURF GRASS UNDERNEATH THE TREES OR JUST MULCH, THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES, I THINK, FOR DENSER PLANTINGS.
'CAUSE WHAT I SEE A LOT OF IN AUSTIN IS THERE ARE AREAS THAT ARE CALLED, YOU KNOW, DESIGNATED FOR NATIVE PLANTS, BUT IT'S MAJORITY MULCH.
AND THEN LIKE A SINGLE PLANT MAJORITY MULCH AGAIN.
UM, SO ANYWAY, THIS IS JUST SOMETHING THAT I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT IS HOW CAN WE WORK WITH LANDSCAPING COMPANIES TO INCREASE THEIR, UH, YOU KNOW, EDUCATION AWARENESS AROUND DENSE PLANTINGS AND HOW WE CAN ACHIEVE THAT IN A SETTING LIKE THIS.
SO JUST WANNA SHARE THAT HERE THAT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT, UM, AS PART OF THE RESTORATION THAT Y'ALL ARE DOING.
NEXT, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT COMMISSIONER BRISTOL BROUGHT UP THE IMPERVIOUS COVER WITH A LOT OF SPACE BEING DEDICATED TOWARDS SURFACE PARKING.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE DECISION TO HAVE SURFACE PARKING VERSUS A PARKING GARAGE? UH, YEAH.
I WOULD, I WOULD SAY BASICALLY IT COMES DOWN TO COST.
UM, LET ME BACK UP AND, AND SAY THAT THERE WERE, ARE ALLOWED IMPERVIOUS COVERS ABOUT 60% OR 60% MM-HMM
AND WE'RE ONLY PROVIDING ABOUT 50%.
UH, THESE ARE AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS.
UM, AND SO EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS MM-HMM
[00:30:02]
THE, UH, THE COST OF A PARKING GARAGE PER UNIT IS VERY HIGH.AND SO IF YOU'RE A DEVELOPER AND YOU'RE TRYING TO PROVIDE AS MANY UNITS AS YOU CAN, AND THESE ARE AGAIN, TO BE, TO BE TO DEATH, THESE ARE AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS, AS MANY AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS AS YOU CAN.
UH, THEN YOU DON'T WANNA SPEND A LOT OF MONEY ON STRUCTURED PARKING.
WHAT IS THE RATIO OF PARKING SPOTS TO UNITS? UH, I DO NOT KNOW.
UH, IT MIGHT BE, LEMME BACK UP.
UH, I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN ZOOM IN ON THE TABLE, BUT THIS IS THE STANDARD SITE PLAN SHEET FROM OUR, OUR PERMIT.
AND, UH, IF WE WERE TO ZOOM INTO THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER, THERE SHOULD BE THE NUMBER OF UNITS IN THE NUMBER OF PARKING SPACES.
SO WE HAVE THE 264 UNITS, AND THEN IF WE PAN DOWN A LITTLE BIT MORE, 468 TOTAL OF PARKING SPACES.
AND, UH, THIS JOHNSTON ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICER WATERSHED PROTECTION, I JUST WANTED TO, UM, ADD A LITTLE BIT OF, UM, CONTEXT FOR THE IMPERVIOUS COVER.
UM, SO THEY ARE BELOW THE LIMIT OF, UH, WHAT, 65%.
UM, THEY'RE PROPOSING AROUND 50%.
SO THEY ARE ACTUALLY PROPOSING QUITE A BIT LESS IMPERVIOUS COVER THAN THEY ARE ENTITLED TO.
SO I JUST WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT.
UM, I CERTAINLY WANT THIS TO BE AN ACCESSIBLE PLACE FOR THE FOLKS WHO LIVE HERE.
AND, YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND THE CONVENIENCE OF HAVING A PARKING SPOT NEARBY AND HAVING 468 PARKING SPOTS FOR 264 UNITS DOES FEEL LIKE A LOT TO ME.
UM, AND WHEN I JUST THINK ABOUT OUR OVERALL GOALS AS A CITY AND, YOU KNOW, WANTING TO INVEST MORE IN, IN PUBLIC TRANSIT AND GIVE FOLKS OTHER OPTIONS, IT FEELS LIKE, UM, I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT RATIO MIGHT NOT BE IN ALIGNMENT WITH OUR OVERALL GOALS OF JUST REDUCING OUR DEPENDENCE ON CARS.
SO IF I MAY INTERJECT, I DO WANT TO KIND OF BRING THIS BACK TO THE ASK, WHICH IS A CUT AND FILL VARIANCE FOR THE DRIVEWAY.
SO, YOU KNOW, UM, IF THIS IS NOT A A POD, THEY DO NOT NEED TO DEMONSTRATE SUPERIORITY.
AND WHILE I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE, THESE ARE CONCERNS, UM, THE, THE ASK, UH, IS, IS REALLY FAIRLY LIMITED.
AND, UM, I DO, UH, WANT TO ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO KIND OF BRING IT BACK TO, TO THE REQUEST.
UM, I DO, UH, APPRECIATE JUST THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTERFACE BECAUSE I THINK IT'S, IT'S A NICE TIME JUST FOR YOU TO HEAR KIND OF WHERE WE ARE.
BUT AS I MENTIONED AT THE BEGINNING, I DON'T HAVE SPECIFIC CONCERNS WITH THE CUT AND FILL ITSELF.
UM, I AM CURIOUS ABOUT THE DETENTION POND, BUT, UM, IN LIGHT OF WHAT LIZ JUST SAID, I WILL NOT ASK A QUESTION ABOUT THAT.
WELL, COMMISSIONER, AFTER THE HEARING, I CAN COME TALK TO YOU ABOUT IT IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS.
YEAH, IF I MAY, I, I UNDERSTAND THE, UH, PARKING ISSUE.
I MEAN, THAT'S, I, I DIDN'T DO THE MATH ON IT, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TWO CAR SPOTS FOR EACH, UH, UNIT.
AND THAT MAY BE EXCESSIVE, BUT, UH, THERE WASN'T ANY, NO ONE COULD SPEAK TO THE, WHETHER OR NOT THERE WAS ACTUALLY A BUS ROUTE DOWN THERE.
AND IF THERE'S NOT A BUS ROUTE DOWN THERE, THEN IT'S KIND OF DIFFICULT TO, YOU KNOW, REQUIRE PEOPLE TO WALK TO WHERE EVERYTHING IS.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, MY, MY SUGGESTION MIGHT BE IF WE WANT TO ADDRESS THIS, IS THAT WE SUGGEST THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, THE APPLICANT GET IN CONTACT WITH CAP METRO AND HAVE THEM PUT A BUS STOP THERE.
YOU KNOW, RECOMMEND CONSIDERING ANALYZING TRAFFIC PATTERNS OR WHATEVER CAP METRO DOES TO DO THIS STUFF THAT PUTS A SHADED, YOU KNOW, BUS STOP THERE AND HAVE THAT AS PART OF THE SOLUTION IF THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE WANT TO ADDRESS THE ACCESSIBILITY VIA A MASS TRANSIT.
BUT IF THERE'S NO BUS STOP THERE, IT'S HARD TO GET BEHIND CUTTING BACK THE NUMBER OF PARKING SPOTS.
ALTHOUGH I DO AGREE, UH, WITH COMMISSIONER KRUEGER, THEY DO SEEM TO BE A BIT EXCESSIVE, BUT GIVEN THE
[00:35:01]
CIRCUMSTANCES IN THAT LOCATION, ET CETERA, ET CETERA, YOU KNOW, I DON'T REALLY SEE A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE CHAIR.YEAH, I, I CAN ANSWER THE QUESTION ABOUT THAT BECAUSE WE HAD A PREVIOUS CASE WHERE I COMPLAINED ABOUT THE SAME THING AND I DID CONTACT CAPITAL METRO WHO TOLD ME ABOUT THE CHICKEN AND EGG ISSUE.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE PEOPLE LIVING THERE BEFORE THEY WILL PROVIDE MASS TRANSIT SERVICE.
SO AS THIS AREA DOES DEVELOP, THERE WILL BE CAPITAL METRO WOULD LIKELY ADD SERVICE.
AND THE OTHER POINT I WOULD MAKE TOO, IS THAT YOU CAN CONVERT A PARKING LOT INTO A BASKETBALL COURT OR A PICKLEBALL COURT OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
SO IT'S NOT NECESSARILY WASTED SPACE IF WE DON'T NEED ALL THAT PARKING LATER IN THE FUTURE.
UM, I THINK ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I DO HAVE, UH, WELL, FIRST OFF, I'M LOOKING AT YOUR MAP HERE.
IT LOOKS LIKE YOU HAVE SEVERAL WELLS ON THE PROPERTY.
IS THAT CORRECT? WELLS? UH, NO, THERE'S NO, THERE'S NO WATER WELLS ON THE SITE.
IT SAYS E EXISTING WELLS ARE TO BE CAPPED WITH A LICENSED WELL DRILLER ON THIS MAP THAT I HAVE HERE.
RIGHT? THERE ARE NO PROPOSED WELLS.
THERE'S AN EXISTING WELL AT THE EXTREME EASTERN CORNER NEAR WHERE OUR DETENTION POND IS, AGAIN, LEFT OVER FROM THE AGRICULTURAL DAYS.
UH, AND THAT WILL HAVE TO BE REMOVED.
UH, JUST SEEMED LIKE THERE WAS AN ABUNDANCE OF THEM THERE.
UM, I THINK THE OTHER, UM, QUESTION THAT I HAVE, UM, IS, UM, RELATING TO, TO LIGHTING, UM, AND AGAIN, THIS GOES ALONG THE DRIVEWAY, UH, AS WELL AS, YOU KNOW, PARKING, ALL THE OUTDOOR LIGHTING.
UM, ARE Y'ALL GONNA USE LIKE DARK SKY LIGHTING, DOWNCAST LIGHTING? TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT.
YOU KNOW, COMMISSIONER, I'M SORRY.
AGAIN, I, I'M JUST THE ENGINEER, NOT THE ARCHITECT, SO I DON'T HAVE ANY KNOWLEDGE AS TO WHAT THAT LIGHTING IS.
I DO KNOW THAT, UH, SINCE WE ARE IN THE ETJ, WE'RE NOT REQUIRED TO DO THE, UH, THE, WAS IT THE SUBCHAPTER E MM-HMM
UM, UH, WHETHER THEY DO IT OR NOT, I HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF THAT, SO I APOLOGIZE.
I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING I'D, I'D LIKE TO, YOU KNOW, TO SEE THERE.
I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S USUALLY GOOD FOR, GOOD FOR PEOPLE, GOOD FOR WILDLIFE, YOU KNOW, UM, ESPECIALLY GOOD FOR, FOR CHILDREN.
UM, WHICH AGAIN, I MEAN, THIS SEEMS LIKE IT'S GONNA BE A PRETTY FAMILY ORIENTED, UH, HOUSING PROJECT.
SO, UM, I'D LIKE TO DEFINITELY RECOMMEND THAT Y'ALL, YOU KNOW, USE THAT.
I DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY, UM, ISSUES WITH THE CUT AND FILL.
I THINK, I THINK EVEN THERE WAS AN IMPORTANT, UM, UM, NOTE IN HERE THAT SOME OF THE CUT AND FILL THAT'S KIND OF UP NEAR, I CAN'T REMEMBER WHICH ROAD IT IS, BUT IS OLD.
UM, AND SO WE'RE MOVING SOME OF THAT, YOU KNOW, OLDER STUFF, IS THAT CORRECT? THIS WAS A QUESTION THAT CAME UP DURING REVIEW.
UH, THE QUESTION WAS, WAS WERE THESE STEEP SLOPES CREATED WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF MCKINNEY FALLS PARKWAY? MM-HMM
UH, I, I LOOKED FOR ALL THE RECORDS I COULD, UH, MCKINNEY FALLS PARKWAY SEEMS TO BE EITHER, UH, A CIP OR, OR, OR SOME PROJECT WHERE WE WERE NOT ABLE TO GET THE RECORDS, UH, IN, IN A TIMELY MANNER.
UH, SO, UH, THAT WAS OFFERED AS, AS, AS AN OUT FOR US, BUT WE, WE COULDN'T PROVE IT.
I DON'T HAVE ANY, UH, OTHER QUESTIONS.
AND, UM, THANK YOU FOR STAFF AND AS WELL AS APPLICANT FOR YOUR PRESENTATIONS.
DO YOU WANNA READ IT OR YOU WANT ME TO READ IT? YEAH, HAVE THIS, WE'RE GONNA ADD A COUPLE THINGS ON HERE THAT WERE DISCUSSED.
SO, UH, GIVE US A SECOND FOR THE, FOR OUR MOTION.
DO WE NEED TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC? YEAH, LET'S GO AHEAD AND CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
ALL IN FAVOR OF CLOSING THE PUBLIC HEARING.
DO WE NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND OR IS IT FINE? I THINK I'LL SECOND.
AND WE JUST LOST, UH, THERE, THEY'RE BACK.
THE DATE IS SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2025.
THE SUBJECT IS THE CLOVIS AT MCKINNEY FALLS SP DASH 2024 DASH 0 2 0 2D, LOCATION, 6 5 0 7 MCKINNEY FALLS PARKWAY, AUSTIN, TEXAS 7 8 7 4 4.
WHEREAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOGNIZES THE APPLICANT IS REQUESTING TO VARY FROM LDC 25 DASH EIGHT DASH 3 4 4 2 TO ALLOW FILL EIGHT FEET TO 15 FEET.
[00:40:01]
AND WHEREAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOGNIZES THE SITE IS LOCATED IN COTTON MOUTH CREEK WATERSHED, SUBURBAN CLASSIFICATION, DESIRED DEVELOPMENT ZONE.AND WHEREAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOGNIZES THE STAFF RECOMMENDS THE VARIANCE WITH THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS, ONE CONTAIN THE FILL WITH AN ENGINEERED STRUCTURAL RETAINING WALL, TWO PARKING LOT TREES, ONE AND A HALF CALIPER INCHES FROM ECM APPENDIX F WITH 50 FOOT RADIUS OF ALL PARKING SPACES WITHIN 50 FOOT RADIUS OF ALL PARKING SPACES.
THEREFORE, THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOMMENDS THE VARIANCE REQUEST WITH THE FOLLOWING ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION CONDITIONS.
ONE, HAVE A FIVE YEAR TREE MANAGEMENT PLAN.
TWO INCLUDE PLANTING NATIVE PLANTS AND BLACKLAND PRAIRIE GRASSES FROM 6 0 9 S NATIVE SEED MIX AND POLLINATOR PLANTS AND GREEN SPACE AREAS, ESPECIALLY ALONG THE DRIVEWAY AND SLOPES THREE DARK SKY LIGHTING DOWNCAST THROUGHOUT THE PROPERTY, INCLUDING A WARMER HUE LIGHT IN OUTDOOR LIGHTING.
I'LL SECOND IT SINCE YOU READ IT.
UM, I KNOW WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS DURING THE PRESENTATION ABOUT, UH, ALLOWING, UH, MAKING IT EASIER FOR PEDESTRIANS TO ACCESS MCKINNEY FALLS PARKWAY.
I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THAT AS AN AMENDMENT THAT THE APPLICANT LOOK INTO MEANS FOR EASY PEDESTRIAN ACCESS, BECAUSE AGAIN, THERE IS A BIKEWAY ALONG MUCH OF THAT ROADWAY, AND IT MAY BE EXTENDED TO REACH THIS PROPERTY SOON.
SO ARE YOU SAYING, UM, THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE, UM, SOME SORT OF PEDESTRIAN EGRESS FROM THE APARTMENTS, LIKE ALONG THEIR DRIVEWAYS YEAH.
YOU GOT THAT, THAT HACKER TYPING.
I HAVE A COMMENT ON THAT AND I'D LIKE TO, WELL, FIRST OFF, I'LL SECOND IT.
UH, THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION EARLIER IN THE YEAR ABOUT FOCUSING MORE ON STRICTLY ENVIRONMENTAL THINGS.
THIS ISN'T REALLY AN ENVIRONMENTAL THING.
AND SO THIS IS OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF THE COMMISSION, I WOULD OBSERVE, I THINK WALKING OVER DRIVING IS AN ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE.
I, OR BICYCLING OVER DRIVING IS AN ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE.
BICYCLING IS DONE ON STREETS, NOT ON SIDEWALKS.
THERE IS A BIKE WAY ALONG MCKINNEY, MCKINNEY FALLS PARKWAY FOR MUCH OF, MUCH OF THE STRETCH OF IT LEGALLY, TRA BICYCLES LEGALLY ARE ALLOWED ON STREETS AND MAKE TRANSPORT THAT WAY.
SO NO, ON 10 FOOT, RICHARD ON 10 FOOT WIDE SIDEWALKS, THOSE ARE MULTIMODAL SIDEWALKS.
BUT I DON'T BELIEVE WE DISCUSSED HAVING THEM 10 FOOT WIDE.
HE DID WELL, THAT'S WHAT, THAT'S WHAT'S ALONG MCKINNEY FALLS PARKWAY.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE, A GOOGLE MAP, YOU'LL SEE THAT THERE'S, FOR MUCH OF IT, NOT, NOT VERY FAR, UH, NORTH OF THIS PROPERTY, THERE IS A BIKEWAY THAT ENDS PEDESTRIAN BIKEWAY.
SO WHAT YOU'RE RECOMMENDING IS A MULTIMODAL SIDEWALK NO.
NO, I'M REC I'M RECOMMENDING PEDESTRIAN ACCESS BE MADE FROM THIS PROPERTY TO MCKINNEY FALLS PARKWAY UNDER THE GUISE OF NO GUISE.
SO WE ALL WANT IT FOR CRYING OUT LOUD.
YOU DON'T WANT PEDESTRIANS TO REACH IT.
SO WE WE'RE, THIS WAS A DIRECTION THAT THIS BRIER THIS WAS THE DIRECTION WE DISCUSSER DISCUSSED EARLIER.
AND I'M ASKING COMMISSIONER BRIER, WE ARE BEING ASKED TO APPROVE, CUT AND FILL FOR A DRIVEWAY.
SO WE'RE ALREADY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALREADY THERE.
WE'RE LOOKING AT THE DRIVEWAY.
WHY NOT MAKE IT SO THAT PEOPLE CAN ACTUALLY SAFELY EXIT THE PROPERTY IN A WAY THAT IS NOT USING A VEHICLE TO REACH THE OTHER OTHER STREETS.
THAT'S ALL THAT THEY'RE ASKING.
WE'RE ALREADY LOOKING AT WHAT IS HAPPENING ALONG THAT DRIVEWAY.
SO WHY NOT IMPROVE IT AND MAKE IT WALKABLE AS WELL? YES.
I FEEL LIKE THAT IS ABSOLUTELY ON TARGET AND WITHIN OUR SCOPE.
IF I COULD ADD SOMETHING REALLY QUICK.
UM, THE NEAREST, UM, BUS STOP IS LIKE HALF A MILE DOWN MCKINNEY PARKWAY.
UM, AND SO IN KIND OF IN LINE WITH WHAT, UH, COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN HAD MENTIONED, LIKE HAVING THIS WALKWAY BEING ACCESSIBLE WOULD ALSO ENABLE PEOPLE, I MEAN, IT'S, I THINK MAYBE A LITTLE MORE THAN HALF A MILE.
SO MAYBE LIKE A 15 MINUTE WALK, UM, IS THE NEAREST BUS STOP.
[00:45:01]
BUT FOR SOME THAT ABSOLUTELY IS GOING TO BE WHAT THEY RELY UPON.AND SO I THINK PROVIDING THEM WITH ACCESS WOULD BE REALLY IMPORTANT AND ENTIRELY UNDER THE SCOPE OF THE COMMISSION.
I'M WONDERING IF I CAN READ THE LANGUAGE THAT I HAVE TO MAKE SURE.
UH, THE, UM, I KNOW THE AREA VERY WELL.
I'M NOT TOO CONCERNED ABOUT MCKINNEY FALLS PARKWAY.
IT'S PART OF IT OF AUSTIN'S URBAN TRAILS PROGRAM.
THEY WERE PROPOSING A 10 FOOT SIDEWALK.
MCKINNEY FALLS IS GONNA BE FINE.
IT'S THINKING ABOUT HOW YOU GET FROM THIS HOUSE, THESE CLOVIS TO THE ADDISON DOWN D GABRIEL.
AND WHERE I DO SEE, IT'S MAYBE STICKING WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL VARIANCE THAT THAT WHOLE EDGE ALONG DE GABRIEL IS GONNA NEED A VARIANCE.
UH, IF YOU PUT IN A BIKE PATH, IF WE TRY TALKING ABOUT CONNECTIVITY AND THAT DE GABRIEL'S GONNA CONNECT YOU TO CODA, WHICH IS AS ITS OWN MASSIVE PLAN TO HAVE A THEME PARK, UH, THAT IT'S DE GABRIEL THAT NEEDS THE ATTENTION OF PEDESTRIANS AND IF THE COUNTY OR WHATNOT IS GONNA MAKE THAT A BIKE PATH, THEY'RE JUST GONNA NEED A VARIANCE IN THE FUTURE.
SO IT WOULD SEEM THAT THE AMENDMENT IS CLOSER TO CONSIDER MULTI MET PEDESTRIANS ON ALL EDGES OF THE PROPERTY, INCLUDING DE GABRIEL.
'CAUSE RIGHT NOW THERE IS NOT A SINGLE SIDEWALK ON DE GABRIEL AND IT SUCKS AND IS NOT SAFE TO MOVE FROM 180 3 TO, TO THERE.
AND, UM, ACTUALLY SIDEWALKS DON'T HAVE THE, UM, THE, THE CUT AND FILL IS A LITTLE BIT EASIER ON SIDEWALKS.
UH, SAME WITH TRAILS, UM, WITH SLOPES.
SO THEY, IT MAY NOT ACTUALLY NEED A VARIANCE.
UM, AND IT WOULD BE PERMITTED PROBABLY THROUGH THE COUNTY, NOT US.
UM, SO YEAH, IT WAS ENOUGH FOR THEM.
SORRY TO CUT YOU OFF, TO AVOID IT IN THEIR PLAN.
LIKE THEY DIDN'T HAVE IT ON THE DRIVEWAY.
THEY DON'T HAVE SIDEWALKS COMING DOWN.
SO, UH, THAT TO ME, AGAIN, IS IT'S, IT'S D GABRIEL THAT NEEDS THE ATTENTION IN THIS ISSUE MORE THAN MCKINNEY FALLS.
UM, IT NEEDS A METRO BUS STOP.
HEB IS GOING DOWN THE STREET IN THE, THE FUTURE.
SO THE, UM, WHAT WAS ASKED FOR FROM COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN WAS LOOKING SPECIFICALLY AT THE TWO DRIVEWAYS, ONE THAT CONNECTS UP WITH MCKINNEY FALLS AND ONE THAT CONNECTS UP WITH, SO EVERYTHING IS WITH ON THE PROPERTY RIGHT THERE.
FRIENDLY AMENDMENT THAT WE HAVE.
SO IF YOU WANNA MAKE ANOTHER AMENDMENT.
I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I HEARD, HEARD MCKINNEY FALLS PARKWAY AND JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE D GABRIEL WAS CAPTURED.
JUST MAKING SURE WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE THERE.
LET ME READ THE LANGUAGE THAT I HAVE AND WE CAN SEE IF I GOT IT.
UM, INCORPORATE PEDESTRIAN BIKE AND MULTIMODAL DESIGN INTO THE PROPERTY TO ALLOW FOR GREATER AND SAFER ACCESSIBILITY TO MCKINNEY FALLS, PARKWAY, D, GABRIEL ROAD, AND OTHER ROADWAYS.
DO YOU SPECIFICALLY WANT MULTIMODAL COMING ALONG THOSE DRIVEWAYS OR IS JUST PEDESTRIAN? OKAY.
WELL, MY THOUGHT WAS THAT IF IT WORKS FOR PEDESTRIANS, IT WOULD WORK FOR BICYCLES AND SCOOTERS.
BUT I, BECAUSE THEY ARE TWO DIFFERENT WIDTHS, I I BELIEVE THAT THE, UH, AMENDMENT THAT WAS READ IS FINE.
JUST MAKING SURE, BECAUSE THOSE ARE TWO DIFFERENT WIDTHS.
THOSE ARE TWO DIFFERENT WIDTHS.
SO I, I DO WANNA INTERJECT A LITTLE BIT HERE.
UM, TO NOT NECESSARILY REQUIRE THE SIDEWALK ON D GABRIEL COLLINS, BECAUSE WE DON'T REALLY HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO DO SO, BE BEING AS IT IS IN THE COUNTY.
UM, SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE COUNTY, IF, YOU KNOW, IF THE COUNTY ALLOWS IT, THEN GREAT.
BUT, UM, IF THEY DON'T, THEN WE DON'T WANNA PUT THEM IN A LITTLE BIT OF A CATCH BETWEEN THOSE JURISDICTIONS.
UM, BECAUSE IT IS, IT WOULD BE UP TO THE COUNTY TO DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT THE SIDEWALK IS APPROPRIATE THERE.
AND THAT IS MINE GOING OFF LOOK LIKE NOPE OR NOTHING THERE? UM, IT WOULD JUST BE ON THE TWO DRIVEWAYS AND NOT ON THE ROAD ITSELF.
INCORPORATE PEDESTRIAN BIKE AND MULTIMODAL DESIGN INTO THE PROPERTY DRIVEWAYS TO ALLOW FOR GREATER AND SAFER ACCESSIBILITY TO ROADWAYS RATHER THAN NAMING THEM SPECIFICALLY.
ANYTHING ELSE, UH, BEFORE ELIZABETH FUNK WATERSHED, JUST THAT NEEDS EITHER A VOTE OR IF THERE'S ANY OBJECTIONS TO THAT AMENDMENT? ARE THERE ANY OBJECTIONS TO THAT AMENDMENT? SEEING NONE, IT GOES.
[00:50:01]
AND I THINK WE CAN GO AHEAD ANDUM, ALL IN, UH, FAVOR, GO AHEAD AND RAISE YOUR HAND.
AND I, DO I NEED TO DO A ROLL CALL ON ALL THAT? NO.
NOBODY ABSTAINS AND NOBODY OBJECTS.
[3. Presentation on Austin’s reservoirs monitoring and management efforts — Brent Bellinger, Conservation Program Supervisor, Watershed Protection Department ]
OF AUSTIN'S RESERVOIRS MONITORING AND MANAGEMENT EFFORTS.BRENT BELLINGER WITH WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENT, CONSERVATION PROGRAM SUPERVISOR.
UM, BUT CUT AND FILL VARIANCES.
I'M VERY EXCITED TO SEE, UH, WHAT COMES OUT OF THIS TALK.
UM, I'M HERE, UH, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OF YOU ARE NEW, UH, IN THE LAST YEAR, YEAR AND A HALF.
UM, IF YOU ARE WELCOME, UM, I GET INVITED HERE JUST ABOUT EVERY YEAR, UH, TO GIVE UPDATES ON SOME OF THE MONITORING, WHAT JUST KIND OF THE OVERALL STATUS OF OUR RESERVOIRS ARE RESERVOIRS BEING IN OUR JURISDICTION, LAKE AUSTIN, LADYBIRD LAKE, AND LAKE WALTER LONG, OR DECKER LAKE, I WON'T CALL IT TOWN LAKE.
SO IT'S, IT'S GONNA BE LADYBIRD LAKE.
UM, I GIVE UPDATES, AND THEN I ALSO PRESENT SOME OF THE ONGOING RESEARCH, UH, THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME THINGS THAT I DO IN COLLABORATION WITH OTHER ENTITIES, UH, RESEARCH THAT'S GOING ON JUST WITHIN OUR GROUP.
UM, JUST TO KEEP YOU ALL KIND OF AWARE OF KIND OF WHAT'S GOING ON OUR WATERWAYS, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE HOT BUTTON TOPICS, ET CETERA.
SO, UM, THIS HAS BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS.
UM, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A LOT GOING ON THIS SUMMER.
UM, BUT I'M GLAD TO BE HERE, UH, FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
UH, JUST KIND OF AN OVERVIEW, UM, FOR THE TALK, UH, I'LL BE GOING OVER JUST KIND OF PRESENTING.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, UH, IS IN THE STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT, THE AUSTIN LAKES INDEX.
THIS IS THE KIND OF RESERVOIR COUNTERPART TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL INTEGRITY INDEX.
THIS IS, UH, SOMETHING ELSE THAT'S GENERATED BY, UH, MY GROUP EVERY YEAR.
THEY LOOK AT THE CREEKS, UH, THROUGHOUT THE, UM, AUSTIN AREA, UM, AND BASED ON A VARIETY OF PARAMETERS COME UP WITH, UH, THESE OVERALL CONDITION SCORES.
AND THAT KIND OF HELPS DRIVE, UM, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE INVEST SOME OF OUR, UM, ENGINEERING DOLLARS AND, AND PUT EFFORT INTO TRYING TO REHABILITATE HYDROLOGY OR WATER QUALITY, ET CETERA.
AND WE REALLY KIND OF HAVE THE SAME, UH, GOALS THERE.
THERE'S A LOT OF, UH, OTHER STRESSORS AND CONSTRAINTS WITH THE RESERVOIRS, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF WHO MANAGES THE, THE ACTUAL WATER FLOWS, THE TIMING, THE MAGNITUDE OF THOSE THINGS, UM, UH, IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT PARTNERS ACTING ON THIS, THIS, AND JUST KIND OF THE SIZE OF THE WATERSHEDS THAT ACT ON THE RESERVOIRS.
BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ABLE TO KIND OF COLLATE A VARIETY OF, OF THINGS INTO THESE SCORES.
AND, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS UNDERSTAND KIND OF, YOU KNOW, THESE CHANGES YEAR TO YEAR.
UM, YOU KNOW, AS YOU DEVELOP A LARGER DATA SET, YOU CAN START LOOKING FOR PATTERNS AND TRENDS.
AND, YOU KNOW, REALLY WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS.
IF IT'S SMALL SCALE SITE SCALE, UH, OR LARGER THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HOPE, YOU KNOW, WE CAN WORK WITH PARTNERS OR OTHER ON TO, UM, IMPLEMENT AT THE LARGER SCALE.
AGAIN, WATERSHED, YOU KNOW, YOU COULD CONSIDER ALL OF THOSE SMALLER WATERSHEDS, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT GO INTO THE EII AS YOU KNOW, JUST CONTRIBUTING TO LAKE AUSTIN OR CONTRIBUTING TO LABOR BIRD LAKE, OR, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING THAT'S LAKE TRAVIS.
SO THE WATERSHED TAKES ON A VERY DIFFERENT SCALE.
UM, WITH THE RESERVOIRS, I'M GONNA FOCUS ON KIND OF THREE, UH, AREAS FOR TONIGHT.
AND THESE ARE, UH, PART OF THE, THE OVERALL SCORE OF THE INDEX, UM, FOR, FOR A LI, THE AUSTIN LAKES INDEX AQUATIC VEGETATION.
UM, I THINK I PRESENTED ON THIS LAST TIME I WAS HERE.
UM, THIS, THIS IS, UH, YOU KNOW, FOR LAKE AUSTIN AND LADY BIRD LAKE, UH, VEGETATION, VERY MUCH WAXES AND WANES WITH HYDROLOGY, WITH FLOODS, BUT THEN ALSO WITH ACTIVE MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES.
UM, AND IT'S, IT'S VERY HARD TO KIND OF GET THAT DIALED IN TO FINALLY KIND OF THE CATCH MEOW, YOU KNOW, SWEET SPOT OF THAT.
UM, AND I'LL KIND OF GO OVER THAT.
I'VE TALKED IN THE PAST KIND OF MORE TO THE ECOLOGY, THE ECOLOGICAL ROLES OF THE VEGETATION.
[00:55:01]
AND FOR TONIGHT IT'LL BE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF MORE SPECIFIC TO OUR MANAGEMENT OR, YOU KNOW, LACK THEREOF.UH, NEXT IS, SO THAT'S IN THE RESERVOIR, VEGETATION.
NEXT, WE'RE KIND OF, WE'RE GONNA GO RESERVOIR ADJACENT, SO WE'RE GONNA MOVE UP THE SHORELINE FROM, UH, THE SHORELINE ITSELF, KIND OF INTO THE RIPARIAN ZONE, THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU WANT TO CALL IT, UH, IN THESE SITE PLANS.
BUT THESE AREAS THAT ARE KIND OF THE, UH, LAST FILTERS, THE LAST PROTECTIONS FOR WHAT'S GOING INTO, UH, THE RESERVOIRS AND HOW ARE COATING CRITERIA, UM, YOU KNOW, IS USED TO TRY TO PROTECT THESE AREAS.
YOU KNOW, KIND OF SPECIFIC TO LAKE AUSTIN, COMMISSIONER KRUEGER, TO YOUR POINTS ABOUT PLANT SURVIVORSHIP, HOW THEY'RE PLANTED, THESE TYPES OF THINGS.
THIS IS, UH, GONNA BE IN YOUR WHEELHOUSE FOR TONIGHT.
AND THEN THIS ISN'T SOMETHING THAT'S SPECIFIC TO THE AUSTIN LAKES INDEX, BUT IT'S A CONTAMINANT OF EMERGING CONCERN.
AND THIS IS, UH, A GREAT COLLABORATION, UH, THAT WE'VE HAD WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, UH, LOOKING INTO MICROPLASTICS.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, THIS IS JUST KIND OF A FIRST STEP, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WILL, DIPPING OUR TOES INTO THE WATER OF WHAT DO THESE THINGS LOOK LIKE? WE KNOW MICROPLASTICS ARE OUT THERE, BUT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE, YOU KNOW, FOR AUSTIN.
UM, SO I'M EXCITED TO KIND OF SHARE SOME OF THOSE FINDINGS.
UH, SO WE'LL START WITH THE AUSTIN LEAKS INDEX SCORE.
UM, THIS GOES BACK, THIS, UH, PREDATES ME, UM, BUT KIND OF COLLECTING THE DATA IN A SIMILAR MANNER SO THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THESE COMPARISONS YEAR TO YEAR, AND YOU CAN SEE IT KIND OF VARIES AT THIS SCALE.
DOESN'T GO ALL THE WAY UP TO A HUNDRED.
UM, OUR SCORES GENERALLY VARY 45 TO 65 BETWEEN THE RESERVOIRS.
AND IT'S LIKE, OKAY, SO WE HAVE FARED, UH, YOU KNOW, KIND OF GOOD CONDITION OUT IN THE SYSTEMS. AND AGAIN, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? WELL, THIS IS, AND IN, IN PREVIOUS YEARS, AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, THAT YOU CAN FIND FOR THE STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT.
YOU CAN LOOK AT ALL OF THOSE SUB INDICES AND METRICS THAT GO INTO THE SCORE.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S, YOU KNOW, KIND OF, UH, UH, THE FINAL PRODUCT.
UM, YOU KNOW, UH, IF YOU WILL, THE MEAT GRINDER, UH, FOR ALL THESE OTHER THINGS THAT ARE SMALL SCALE, THE BUG COMMUNITIES TO, UH, THE LARGE SCALE, YOU KNOW, THIS, UH, UH, ALGAE AND WATER QUALITY BACTERIA, UM, THE HABITAT.
UM, AND AGAIN, ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE KIND OF RESPONDING AT VERY DIFFERENT SCALES AS WELL.
SO NOT ONLY WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT DIFFERENT SCALES, THE RESPONSES, YOU KNOW, IS IT RESPONDING VERY QUICKLY, YEAR TO YEAR, TO FLOWS, TO FLUSHING, UH, TO STAGNATION, UM, YOU KNOW, DROUGHTS, ET CETERA.
UM, YOU KNOW, SO IT'S, IT'S A COMPLICATED THING THAT GOES INTO SAYING, WE HAVE A A LI SCORE FOR THIS YEAR OF 62.
ALRIGHT? BUT IT'S, IT, IT'S A STARTING POINT.
AND WHEN YOU START TO LOOK INTO THOSE COMPONENTS, YOU CAN, YOU REALLY GET A SENSE OF WHAT'S GOING ON OUT THERE AND, AND HOW DYNAMIC THESE SYSTEMS ARE.
SO AGAIN, SO THE FIRST TOPIC, WE'RE GONNA COVER AQUATIC VEGETATION, AND WE'RE GONNA START IN LAKE AUSTIN, UH, AT THE TOP OF THE, OF OUR, UM, KIND OF, UH, AREA, UH, OF MONITORING, UH, THAT GRAPH.
UM, THIS HAS BEEN KIND OF PASSED AROUND QUITE A BIT RECENTLY.
UM, AND WHAT YOU'RE SEEING HERE IS THROUGH TIME, UH, THE AMOUNT OF AQUATIC VEGETATION, THAT'S THE BAR CHART, UH, THE DIFFERENT COLORS ON THERE, THE DARK BARS, THAT'S HYDRILLA KIND OF SPECIFIC TO HYDRILLA OR HYDRILLA DOMINATED COMMUNITIES.
THE WHITE IS OTHER AQUATIC VEGETATION.
SO WE DO HAVE NON-NATIVE, OTHER NON-NATIVE SPECIES OUT THERE, EURASIAN WATERMILL FOIL.
WE HAVE A, A SUITE OF NATIVE SPECIES THAT ARE OUT THERE.
THEY ARE JUST KIND OF LUMPED IN THERE TOGETHER.
UM, AND THEN THAT BLACK LINE THAT YOU HAVE THERE, THIS IS THE NUMBER OF TRIPLO GRASS CARB THAT WE'RE, UH, IN THE SYSTEM WITH KIND OF A POPULATION ESTIMATE.
SO, YOU KNOW, EVERY YEAR A NUMBER OF GRASS CARP ARE, ARE DYING.
THEY'RE EATEN BY BIG BASS, THEY'RE EATEN BY CORAN GREEN HERONS, GREAT BLUE HERONS, ET CETERA.
SO THERE'S SOME LOSSES FROM THE SYSTEM AND, UH, TPWD ESTIMATES TRY TO TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT.
SO, YOU KNOW, YOU PUT SOME FISH IN THERE, SOME OF 'EM ARE LOST, THAT LINE BOUNCES UP AND DOWN.
YOU'LL NOTICE THOUGH, THAT KIND OF THE PEAK ESTIMATED PEAK, UH, YOU KNOW, FOLLOWED AT THE ONSET OF THE LAST DROUGHT, 2009, THE HYDRA JUST REALLY WASN'T BEHAVING.
NOTHING WAS KEEPING IT IN PLACE.
DRAWDOWNS WEREN'T WORKING, CARP WASN'T WORKING.
AND SO THEY JUST GOT REALLY AGGRESSIVE WITH THE STOCKING, UM, WITH THE KIND OF THE CONCLUSION OF THE DROUGHT AND WITH THE DENSITY OF, OF THE GRASS CARP.
THEN YOU GET THIS CRASH IN AQUATIC VEGETATION.
UH, SO I WALKED INTO, UH, A, AN EXCITING TIME FOR, UH, FOR LAKE AUSTIN.
UM, AND SO WITH, UH, WITH THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS AND THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS, WE SPENT THE LAST DECADE, UH, TRYING TO PROMOTE AND REESTABLISH NATIVE VEGETATION.
WE PUT IN BASICALLY ENCLOSURES, KEEP TURTLES AND GRASS CARP OUT, LET THESE PLANTS THRIVE.
[01:00:01]
WAS THAT ONCE THE GRASS CARP POPULATION, AS THAT LINE GOES DOWN AND CRASHES AS THE OLDER GRASS CARP, THEY CONSUME LESS PLANTS THAT THE NATIVE PLANTS WOULD MOVE BACK IN AND REESTABLISH THE SYSTEM.AND THE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE PIE IN THE SKY HOPE WAS THAT WITH ENOUGH TIME PASSING AND ENOUGH GRAZING THAT THE HYDRILLA WOULD NOT COME BACK.
WELL, AS YOU CAN SEE, 20, 23 LITTLE BIT OF VEG DIDN'T REALLY NOTICE HYDRILLA OUT THERE.
BUT OVER THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF, HYDRILLA COMING BACK, UM, AND THERE IS A LITTLE BUMP IN THAT LINE THERE.
THAT WAS THE RECENT 358 CRESS CAR THAT WERE PUT IN IN JULY.
NOW THIS IS A, UH, RESOURCE THAT'S USED BY A LOT OF PEOPLE.
UM, AND THERE'S A LOT OF, UH, PERSPECTIVES ON HOW, UH, THESE THINGS SHOULD BE MANAGED.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE ON THE ONE SIDE, UH, FOR THE HOMEOWNERS AND, AND THE RECREATIONAL BOATERS, THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE, UH, MORE PLANT MANAGEMENT.
THEY WANNA SEE THOSE BAR CHART, THOSE BARS, UH, KIND OF DOWN, SQUISH DOWN, RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE HABITAT AND SOME OF THE WATER QUALITY BENEFITS, UM, BUT MINIMIZING, UH, THOSE, THOSE UNWANTED INTERACTIONS WITH RECREATION.
UM, AND SO THERE'S, UH, THE VIEWS OF HOW GRASS CAR FOR OTHER THINGS SHOULD BE USED.
UH, BUT THEN YOU HAVE ON THE OTHER SIDE, YOU HAVE THE FISHERMEN'S PERSPECTIVE, AND THEY WANT THE LIGHTEST TOUCH POSSIBLE OUT THERE WITH THE VEGETATION MANAGEMENT.
GRASS PRODUCES BIG BASS AND, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF CHER LOANERS, A LOT OF BIG BASS HAVE BEEN PRODUCED IN LAKE AUSTIN.
AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT THEY'D LIKE TO SEE OUT THERE IS, AGAIN, LIGHT TOUCH, UM, WITH THE MANAGEMENT TO PROMOTE.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE VEGETATION FOR TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE, THEIR GOALS ARE KIND OF, UH, 15 TO 25% OF THE RESERVOIR AREA, BUT NOT EVERY RESERVOIR IS BUILT THE SAME.
LAKE AUSTIN NARROW SINUOUS, UH, THERE'S A LOT OF IT IS IN WHAT WE CALL KIND OF THE PHOTIC ZONE, EXACERBATED BY ZEBRA MUSSELS.
SO SUNLIGHT CAN GET EVEN DEEPER NOW TO THE BOTTOM, AND THAT JUST EXPANDS THE AREA THAT AQUATIC VEGETATION CAN GROW IN, UM, IN WHICH POSES, UH, SOME CHALLENGES AS WELL.
SO HOW ARE WE GOING TO MANAGE THIS? YOU KNOW, HOW ARE THOSE BARS, HOW ARE WE GONNA ADJUST AND ADAPT TO, UH, THOSE BARS? UH, WITH OUR PARTNERS AT TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE, THEY, UM, CONDUCT KIND OF THE VEGETATION SURVEYS.
THEY'RE GOING TO BE, THEY'VE SAID THEY'RE GONNA WORK WITH US TO TRY TO INCREASE THE FREQUENCY OF THOSE SURVEYS SO WE CAN KIND OF, UH, GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WITHIN THE YEAR, UH, HOW THE HYDRILLA THE AMOUNT OF HYDRO DRILL IS, IS EXPANDING, UM, OUT THERE AND HOW WE MANAGE IT.
YOU KNOW, ESSENTIALLY FOR WATERSHED PROTECTION, WE'RE TRYING TO DO AT THE SYSTEM SCALE, WE'RE TRYING TO MANAGE IT AT THE LARGE SCALE AND THE GRASS CARPET, KIND OF THE BEST APPROACH, UM, AT THE SYSTEM SCALE FOR THIS.
UM, THE RESULTS MAY NOT BE AS QUICK AS MIGHT BE WANTED, BUT THESE THINGS LIVE, YOU KNOW, A DECADE OR SO CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING FOR MOST OF THAT TIME.
YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH THEY'RE GRAZING, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY VARIES.
WHEN THEY'RE YOUNGER, THEY'RE MORE VORACIOUS, THEY'RE CONSUMING MORE.
BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT PROVIDES, YOU KNOW, ON A COST BASIS A MUCH, UH, BETTER, UH, APPROACH AT THE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF SITE SCALE, YOU KNOW, WHERE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE MECHANICAL HARVESTING IS KIND OF THE BEST APPROACH.
UM, YOU KNOW, DOING A CLEAR OUT AROUND DOCKS, COVES, BACK WATERS, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS.
UM, SO WE'RE, YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE KIND OF THE APPROACHES.
WHAT YOU DON'T SEE UP THERE ARE DRAWDOWNS SOMETHING THAT WAS POPULAR FOR A LONG TIME FOR LAKE AUSTIN, BUT THE DATA REALLY DOESN'T SUPPORT, UH, A, A GOOD CONTROL OF HYDRILLA THE NEXT YEAR.
AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, YOU CLEAR OUT ALL THE NATIVE PLANTS OR OTHER PLANTS FROM AN AREA YOU EXPOSE THAT THE PLANT THAT CAN SPREAD BY FRAGMENTATION AND GROW THE FASTEST IS GONNA GET THERE FIRST.
AND SO FOR A COUPLE YEARS AFTER HYDRILLA WAS INTRODUCED, YOU DON'T HAVE ANY GRASS CARPET IN THE SYSTEM.
AND WHAT YOU SEE THAT FOLLOWING SUMMER AFTER A DRAWDOWN IS MORE HYDRILLA IN MORE AREAS OF THE LAKE.
SO, BUT THIS IS THE CHALLENGE 'CAUSE IT'S, IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS USED FOR AQUATIC PLANT MANAGEMENT IN A LOT OF SYSTEMS. IT'S JUST HYDRILLA, UH, DOESN'T SEEM TO BEHAVE, UH, IN THOSE MANNERS.
AND AGAIN, A LOT OF, UH, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ON HOW TO DO THIS MANAGEMENT THAT WE'RE TRYING TO, UH, TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION AND, AND, UH, BE RECEPTIVE TO, UM, ALL OF THESE VIEWS.
AND IT'S ALSO, I THINK, IMPORTANT TO, TO REMEMBER THAT LAKE AUSTIN IS OUR DRINKING WATER SUPPLY, FLOOD CONVEYANCE, FLOOD WATER CONVEYANCE.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE VEGETATION, WE DON'T WANT THAT GUMMING UP ANY OF THOSE GEARS AS WELL.
SO SOME MANAGEMENT IS NECESSARY.
THE EXTENT IN HOW TO DO IT IS, IS KIND OF THE CHALLENGE, GETTING THAT DIALED IN.
LADYBIRD LAKE, THE NEXT ONE DOWN.
UH, THIS SYSTEM IS PERPLEXING THAT IT DOESN'T HAVE HYDRILLA.
I'VE SEEN HYDRILLA FLOATING AROUND.
IT JUST DOESN'T SEEM TO WANT TO GROW THERE.
UH, INSTEAD WHAT WE HAVE IS A NATIVE PLANT, UH,
[01:05:01]
FAN WART, KA OBAMACARE, CAROL LINEA.UM, AND THIS IS THE PLANT THAT'S VERY SUSCEPTIBLE TO, UH, FLUSHING EVENTS, TO FLOOD EVENTS.
WE HAVEN'T HAD ANYTHING SINCE 2018.
AND SO THIS IS A PLANT THAT'S BEEN VERY, UH, UH, ROBUST IN ITS GROWTH OUT THERE.
UH, IT'S VERY SEASONAL IN ITS DYNAMICS.
UH, BUT FOR THE MOST PART, FALL TO SPRING, UH, IT'S GROWING.
IT'S, YOU KNOW, A FEW FEET BELOW THE WATER, YOU KNOW, SINCE YOU DON'T HAVE REALLY ANY MOTOR TRAFFIC OUT THERE, MOTORBOATS OUT THERE, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT INTERFERING WITH, WITH THE PROPS, UH, TO THAT EXTENT.
LIKE, LIKE, UH, LIKE IN LAKE AUSTIN WHERE YOU HAVE WATER GIN CLEAR, UM, IT DOESN'T GROW AS DENSELY AS HYDRILLA IN THE WATER COLUMN.
YOU HAVE NATIVE PLANTS, UH, THERE'S, THERE'S ABOVE MOPAC, THIS CARNIVOROUS PLANT, U AREA BLADDER WART THAT GROWS INTERSPERSED WITH A BLADDER WAR.
IT'S, IT'S, IT'S JUST A PHENOMENAL LOOKING, UH, SYSTEM.
IN THE SUMMER, THOUGH, YOU DO GET IT KIND OF WHAT WE SAY TOPPING OUT, UM, IT'S VERY WEAKLY ROOTED, SO IT'S, IT GETS DISTURBED, UH, IT FLOATS UP, IT CREATES THESE RAFTS.
THEY MOVE AROUND WITH THE WIND, WITH THE NIGHTLY DISCHARGES FROM THE ULAR DAM.
SO THEY JUST KIND OF MOVE BACK AND FORTH.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, THERE HAVE BEEN, UM, ISSUES IN THE PAST WHERE THE GROWTH HAS GOTTEN REALLY DENSE AROUND, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY FIRST STREET TO KIND OF, UM, WALLER CREEK.
AND THAT'S WHERE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES AND, AND CONCESSIONERS, UM, THAT HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, KIND OF CONCERNED WITH, UH, IMPACTS TO THEIR BUSINESSES.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THEY, THEY, IT COLLECTS TRASH IF THERE'S A SIGN OF BACTERIA GROWING MIX IN WITH THIS.
AND SO THERE, SO THERE'S SOME THINGS, THERE'S SOME CONSIDERATIONS WITH THIS.
UM, OUR APPROACH HAS BEEN A VERY LIGHT TOUCH WITH THIS.
WE'VE JUST RECOMMENDED TO THE CONCESSIONERS, UH, TO DO, YOU KNOW, UH, REMOVALS, MECHANICAL REMOVALS AS NEEDED.
THE MAIN CHANNEL, UM, OF THE OLD RIVER IS ACTUALLY KIND OF EVIDENT IN HOW THE HYDRO IN THE, UH, HOW THE KA BABA GROWS.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, AS THEY NEED ACCESS TO THE KIND OF CENTER LINE, UH, CREATING THOSE CHANNELS, UH, TO MAINTAIN THEIR, UH, RECREATIONAL USES.
UH, BUT THIS IS ONE THAT, UH, THIS YEAR WE REALLY DIDN'T HAVE TOO MANY ISSUES.
I I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S CORRELATED WITH, BECAUSE WE HAD SO MANY FEWER A HUNDRED DEGREE DAYS, UM, YOU KNOW, CHANGES IN WATER TEMPERATURES IF IT WAS OUR JULY FLOODING, KIND OF MAKING THE WATER A BIT MORE TURAY, THAT KIND OF STIFLED GROWTH TO A DEGREE.
AGAIN, THESE ARE THINGS THAT YOU CAN ANSWER MORE WITH LONG-TERM DATA SETS.
UM, INSTEAD OF TRYING TO LOOK AT IT YEAR TO YEAR, WALTER LONG, UM, PHENOMENAL RESOURCE.
UH, RIGHT NOW IT'S DRAWN DOWN, UH, GEEZ, I DON'T KNOW, 6, 8, 10 FEET, UH, ROUGHLY.
THEY'RE DOING, UH, WORK ON THE DAM, UH, ON THE OUTFALL THERE.
SO THIS IS THE WATER LEVEL BEING DOWN, UM, WAS OUT THERE, UH, JUST TO KIND OF GET A LOOK AT IT.
UM, THIS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF HAS, HAS THE CHARACTERISTICS MORE OF WHAT YOU KNOW, OF A, OF A REAL LAKE STARTING, NO, NO OFFENSE INTENDED, BUT YOU KNOW, IT, IT, IT HAS, YOU KNOW, MORE OF THE OVAL LOOK TO IT, IT DROPS OFF VERY QUICKLY.
AND SO THE VEGETATION IS CONSTRICTED TO A MUCH MORE NARROW ZONE.
AND SO IT'S, IT DOESN'T HAVE THE SAME TYPES OF, UH, USED INTERACTIONS THAT YOU HAVE IN THE NARROW SYSTEMS, THE SHALLOW SYSTEMS OF LAKE AUSTIN AND LADY BIRD LAKE.
AND EVEN WITH HYDRA OUT THERE, UH, IT'S KIND OF ISOLATED IN ITS DISTRIBUTION.
IT VERY MUCH WAXES AND WANES IN ITS ABUNDANCES OUT THERE WITH, SINCE THE POWER PLANT CLOSED, I DON'T THINK THERE'S BEEN ANY ACTIVE MANAGEMENT, UM, AT THE DISCHARGES.
AND IT'S, I THINK, ONE OF THE MOST UNDERAPPRECIATED, UH, FISHERIES, UM, THAT'S, THAT'S OUT THERE.
UM, AND AGAIN, VERY LIGHT TOUCH.
WE JUST KIND OF LET THAT THING GO, LET IT DO ITS THING.
AND, UH, IT'S, IT'S JUST TREMENDOUS.
ALRIGHT, SO COMMISSIONER KRUEGER, THIS IS, WE'RE GETTING AT THAT.
SO LET'S, LET'S GO FROM IN THE WATER, THE QUOTE UNQUOTE THE WEEDS.
AND NOW LET'S GO TO THE SHORELINE AND TO THE RIPARIAN AREA THAT'S COLLECTIVELY THE SHORE ZONE.
UH, KIND OF THOSE THREE MARGINS, UM, THAT ARE OUT THERE.
AND THIS IS, THIS SONG'S GONNA BE SPECIFIC TO, FOR THIS PORTION OF IT, SPECIFIC TO LAKE AUSTIN, BECAUSE LADY BIRD LAKE IS PARKLAND AROUND IT.
WE DON'T HAVE THE DEVELOPMENT, WE DON'T HAVE THOSE DEVELOPMENT PRESSURES.
I'LL IGNORE THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT DISTRICT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF BITS AND THINGS GOING ON OUT THERE.
BUT FOR THE MOST PART, UH, UH, VEGETATED, UH, IN, IN GOOD SHAPE, IT DOESN'T HAVE ALSO THE BOAT TRAFFIC.
YOU DON'T HAVE THE WAKE BOATS AND THESE THINGS, YOU KNOW, THAT ARE IMPACTING AND ERODING THE SHORELINES TO THE SAME EXTENT.
UM, SO THIS IS LOOKING AT LAKE AUSTIN, UM, YOU KNOW, THE UNDEVELOPED LANDS, YOU KNOW, THERE ON THE LEFT, WHAT IS OUR NATURAL, YOU KNOW, QUOTE UNQUOTE LANDSCAPE VARIETY OF, OF, OF VEGETATION THAT'S GROWING OUT THERE.
UM, AND THEN WHAT YOU TEND TO SEE, AND THIS IS NOT SPECIFIC TO AUSTIN BY ANY MEANS, UM, THIS IS, YOU KNOW, NATIONWIDE IS, UH, PUTTING IN A SEA WALL ALONG YOUR SHORELINE, PROTECTED FROM EROSION.
[01:10:01]
YOU KNOW, CREATES THIS CLEAR BARRIER.AND THEN YOU HAVE LAWNS AND LANDSCAPING, UH, REPLACING THE NET OF VEGETATION.
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR IS THE MIDDLE GROUND THERE.
YOU KNOW, HAVING YOUR ACCESS, HAVING YOUR BOTOX, UM, BUT ALSO PROVIDING A ROBUST VEGETATED COMMUNITY, UH, SOMETHING A BIT MORE NATURAL AT YOUR SHORELINE IF IT, IF IT'S RIP WRAP OR IF IT'S A LIVING SHORELINE TYPE OF THING THAT'S THERE.
SO YOU HAVE THESE ECOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS, UH, BEING BETTER PRESERVED, UM, THERE.
AND SO, CODING CRITERIA, UM, FOR LAKE AUSTIN, UM, I WAS, I WAS A REVIEWER WHEN I FIRST STARTED HERE FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, UH, WORKING WITH LIZ, LIZ, ANDREW COMMON.
UM, IT REALLY HELPED KIND OF OPEN MY EYES, YOU KNOW, TO WHAT, WHAT THESE THINGS LOOK LIKE, HOW, HOW THESE MANAGEMENT APPROACHES WORK.
UM, BUT THE, THE CODING CRITERIA, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT THE, YOU KNOW, VERY SPECIFIC TO THE SHORELINE FOR DIFFERENT PROJECTS, THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE, UM, UH, PROTECTION, UM, OR, OR REMEDIATE, UH, RESTORATION OF CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES LIKE WETLANDS, UM, OR RIM ROCKS OR THESE THINGS, UH, THE OVERALL FLOODPLAIN.
SO, YOU KNOW, THERE'S DIFFERENT, UH, CRITERIA SPECIFIC TO THESE THINGS.
FOR THIS PROJECT, I WANTED TO LOOK AT THE MOST CONTEMPORARY KIND OF CODE, UH, AMENDMENTS THAT WERE OUT THERE.
SO THIS IS KIND OF THE POST 2010, UH, CODE, UH, THAT KIND OF, YOU COULD SAY, GOT THE MOST PROTECTIVE, UM, OF THAT.
AND IT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF UPPED, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW YOU DID YOUR SHORELINES.
YOU KNOW, INSTEAD OF JUST HAVING A VERTICAL WALL, THAT YOU HAD TO HAVE SOMETHING AT A ONE-TO-ONE SLOPE.
UM, IF YOU WERE GONNA PUT IN, UH, A BULKHEAD, YOU HAD TO HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, NATURAL MATERIAL ON ITS FACE.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE AMOUNT OF VEGETATION THAT YOU HAD TO PLANT BACK IF YOU HAD TO, YOU KNOW, DO SOMETHING CLOSE TO A WETLAND OR IMPACT TO WETLAND.
YOU KNOW, PROVIDING MITIGATION ON A ONE-TO-ONE BASIS.
SHORELINE WORK THREE TO ONE BASIS IF YOU'RE IMPACTING THE CRITICAL, IF YOU'RE PUTTING IN A BEACH.
UM, IMPROVING THE OVERALL FLOODPLAIN HEALTH, UM, OUT THERE.
SO AGAIN, TRYING TO FIND THAT MIDDLE GROUND WITH, YOU KNOW, WHAT, UH, THE RESIDENTS, YOU KNOW, WOULD LIKE TO HAVE.
BUT THEN ALSO ECOLOGICALLY SPEAKING, WHAT WE'D LIKE TO PROTECT, UH, THE WATER, YOU KNOW, THE WATER QUALITY AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT WAS, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT KIND OF HELPED SPUR SOME OF THIS, UH, SPUR SOME OF THIS, UM, BACK THEN WAS THE US EPAS FIRST, UH, LAKES INDEX.
YOU KNOW, ESSENTIALLY THEY WENT OUT THERE AND THEY DID, UH, ESSENTIALLY THE AUSTIN LAKES INDEX AT A NATIONAL SCALE WENT TO LAKES OF ALL DIFFERENT SIZES, DIFFERENT REGIONS.
AND WHAT THEY FOUND ON A CONSISTENT BASIS WAS YOU COULD ESSENTIALLY PREDICT THE OVERALL ECOLOGICAL CONDITION OF A LAKE.
AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST, UH, DRIVERS OF GOOD OR BAD CONDITION WAS HOW MANY RESIDENCES, UM, AND DEVELOPMENTS THERE WERE AROUND THAT SHORELINE.
AND, YOU KNOW, FOR, YOU CAN THINK ABOUT IT, THE VEGETATION CLEARING, REMOVING THAT WATER QUALITY IF YOU HAVE SEPTIC, UH, NOW YOU'VE NO LONGER KIND OF PROVIDED, UM, ANY OF THAT, THOSE NUTRIENT REMOVAL PROCESSES, ET CETERA.
UM, VERY STRONG, YOU KNOW, THE FISHERY, EVERYTHING, THE SUBSIDIES THAT GO BACK AND FORTH, EVERYTHING WAS NEGATIVELY IMPACTED AS YOU HAD MORE DEVELOPMENTS OUT THERE.
SO, AGAIN, DEC CODING CRITERIA, UH, THIS SITE PLAN, UM, WON'T GO INTO THE DETAILS OF IT, BUT ESSENTIALLY WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT HERE IS, UH, DOCK SHORELINE AND SOME, UM, TERRACING, UM, AT THIS SITE.
UM, THEY PROVIDE OUT THERE ALL THOSE DIFFERENT SYMBOLS OR DIFFERENT PLANT SPECIES.
UM, SO YOU CAN SEE THE DIVERSITY AND THE NUMBER OF PLANTS THAT ARE REQUIRED BY CODE TO COMPLY WITH.
UH, THERE WAS A CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURE HERE, UH, TO COMPLY WITH CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE, UH, IMPACT, SHORELINE IMPACTS, UM, ET CETERA.
UM, SO ALL OF THAT WAS, THIS IS WHAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE OUT THERE.
THIS IS WHAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE OUT THERE WHEN THE PROJECT GETS CLOSED.
SO VERY, VERY BASIC RESEARCH QUESTION IS, ARE THOSE PLANTS THAT, AND THOSE SPECIES, THAT DIVERSITY AND QUANTITY PERSISTING STRAIGHTFORWARD.
WE KNOW WHAT THESE THINGS LOOK LIKE BASED ON THE SITE PLAN.
AND SO WE WANTED TO GO OUT THERE AND LOOK FOR, UH, WHAT WAS, WHAT WAS OUTLINED AND WHEN IT WAS CLOSED IN THEORY, UH, WAS PRESENT.
UM, WE LOOKED AT, WE PULLED DOWN SITE PLANS, DS AND DSS, UH, FROM 2010 THROUGH ABOUT 2020, UH, THE PROJECTS AFTER THAT, THEY, THEY'VE TENDED TO STILL BE, UM, OPEN PROJECTS OR OTH OTHERWISE.
SO 2020 WAS KIND OF THE CUTOFF, UM, OF SOMETHING LIKE 115 SITE PLANS.
WE PULLED DOWN, 84 OF 'EM HAD, UH, BEEN CLOSED IN THE AMANDA SYSTEM.
UM, BUT ALL OF THOSE WERE, YOU KNOW, FOLLOWING THESE, UH, 2010, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE MOST CONTEMPORARY CODE, UH, RULES.
AND WE LOOKED AT, AGAIN, WE, WE TOOK, UH, FOR THE NUMBER OF SPECIES, UH, THAT WERE PROPOSED, AND THE TOTAL NUMBER
[01:15:01]
OF PLANTS PROPOSED.IF IT WAS ONE GALLON, IF IT WAS A THREE GALLON OF FIVE GALLON, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY WERE THERE.
AND WE KIND OF CONVERTED THAT INTO A PERCENTAGE AND VERY, GIVE IT JUST A VERY BASIC ONE TO SIX SCORE, ONE BAD, SIX, PHENOMENAL, UH, LIKE JUST OVER THE TOP.
UH, SO THIS WAS A DEMONSTRATION PROJECT AT AL LONG PARK, CITY PARK YOU WANT, UM, THIS WAS, UH, JUST A VERTICAL OLD WOOD BULKHEAD, UH, THAT WAS BEHIND THE PARKING LOT, UH, BETWEEN TWO, UH, THE TWO BOAT DOCKS OR BOAT, BOAT RAMPS, UH, THAT WERE THERE.
UH, MY COLLEAGUE ANDREW KLEIN, UM, ESSENTIALLY DESIGNED ALL OF THIS.
UM, HE SET IT UP WITH TERRACING LIVING, SHORELINES, PLANTING UP A WETLAND ZONE, A TRANSITIONAL ZONE, A ZURICH ZONE, CAPTURING SOME OF THE RUNOFF FROM THE PARKING LOT.
AND IT'S JUST GONE ABSOLUTELY GANGBUSTERS.
A LOT OF THE VEGETATION THAT WAS PLANTED IS STILL THERE.
BUT WHAT YOU ALSO HAVE IS JUST A LOT OF RECRUITMENT.
WHEN YOU'RE NOT MOWING, WHEN YOU'RE NOT TRIMMING, WHEN YOU'RE NOT WEED EATING, THIS IS WHAT THINGS CAN TURN INTO VERY RAPIDLY OUT THERE.
AND EVEN THEN IN THE FRONT, UH, OF THE SHORELINE, THERE'S A BIT OF RIP WRAP.
UM, THERE'S ALGAE THAT GROWS ON THE ROCKS.
YOU HAVE OTHER VEGETATION THAT'S, THAT'S MOVING IN, UH, IN THIS AREA.
AND DESPITE THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE A LOT OF BOAT TRAFFIC, WAKE BOATS, ET CETERA, UM, WHAT YOU GET HERE IS JUST A, A COMPLETE, UM, I DUNNO WHAT THE WORD I'M LOOKING FOR WITH THE WAVES.
THERE'S JUST NO RETURN ON THE WAVES.
AND UNLIKE THE OTHER PARTS OF THAT SHORELINE, IT'S ALSO BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, EVEN WITH A LITTLE BIT OF, OF DEFLECTION OFF OF THE FACES, UM, YOU'RE NOT GETTING THAT CHURNING UP OF, OF THE STAND THAT'S THERE.
SO, I MEAN, IT REALLY DOES TAKE OUT THAT ENERGY AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IMPROVE THINGS.
ALRIGHT, SO THAT'S, YOU KNOW, WHAT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF WHAT WE CONSIDERED A SIX.
THERE WAS, YOU KNOW, ALL THE PLANTS WE EXPECTED WERE THERE AND, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE, HAD GROWN, SPREAD, ET CETERA.
THIS ONE, UH, THIS SITE, IT WAS, UH, IT WAS A FOUR.
IT WAS KIND OF RIGHT IN THAT, YOU KNOW, MIDDLE IT, IT BASICALLY MET ALL THE EXPECTATIONS.
UM, THEY FOLLOWED THE SITE PLAN, THE NUMBER OF SPECIES, UH, DIVERSITY AND NUMBER OF PLANTS.
UM, YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S, SO THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, IN THAT MIDDLE GROUND, WAS THAT FOUR.
AND THEN, UH, AN EXAMPLE OF A SITE THAT, UM, DID NOT MEET THE EXPECTATIONS, UM, AND, AND IN FACT JUST COMPLETELY SIDED IT OVER.
UM, THIS WAS, UH, THE, THE SHORELINE, THE ENTIRE SHORELINE WAS A WETLAND.
THEY HAD, UM, SOME NON-NATIVE PLANTS THERE.
SO LIKE ALL I REMOVED THE NON-NATIVE PLANTS.
WE HAVE AN AREA THOUGH, THAT HAD SOME NICE NATIVE WETLAND PLANTS.
UM, SO WE WANTED THAT PRESERVED.
WE HAD ANOTHER SIDE OF THE SHORELINE, UM, WHERE, WHERE TO DO MITIGATION PLANTINGS.
UM, AND SO THEY KIND OF HAD THESE TWO AREAS THAT WERE SUPPOSED TO EXIST.
UM, NONE OF THAT, UH, OCCURRED.
SO TO, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF, WE GOTTA HAVE GRAPHS.
UM, IT'S NOT A BRENT TALK OTHERWISE, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AT ACROSS THOSE 84 SITES, THE NUMBER OF REQUIRED PLANTS THAT'S OUT THERE, UH, ON THE X AXIS, THEN YOU LOOK AT, WHEN WE WENT OUT THERE, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY OF THOSE ONE GALLON PLANTS OR THREE GALLON PLANTS, HOW MANY OF THOSE WERE STILL OUT THERE ON THE YXI? THE ONE-TO-ONE LINE, UH, IS KIND OF OUR CHECK.
IF YOU'RE REALLY CLOSE TO THE ONE-TO-ONE LINE, YOU'RE PROBABLY A FOUR.
IF YOU'RE ABOVE THAT LINE, YOU'RE A FIVE OR SIX.
UH, AND YOU CAN KIND OF SEE WHERE THAT DISTRIBUTION LIES.
UH, MOST OF THOSE THINGS ARE WELL BELOW IT.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, WE DO HAVE THESE SITES.
WE'RE IN GENERAL, UH, THE PLANTS WERE BEING PROTECTED.
AND THIS IS JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS GOING BACK OUT, REVISITING SITES AFTER IT'S CLOSED IS JUST NOT KIND OF BUILT INTO THE SYSTEM, UNFORTUNATELY.
UM, YOU KNOW, OUR ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWERS, UH, THE INSPECTORS, I MEAN, THESE GUYS ARE ALREADY TAXED.
UM, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY'RE RUNNING, THEY'RE TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH CONTEMPORANEOUS SITE PLANS AND PROJECTS THAT ARE ONGOING.
UM, BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, UH, WAS, WAS, WAS, YOU KNOW, WE FOUND AND, AND KIND OF POINTED OUT IN THIS PROJECT, AND WE'RE LOOKING AT POSSIBLY DOING THIS.
SO AGAIN, THIS WAS SPECIFIC TO LAKE AUSTIN.
WHAT WOULD THIS LOOK LIKE, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR WETLAND PRESERVATION OR SITE PLANS THAT HAD WETLANDS ACROSS THE CITY.
YOU KNOW, HOW WELL HAVE THOSE BEEN PROTECTED? HOW WELL ARE THE MITIGATION PLANTINGS, UH, PERSEVERING OUT THERE AT THESE OTHER SITES? SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, MIGHT BE A PROJECT.
AND IN TERMS OF THE SURVIVORSHIP, UM, COMMISSIONER KRUEGER, UH, THE WORD YOU'RE LOOKING FOR, THE CLUMPING, UH, UH, A NERD SCIENTIST CAME UP WITH THE WORD FACILITATION THAT IF YOU'RE PLANTING ON, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING LIKE THREE FOOT OR FIVE FOOT CENTERS, THE PLANTS JUST SURVIVORSHIP IS LOWER THAN IF YOU'RE GROUPING THE PLANTS, UH, CLOSER TOGETHER.
[01:20:01]
UM, SO THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE IN, UH, IN ESS AND COASTAL AREAS, UH, PREVIOUSLY, WHETHER OR NOT, YOU KNOW, HOW THAT WOULD IMPACT SURVIVORSHIP HERE VERSUS JUST SAYING, HEY, DON'T PUT IN A LAWN ON TOP OF YOUR PLANTS, YOU KNOW, TO BE DETERMINED.LAST BUT NOT LEAST, MICROPLASTICS.
UM, I GAVE A TALK, UH, WITH, WITH SOME OF THIS DATA, UH, THIS PAST YEAR IN A SPECIAL SESSION.
IT WAS REALLY KIND OF ENLIGHTENING SOME OF THE REALLY NEAT RESEARCH THAT'S GOING OUT THERE.
AND NOT JUST THE PERVASIVENESS OF MICROPLASTICS.
YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY KNOWS ABOUT THE BIG PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF MICROPLASTICS.
UM, BUT HOW, UH, THE MICROPLASTICS ARE EVERYWHERE, GETTING INTO EVERYTHING ARE TOP TO BOTTOM IN HUMANS.
AND THEN WHAT ARE THEY, YOU KNOW, CARRYING WITH THEM, YOU KNOW, IF THEY HAVE CHARGED SURFACES, WHAT ARE THEY CARRYING WITH THEM? IS IT VIRUSES? UH, IS IT, YOU KNOW, OTHER CONTAMINANTS, PFOS, PFAS, YOU KNOW, WHAT ELSE IS OUT THERE? VERY EXCITING AREA, UH, DEPENDING ON HOW YOU LOOK AT THINGS, UH, FOR, FOR RESEARCH, BUT DEFINITELY SOMETHING OF CONCERN, UH, THAT'S OUT THERE.
YOU KNOW, THEY'RE THE MICROPLASTICS THEMSELVES.
SOME OF THEM ARE MANUFACTURED, UH, LES AND OTHER THINGS ARE ACTUALLY PURPOSELY MADE.
UM, THERE HAVE BEEN STEPS TAKEN WITH SOME OF THE, LIKE MICROBEADS THAT USED TO BE IN LIKE EXFOLIANTS.
YOU KNOW, THOSE THINGS HAVE BEEN REMOVED NOW AND THEY HAVE MORE NATURAL PRODUCTS.
UM, SO THAT THAT'S, YOU KNOW, NO LONGER GOING IN.
BUT SOME OF THESE THINGS ARE DEVELOPED ON PURPOSE.
OTHERS, THEY'RE JUST BREAKDOWN PRODUCTS OF JUST FRICTION.
AGAIN, YOU GET SOMETHING THAT'S, YOU KNOW, LESS THAN FIVE MILLIMETERS, IT LOOKS LIKE A PLANKTON AND IT'S GONNA BE EATEN BY SOMETHING.
UH, YOU KNOW, YOU SEE THE, THE TRAGIC PICTURES OF BIRDS AND OTHER ANIMALS, THEY OPEN 'EM UP AND THEY'RE FULL OF, AGAIN, MICROPLASTICS.
BUT THE MICROPLASTICS MORE NEFARIOUS IN THAT THEY GET IN MIX IN WITH FOOD, AND THEN THEY'RE ABLE TO BIOACCUMULATE MOVING UP THE FOOD WEB.
AND AGAIN, THIS IS JUST ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE CHECK BOXES OF THE ANTHROPOCENE, UM, EPOCH.
UM, YEAH, ANTHROPOCENE, UH, FANTASTIC DEPRESSING WORD.
UM, HUMANS IMPACTS SINCE ESSENTIALLY THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, MAYBE A LITTLE BEFORE.
UH, SO THERE WAS, UH, SURFACE SEDIMENT SAMPLES THAT WERE COLLECTED, ANALYZED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS.
THEY FILTERED, UM, A A LOT OF SAMPLES, A LOT OF WATER.
UH, YOU KNOW, THE PICTURE IS KIND OF HARD TO SEE, BUT THEY WERE LOOKING, YOU KNOW, THE, THESE GRAD STUDENTS AND UNDERGRADS GOT BLESS 'EM, UH, AND THEIR ENERGY, UM, TO DO THIS.
THERE, THERE WAS SOME MACHINE LEARNING, UM, TRYING TO BRING IN AI AND OTHER THINGS TO IDENTIFY.
IT'S TOUGH THOUGH, 'CAUSE YOU DON'T WANNA MISIDENTIFY, LIKE, OH, IS THAT A SIGN OF BACTERIA OR GREEN ALGAE OR SOMETHING ELSE? UM, YOU KNOW, SO, SO CAREFUL KIND OF LOOK, SOME OF THE THINGS ARE MORE OBVIOUS, UH, THE BLACK PARTICLES, YOU KNOW, BEING, YOU KNOW, EITHER TIRE OR ROAD, UH, PARTICLES THAT ARE OUT THERE.
YOU CAN HAVE, UM, OTHER BITS, UH, THAT ARE IN THERE.
AGAIN, FRAGMENTS, FIBERS, UM, THAT ARE COMING OUT.
UH, THE NEXT TWO SLIDES, MAPS OF WHERE WE TOOK OURS, SURFACE SEDIMENT SAMPLES.
SO THESE ARE GRAB SAMPLES OF KIND OF THE TOP FIVE TO 10 CENTIMETERS.
IT REPRESENTS ESSENTIALLY THE, THE LAST, YOU KNOW, THREE, THREE TO SIX YEARS, UM, OF DEPOSITION.
UH, THE, YOU KNOW, POINTS OF REFERENCE, OBVIOUSLY I GAVE, AGAIN, I GAVE THIS AT A, UH, UH, AT A, AT A TALK, UH, TO A, TO A, A DIFFERENT AUDIENCE.
BUT IT WAS THE HIGHLIGHT, UM, YOU KNOW, MAJOR LANDMARKS, THE WHITE BOXES.
AND THEN SOME OF THE TRIBUTARIES, UH, THAT ARE GOING TO LAKE AUSTIN.
THOSE ARE THE BLUE BOXES, UH, THE DIFFERENT CREEKS.
SO LAKE AUSTIN, YOU KNOW, SUBURBAN DEVELOPMENT, UM, THE ROAD NETWORK ISN'T AS DENSE.
UM, YOU ALSO HAVE WATER QUALITY, UM, PROTECTION LANDS OUT THERE.
SO VERY DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF DRAINAGE AREA THAT'S GOING TO LAKE AUSTIN THAN INTO LADY BIRD LAKE.
UM, WHERE YOU HAVE THESE MAJOR ROADWAYS THAT ARE GOING THROUGH THERE.
YOU HAVE THE OLD DENSE URBAN CORE, UM, THAT'S FEEDING INTO THE VARIOUS CREEKS, UH, FEEDING INTO THIS, UM, INTO THE SYSTEM.
AND SO MOVING FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, UH, ON THE X AXIS IS OUR RIVER MILE.
SO KIND OF STARTING AT, UH, THE MANSFIELD DAM GOING TO, YOU KNOW, UH, 35 IS, IS THE, UM, TOM MILLER DAM, AND THEN TOM MILLER DAM DOWN TO THE LONGHORN DAM.
THE Y IS HOW MANY PARTICLES WERE COUNTED, UM, PER, YOU KNOW, A HUNDRED GRAMS OF SEDIMENT THAT THEY EXTRACTED AND PROCESSED.
AND THE THREE COLORS, YOU'RE ESSENTIALLY NOT GONNA SEE TWO OF THE COLORS, UH, THE RED AND THE GREEN.
YOU MAY NOT SEE 'CAUSE YOU'RE COLORBLIND, BUT ALSO BECAUSE, UM, THERE'S JUST NOT THAT MUCH OUT THERE.
AND THESE ARE THE FIBERS AND THE FRAGMENTS, WHICH VERY MUCH COULD BE, UH, UH, A FACTOR OF THE FACT THAT WE WERE JUST TAKING SEDIMENT SAMPLES.
THEY MAY BE SUSPENDED IN THE WATER AND JUST DENSITY DEPENDENCE, UM, THAT THEY'RE NOT SETTLING OUT TO THE SAME EXTENT OF THE BLACK BARS BEING THE TIRE AND
[01:25:01]
THE ROAD RELATED FRAGMENTS.AND THE LAKE AUSTIN, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN VERY MUCH SEE AS YOU'RE GETTING CLOSER INTO THE CITY.
UH, THE STEADY BASIC INCREASE, UM, IN THE AMOUNT OF MATERIAL, UH, THAT WAS COUNTED IN OUR SAMPLES.
UM, BUT THEN, YOU KNOW, THE REAL STORY LADY BIRD LAKE, UM, YOU KNOW, AT THE MOUTHS OF OUR MAJOR URBAN TRIBUTARIES, UM, IF IT'S, YOU KNOW, RIGHT BELOW LAMAR, SHOAL CREEK, WALL CREEK I 35, IS YOU ON HERE? 'CAUSE THEY COULDN'T GET A FULL COUNT.
UM, IF YOU SAW THE INTERVIEW ON KX ANN, THEY SHOWED THE FILTER, AND IT WAS JUST A SOLID BLACK MAST THAT WAS ON THIS THING.
SO, I MEAN, THAT'S JUST OFF THE SCALE, BUT I MEAN, YOU CAN SEE, UM, IN THESE DIRT DENSE AREAS, JUST HOW MUCH OF OUR ROADWAYS IS ENDING UP, UM, IN OUR RESERVOIRS.
SO TO RECAP, KIND OF ALL THAT, WE STARTED OUT KIND OF AT THE, THE AUSTIN LAKES INDEX.
YOU KNOW, HOW WE QUANTIFY THE OVERALL CONDITION OVER RESERVOIRS.
UM, BUT THERE'S A LOT THAT GOES INTO IT.
AND, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S THE AQUATIC VEGETATION, WHEN YOU HAVE NO VEGETATION, IT'S NOT GOOD FOR THE SCORES, YOU CAN HAVE VEGETATION.
BUT IF IT'S NON-NATIVE PLANTS, NOT VERY GOOD FOR THE SCORES.
UM, AGAIN, THOSE INTERPLAYS AND, AND GOOD AND BAD, I USE THOSE VERY SUBJECTIVE TERMS, BUT IT'S, YOU KNOW, THE RECOGNITION OF, OF JUST THE COMPLEXITY OF HOW DIFFERENT PEOPLE VIEW THESE THINGS.
THEY PROVIDE WATER QUALITY, THEY PROVIDE HABITAT, ET CETERA.
UM, BUT IT'S A MATTER OF BALANCING OUT, UM, YEAH, HOW MUCH YOU DO OR DON'T WANT OUT THERE.
YOU KNOW, THE, OUR SHORE ZONE, AGAIN, KIND OF THAT LAST LINE OF DEFENSE, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN HAVE YOUR TRIBUTARIES, YOU CAN HAVE ALL THESE THINGS COMING IN, UH, FROM THE BROADER WATERSHED, BUT AT THE MORE PROXIMATE ADJACENT LEVEL, YOU KNOW, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? AND THE CITY HAS DEVELOPED SOME PHENOMENAL GUIDELINES AND CODE TO TRY TO PROTECT, UM, THAT RIPARIAN AREA, THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE.
IT'S EVEN GOT A NAME, THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE.
YOU DON'T, YOU KNOW, SEE THAT IN A LOT OF OTHER PLACES.
SO, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A RECOGNITION OF ITS IMPORTANCE AND, YOU KNOW, EFFORTS TO TRY TO PROTECT THAT.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, WHAT ELSE, YOU KNOW, COULD WE DO TO, YOU KNOW, FURTHER, UH, BEEF UP AND ENHANCE, UM, WHAT WE'RE DOING OUT THERE.
AND THEN AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WE LOOK AND WE TRY TO MANAGE AT CERTAIN SCALES, YOU KNOW, BUT THE, THE MICRO UH, THE MICROPLASTICS, YOU KNOW, DO YOU MODIFY STORMWATER CONTROL MEASURES OR OTHER THINGS TO, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE FILTERING OUT, UH, SEDIMENT PARTICLES THAT WAS RECOGNIZED AS A CONTAMINANT? YOU KNOW, IS THERE SOMETHING IN DESIGN TO CAPTURE MICROPLASTICS? WHO KNOWS? I JUST ASK QUESTIONS.
I GIVE PEOPLE MORE QUESTIONS AND HEADACHES WITH SOME OF THOSE ANSWERS.
BUT, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT THESE THINGS ARE IMPORTANT, UM, THAT THEY DO HAVE ECOLOGICAL IMPACTS.
AND SO, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS IN TRYING TO QUANTIFY THAT? AND DOES THAT IS, ARE THESE THINGS, ARE THE FOREVER CHEMICALS, ARE THE MICROPLASTICS, ARE THESE THINGS THAT GET BUILT INTO THE AUSTIN LAKES INDEX IN THE FUTURE? AGAIN, MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS, BUT WITH THAT, I WILL NOW TAKE YOUR QUESTIONS.
IT'S ALWAYS EXCITING AND DEPRESSING WHEN YOU COUNT, SO JUST WANNA SAY THAT OUT LOUD.
I TRY TO WALK THAT JUXTAPOSITION.
LET'S, UH, LET'S, UH, START ONLINE.
SORRY, I WAS BLOCKING MY UNMUTE BUTTON.
UM, I ACTUALLY STUDIED MICROPLASTICS FOR A LITTLE BIT, UM, IN THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT.
SO I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS RELATING TO MICROPLASTICS AND THEN SOME, UH, RELATING TO THE HYDRILLA, JUST OUT OF CURIOSITY.
UM, I GUESS I CAN START WITH THE PLANTS.
SO, UH, WHAT OTHER LIKE MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES HAS THE CITY LOOKED AT FOR THOSE? UM, LIKE PARTICULARLY, UM, THE USE OF, I KNOW FOR SOME INVASIVE PLANTS WE'RE ABLE TO USE CERTAIN, UM, BACTERIA, UH, POTENTIALLY A PSEUDOMONAS, SOMETHING THAT WOULD, YOU KNOW, UH, IMPACT THE HYDRO, BUT NOT NECESSARILY THE NATIVE SPECIES.
UM, HAS, HAS THERE BEEN ANY WORK TO LOOK INTO THAT? THAT'S A, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
UM, BEFORE I STARTED HERE, UM, BUT IT, IT WAS CARRY OVER PROJECT, AGAIN, WITH THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, UH, LAIR AND THE, UM, AND, AND WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS, UM, THERE WAS AN EFFORT AND THEY BROUGHT OVER A, A, A FLY HYDRO ALY, UM, SPECIES THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF SPECIFIC TO BUR BURROWING INTO THE, THE STEMS CHEWING ON THE PLANT AND HOWEVER MANY TENS OF THOUSANDS OF 'EM WERE RELEASED.
UM, THE STUDIES AND THE RESULTS, I
[01:30:01]
MEAN, OBVIOUSLY FOR LAKE AUSTIN, THEY DIDN'T HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF, UH, IMPACT.AND IN GENERAL, WHAT'S, WHAT'S KIND OF SEEN, UM, I I'VE BEEN TALKING AGAIN, KIND OF RESURRECTING THESE THINGS, UM, WITH THE ARMY CORPS, IS THAT THEY JUST DON'T HAVE THAT, UH, A A REAL POSITIVE, UH, IMPACT ON THE HYDRILLA, UH, THAT YOU WOULD HOPE FOR, UM, WITH THESE FLIES.
THERE WAS, YOU KNOW, UH, ALSO CHALLENGES WITH THE FLIES.
'CAUSE THIS IS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF A TROPICAL SUBTROPICAL PLANT.
THERE'S, IT'S EVOLVING AND THEY'RE FINDING IT ACTUALLY IN THE MIDWEST, WHICH IS REALLY DEPRESSING.
UM, BUT, UH, THERE WAS A CHALLENGE WITH THE FLIES OF NOT SURVIVING OVER THE WINTER AND COLD TEMPERATURES.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, AS THINGS HAVE BEEN WARMING, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY WOULDN'T BE AS BIG OF AN ISSUE NOW UNLESS WE HAD A SNOWMAGEDDON.
UH, BUT SO THEY PURSUED THAT, AND THEN THERE WAS SOME PROMISING, OR WAS HOPED TO BE PROMISING, UM, USE OF A FUNGUS.
AND, UM, UNFORTUNATELY, THEY, THEY JUST COULDN'T GET IT TO, WHEN THEY ISOLATED IT, TO REALLY THRIVE AND TAKE OUT THE PLANTS, UM, THAT THE RESEARCHERS THAT HAD KIND OF STARTED THAT WORK HAD RETIRED, AND THERE JUST WASN'T ENOUGH POSITIVE, UH, MOMENTUM TO KEEP IT GOING.
SO IT, IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HAVE SOMETHING MORE TARGETED AND SPECIFIC, UM, TO THE PLANTS, UH, A BIOLOGICAL THING, YOU KNOW, AS OPPOSED TO THE GRASS CARP, WHICH, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, AFTER 2013, YOU KNOW, LEADING UP INTO 2013 HYDRO DRILL IS THEIR PREFERRED, UH, FOOD SOURCE.
BUT ONCE THEY'RE EXHAUSTED THAT THEY WILL START CONSUMING EVERYTHING ELSE.
AND I MEAN, I SAW THEM TAKING DOWN BULL RUSH STEMS, WHICH WAS MIND BLOWING THAT, THAT THEY WERE CAPABLE OF THAT.
SO IT'D BE GREAT TO HAVE SOMETHING TARGETED.
UM, UNFORTUNATELY THAT JUST, UM, ISN'T OUT THERE, UH, BIOLOGICALLY FOR THE BIOLOGICAL, UM, ASPECT.
UM, YEAH, THAT'S ALWAYS THE, THE ISSUE WITH MICROBES.
I FEEL LIKE, UH, YOU GROW THEM IN THE LAB AND THEN YOU GO TO INTRODUCE 'EM TO A NATURAL SYSTEM, AND THEN YEAH.
THEY DON'T NECESSARILY ACT THE WAY YOU WANT THEM TO.
UM, OR, OR SOMETHING LIKE, UH, LIKE THE GOBI, UM, IT ENDS UP, UH, CONSUMING THE WRONG THINGS.
YOU KNOW, THESE WERE INTRODUCED, I THINK FOR THE ZEBRA MUSCLES AND MM-HMM
UM, I DO THINK THAT IT MIGHT BE WORTH BRINGING UP TO THEM THE USE OF, UM, UH, BACTERIA.
UM, I'VE READ A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, A STRAIN OF, OR SPECIES OF PSEUDOMONAS, I CAN'T REMEMBER IT, BUT, UM, THAT HAS HAD SUCCESS.
THEY'VE HAD SUCCESS WITH MITIGATING INVASIVE PLANTS.
UM, AND THEN MY OTHER QUESTIONS, UH, ABOUT THE MICROPLASTICS.
UM, SO I KNOW YOU SAID YOU TOOK SEDIMENT SAMPLES.
HAVE YOU ALL LOOKED AT ALL, UH, IN THE WATER QUALITY, LIKE THE, I SHOULD SAY THE WATER COLUMN PARTICULARLY? UH, BEFORE AND AFTER WATER TREATMENT? UM, WE DID NOT DO ANY WATER SAMPLES.
UM, AND, AND OR ANYTHING AS IT PERTAINS TO, TO WATER TREATMENT.
THE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF TWO-PRONGED TUS FOR THIS STUDY WAS THE, THE SEDIMENTS STILL KIND OF REMAIN IN UNDER QUANTIFIED ASPECT OF THE RESERVOIRS.
AND WE WANTED TO TRY TO GET MORE INFORMATION AS IT RELATES TO, UM, DRIVING THE, THE EMERGENCE OF THE TOXIC CYANOBACTERIA.
YOU KNOW, SO, SO WHAT ARE SOME OF THE LONGITUDINAL PATTERNS AND DIFFERENCES OUT THERE? THE MICROPLASTICS, UM, WAS A GREAT, UH, ADDITION 'CAUSE THE, THE RESEARCHERS, ALL THESE PEOPLE KIND OF WORKED TOGETHER AT UT IT WAS LIKE, OH, WE CAN GET MICROPLASTIC DATA WITH THIS.
AND WE ALSO TOOK SOME LONG CORES.
AND SO WE HAVE SOME, UH, STRATOGRAPHIC, UH, DATA, IF, YOU KNOW, THAT ESSENTIALLY GOES BACK TO THE CREATION OF EACH RESERVOIR AND HOW MICROPLASTICS, UM, HAVE SHOWN UP AND, AND THEY'RE KIND OF PREVALENCE IN THE, IN THE DEEPER SEDIMENTS.
UM, BUT SO, UH, THAT'S RAMBLY WHEN I COULD HAVE JUST SAID, NO, WE DIDN'T, WE DIDN'T DO ANY, UM, ANY WATER.
IT IS A GAP, UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, PRO WILL, YOU KNOW, WILL LIKELY BE PURSUED EITHER BY US OR, UM, YOU KNOW, POSSIBLY BY, POSSIBLY BY THE UNIVERSITY.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? OKAY, WE, WE TOOK THESE SAMPLES AT THE MOUTH OF THE CREEKS, YOU KNOW, SO WHAT DOES THAT LOADING LOOK LIKE AS IT RELATES TO, UH, BEFORE AND AFTER ANY WATER TREATMENT THAT WOULD BE, UH, SOMETHING FOR AUSTIN WATER SPECIFICALLY TO, UM, TO PURSUE.
'CAUSE I KNOW THAT, UM, SO I STUDY, UM, CORALS AND WHEN I HAD WORKED WITH MICRO BOSTIC, IT WAS IN THE CONTEXT OF, YOU KNOW, UH, CORAL INGESTION AND WHAT SORTS OF MICROBES EXIST IN THE PLASTIC SPHERE.
[01:35:01]
I KNOW THAT THERE ARE LIKE NOVEL BACTERIAL COMMUNITIES THAT LIVE ON THOSE MM-HMMMICROPLASTICS REGARDLESS OF ENVIRONMENT.
AND, UM, THERE ARE ALSO ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE DIFFERENT PFAS.
AND I KNOW AUSTIN WATER DOESN'T TEST FOR THEM RIGHT NOW, BUT EVEN IF WE WERE ABLE TO, 'CAUSE I THINK THE MAJORITY OF, UM, MICROPLASTICS ARE THOSE MICROFIBERS THAT ARE IN, UM, THE WATER COLUMN AND POTENTIALLY ENTERING OUR BODIES, UH, THROUGH, YOU KNOW, WASTEWATER TREATMENT AND STUFF.
YEAH, NO, IT WAS, UH, YOU KNOW, AFTER SEEING SOME OF THE DATA, IT WAS, OH, SHOULD HAVE GRABBED SOME WATER AT THE SAME TIME.
BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALWAYS MORE YOU COULD SAMPLE, BUT, YOU KNOW, BUDGETS AND OTHER THINGS OH YEAH.
AND THE OTHER DIFFICULT THING WITH MICROPLASTICS IS QUANTIFYING THEM, RIGHT? YEAH.
SO LIKE, YOU MIGHT COLLECT SOMETHING AND THEN YOU FIND LIKE TWO, BUT THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY YEAH.
STRUGGLE WITH AQUATIC SYSTEMS. UM, BUT YEAH.
THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONER, ER WHOOPS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU, UH, TAKING THE TIME TO COME OVER HERE AND, UH, CHAT WITH US, BUT NO, I HAVE NO QUESTIONS.
UM, ON YOUR VERY LAST SLIDE, YOU KNOW, YOU SHOWED WHAT THE CONCENTRATIONS WERE AND YOU DIDN'T MENTION THAT THERE WERE TWO DIFFERENT SCALES.
RIGHT? SO ONE THING THAT I WOULD DO IS I'D HAVE THAT SLIDE AND THEN RIGHT BELOW IT, I WOULD PUT THEM ON THE SAME SCALE, AND THAT WAY YOU COULD SEE THE DETAILS AT THE TOP.
BUT THEN YOU COULD SEE THE COMPARISON IN THE, IN THE LOWER ONE I HAD HAD AS, AS I WAS PLAYING WITH THAT GRAPH, KIND OF JUST A, A REFERENCE POINT, UM, VERTICAL LINE TO KINDA SHOW WHERE THAT WAS IN RELATION TO THE DIFFERENT RESERVOIRS.
UM, BUT THAT, YEAH, THAT WAS JUST AN OVERSIGHT ON MY PART.
NOT TO MENTION IT WAS ON THE TOP OF THE SLIDE, BUT RIGHT.
YOU'RE DRAWN IN BY THE PICTURE AND YEAH.
THAT WAS AN OVERSIGHT, NOT TO MENTION THE SCALE.
AND EVERYBODY KNEW THAT, RIGHT? I MEAN, YOU COULD TELL THERE WERE TWO DIFFERENT ACTS UNDER YI SAW IT AT THE TOP.
MICROPLASTIC ABUNDANCES NOTE THE SCALE DIFFERENCES.
CAN I, IS ANY OTHER, UM, OH, SORRY, CAN I INTERJECT REALLY QUICK? SURE.
UM, IT WOULD ALSO BE REALLY COOL BECAUSE THEY HAVE SUCH DIFFERENT FLOW RATES.
IF YOU COULD STANDARDIZE BY THE FLOW RATE, I THINK THAT WOULD BE REALLY INFORMATIVE TOO.
IF IT WAS A WATER SAMPLE, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT TYPE OF, YOU KNOW, ALMOST LOADING, UM, WOULD BE POSSIBLE IN THE SEDIMENTS, UH, THAT WOULD PROBABLY BE MORE, MORE DIFFICULT WITH THE LOAD.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'D NEED TO LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, I GUESS SETTLING RATES OR WHAT'S, WHAT'S ACTUALLY COMING IN FROM THE DIFFERENT TRIBUTARIES, UM, TO RELATE, TO RELATE THAT.
BUT AGAIN, WITH, WITH THE SEDIMENT CORING WE DID, WE DO HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME ESTIMATES OF, OF HOW QUICKLY, YOU KNOW, A CENTIMETER OF, OF SEDIMENT IS BEING LAID DOWN SO WE COULD POTENTIALLY BACK CALCULATE SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
AND ISN'T THE BOTTOM OF THE GRAPH ISN'T THAT WATER FLOW? I WAS JUST, THAT WAS JUST A REFERENCE TO SHOW GOING FROM UPSTREAM TO DOWNSTREAM.
IT WASN'T A IFIED, IT WAS A DISTANCE MEASURE.
UM, THE OTHER POINT I WANTED TO ASK ABOUT WAS, UM, WHEN YOU SHOWED EARLIER ABOUT ALONG THE SHORE LINE AND YOU TALKED ABOUT THE MIDDLE GROUND, IS THAT THE KIND OF THING THAT WE CAN REGULATE? UM, I MEAN, IN, IN THEORY, UH, I BELIEVE SO.
UM, I MEAN, I THINK, OR THE COUNTY COULD REGULATE IF IT'S OUTSIDE THE CITY.
OH, IF IT'S OUTSIDE THE CITY, WELL, THE, UH, LAKE AUSTIN IS UNDER, YOU KNOW, THE CITY'S PURVIEW AND, YOU KNOW, SITE PLANS THAT COME IN FOR ANYTHING IN THE, IN THE CRITICAL THAT ARE DOING, UM, UH, A FLOODPLAIN MODIFICATION, CUT AND FILL, UM, ET CETERA, YOU KNOW, WOULD GET THE REVIEW AND, AND WOULD BE UNDER, YOU KNOW, THE RULES THAT IN THEORY WOULD PROTECT THAT ONCE YOU START GETTING TOO FAR BACK, UM, INTO ETJ OR OTHERWISE.
YOU KNOW, YOU LOSE THAT ABILITY TO PROTECT THAT VEGETATION, BUT AT LEAST WITHIN, YOU KNOW, THAT 25, 50, 75 FEET, YOU KNOW, AREA, UM, YOU COULD, YOU KNOW, E EITHER, YOU KNOW, LOOK AT THE RULES, SEE IF THEY'RE BEING FOLLOWED OR, OR PUT IN, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT TYPES OF RULES TO TRY TO BETTER PROTECT THOSE.
BUT, UM, COULD YOU LOOK AND SEE IF WE HAVE THOSE RULES OR, I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW IF WE DO OR NOT.
UH, I, AGAIN, ON THE BOOKS, IT, IT'S A TRICKY THING WITH
[01:40:02]
WHEN A, WHEN A SITE COMES IN AND IF, IF A SITE PLAN HASN'T BEEN SUBMITTED, UM, YOU CAN'T ALWAYS KEEP EYES ON A SITE.AND SO IT'S TOUGH TO, UH, PROTECT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE NATURAL KIND OF INTEGRITY AND, UM, DIVERSITY AND ABUNDANCE OF THE PLANTS WHEN A PROPERTY IS FIRST TAKEN OWNERSHIP OF.
IF NO ONE'S LOOKING AT IT TYPE OF THING.
I'M THINKING ABOUT LIKE IF THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF THINNING THAT HAPPENS NOW, YOUR FLOODPLAIN MODIFICATION SCORE, WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN A FIVE OR SIX, WHICH AGAIN, WHICH IS A DIFFERENT UNIT MEASURE IN APPENDIX X OR, UH, SORRY, UH, UM, IS APPENDIX X AND ZONE ZONE FOUR, MAYBE IT'S ZONE X.
I'VE BEEN OUTTA THE GAME FOR TOO LONG, I'M SORRY.
UM, BUT THERE ARE RULES IF, IF YOUR FLOODPLAIN HEALTH IS SUCH A, SUCH A UNIT, UM, THAT YOU CAN'T MODIFY THE FLOODPLAIN.
AND, BUT, SO IF YOU DO A LITTLE BIT OF THINNING, UM, OF THAT VEGETATION, WELL NOW YOUR FLOODPLAIN HEALTH IS ON A LOW SCALE IS POOR, AND THEN YOU CAN DO SOMETHING LIKE A BEACH AND DEMONSTRATE, UH, THAT YOU'RE INCREASING THE OVERALL, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH BY PLANTING IN SOME TREES AND SOME SHRUBS.
SO YOU'RE GETTING IT CLOSER TO MAYBE WHAT IT WAS.
BUT IN GENERAL, ANYTIME YOU DO A RESTORATION, YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET THAT THE ORIGINAL, UM, KIND OF INTEGRITY.
AGAIN, THE CODE, I THINK THE CODE IS THERE.
IT'S JUST A REALLY TRICKY THING, UM, IN PRACTICE TO, UM, TO GET ALL OF THOSE THINGS TO RIGHT TO LINE UP.
WELL, IT'S, IT'S ALSO THE CASE THAT I'M THINKING ABOUT WHEN YOU HAVE A 200 UNIT SUBDIVISION GO IN ALONG LADY ON, UH, LAKE AUSTIN VERSUS ONE LOT.
OH, AND I, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S BEEN ANYTHING, YOU KNOW, TO THE, TO THAT DENSITY FOR, FOR LAKE FOR LADY, FOR LAKE AUSTIN.
UM, YEAH, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THOSE RULES WOULD LOOK LIKE FOR SOMETHING OF THAT, OF THAT SIZE IN SCALE.
THIS, THIS WAS KIND OF EVERYTHING THAT WE LOOKED AT WAS, WAS SPECIFIC TO KIND OF SINGLE FAMILY HOMES.
VERY INTERESTING, UH, TO SEE THIS, UH, FOR THE FIRST TIME.
I WASN'T HERE THE LAST TIME YOU WERE PRESENTING, SO, UM, I DIDN'T KNOW YOU EXISTED, SO THANK YOU FOR SHOWING UP.
UH, I WAS CURIOUS ABOUT THE, I GUESS THE ROAD RUNOFF THAT, UM, SEEMS TO BE PREVALENT IN THE GRAPHS THAT YOU SHOWED, UH, FOR, UH, THE, UH, MICROPLASTIC STUDY.
UM, AND I'M CURIOUS, ARE THERE EFFORTS TO, UM, CAPTURE THAT BEFORE IT GOES INTO THE WATER SYSTEMS? UH, I MEAN WITH, AGAIN, IT'S, IT'S KIND OF THE CHALLENGE IS WITH, WITH NEW DEVELOPMENT, YOU HAVE THESE STORM WATER CONTROL PONDS AND MEASURES AND, AND IT'S CAPTURING WHAT'S COMING OFF FROM THESE SUBDIVISIONS FROM THESE ROADS, AND IT'S GIVING IT WATER TREATMENT.
WHAT'S THE CHALLENGE IS, IS HOW DO YOU PUT THESE INTO WHAT'S ESSENTIALLY A BUILT OUT LANDSCAPE, THE OLD, UM, PORTIONS OF, OF AUSTIN AND THAT BECOMES THE TRICKIER, UH, THING TO, TO TRY TO NAVIGATE AND DO.
SO YES, OUR DEPARTMENT, UH, IS VERY ACTIVE IN PUTTING IN STORM WATER CONTROL PONDS MEASURES TO CAPTURE AS MUCH AS THEY CAN, UM, THAT THAT'S OUT THERE, UH, TO PROTECT THE OVERALL WATER QUALITY AND, AND INTEGRITY OF THE, OF THE RECEIVING CREEKS IS JUST A, A MUCH MORE DIFFICULT THING AND IN THAT OLD INTERIOR.
AND YEAH, AS, AS BRENT SAID, WE, WE DO HAVE A PROGRAM TO, YOU KNOW, TRY TO FIND LOCATIONS TO ADD RAIN GARDENS, UM, BIOFILTRATION PONDS AS NEW DEVELOPMENT REDEVELOPS.
UM, A LOT OF TIMES THEY DO NEED TO PROVIDE WATER QUALITY TREATMENT.
UM, AND WE ARE ALSO WORKING WITH TXDOT FOR THE CAPTAIN STITCH PRO PRO, UM, PROJECT.
UM, WE'LL BE ACTUALLY BUILDING A POND FOR A TXDOT AND BUILT, UM, A WATER QUALITY POND SO THAT A LOT OF THE, THE STORM WATER FROM I 35 WILL BE TREATED BEFORE IT GETS INTO THE COLORADO RIVER.
SO, UM, THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE TAKING ON AS A DEPARTMENT BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT, UM, BECAUSE THAT'S PROBABLY ONE OF THE BIGGEST STRETCHES OF UNTREATED IMPERVIOUS COVER IN THE CITY.
SO IT'S A, AN OPPORTUNITY THAT WE'RE, UM, HAPPY TO BE HELPING WITH.
BUT A LOT OF, UH, THE DEVELOPMENT IN THE URBAN CORE DOES NOT HAVE WATER QUALITY TREATMENT AND THERE'S NOT A LOT OF LAND.
SO, YOU KNOW, AS, AS WE CAN, WE'RE PUTTING PONDS IN, BUT IT'S, THE, THE PROBLEM IS PRETTY BIG.
THAT'S WHAT I'M ACTUALLY PRETTY WORRIED ABOUT WITH THIS, UH, EXPANSION OF I 35.
UM, AND, UH, I DID ASK THIS QUESTION, UH, OF THE I 35, UH,
[01:45:01]
UH, DESIGNERS IN MY OTHER, UH, COMMISSIONS AND ASKING THE EXACT QUESTION OF HOW IN THE WORLD ARE YOU GONNA CAPTURE ALL THIS STUFF THAT'S COMING OFF THESE HIGHWAYS? AND THEY DID NOT HAVE A REALLY GOOD ANSWER AT THE TIME.UM, BUT YOU'RE SAYING TREATMENT? YEAH, SO A LOT OF THE STORM WATER, I MEAN, PROBABLY NOT ALL OF IT, BUT A LOT OF IT IS GOING INTO THIS TUNNEL.
IT'S, UM, THAT WILL BE THEN, UM, THERE'S AN OUTFALL KIND OF NEAR THE 180 3 COLORADO RIVER INTERSECTION, UM, BY THE BO BO DISTRICT AREA.
SO WE WOULD BE TAKING WATER FROM THAT TUNNEL AND PUTTING IT IN A POND AND THEN DISCHARGING IT INTO THE COLORADO RIVER SO IT WOULD PASS THROUGH A POND BEFORE BEING DISCHARGED.
WHERE DOES THE WATER COME FROM FOR WALTER WALTER E. LONG, IS THAT COLORADO? YES, IT IS.
UM, THE, THE ACTUAL TRIBUTARY, UM, DECKER CREEK.
UM, SO IT'S NOT ENOUGH JUST TO MAINTAIN IT.
AND SO, UH, WATER IS PUMPED FROM THE COLORADO RIVER TO MAINTAIN THAT, THAT WATER LEVEL.
I WAS WONDERING HOW THAT WORKED.
UH, I HAVE BEEN OUT THERE FISHING AND IT'S A REALLY GOOD FISHING PLACE, UM, REALLY PHENOMENAL.
SO ANYBODY THAT LIKES TO GO FISHING, LONG LAKE IS THE ONE TO BE ON.
UM, AND, UH, THAT'S ALL MY QUESTIONS.
I'M, UH, GLAD TO FIND OUT THAT YOU EXIST.
UH, GREAT, UH, PRESENTATION, UH, FIRST TIME TO HEAR IT.
UM, I WAS CURIOUS ON IT WAS, WHAT SLIDE IS THIS? IT'S YOUR AUSTIN LAKES INDEX SCORE.
LOOKS LIKE YOU, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF WE, YOU, YOU HAVE THE BEGINNING OF TIME, BUT I'M CURIOUS, IT LOOKS LIKE THE TREND IS GENERALLY STAGNANT OVER THE LAST, UH, DECADE, WHICH MIGHT BE A SUCCESS WITH THE AMOUNT OF DEVELOPMENT COMING IN, UH, AND, AND THINKING OF POTENTIAL NEW, YOU KNOW, IMPACTS.
BUT, UH, DO YOU SEE IT THAT WAY? OR, OR, OR IS THE TREND, WHERE ARE WE GONNA BE 50 YEARS FROM NOW? UH, WHAT'S THE OUTLOOK? UM, I'LL HAVE TO THINK ABOUT 50 YEARS FROM NOW.
THESE, THESE TRENDS ARE TRICKY.
UM, AND AGAIN, BECAUSE IT'S AN AMALGAMATION OF A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT RESPOND TO DIFFERENT SCALES.
UM, UH, MY PREVIOUS, UH, SUPERVISOR, MATEOS GOGGINS, HE WROTE THIS GREAT REPORT THAT KIND OF LOOKED AT, UH, THE LONG-TERM TRENDS FOR A LI AND EII, UM, THE CREEKS AND THE LAKES AND, YOU KNOW, THE, THE IMPROVEMENTS OR EVEN BEING FLAT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, TO YOUR POINT, YOU CAN VERY MUCH TAKE THAT AS A POSITIVE RESPONSE THAT THESE WATER QUALITY TREATMENT MEASURES AND THESE OTHER THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING, UM, WITH NEW DEVELOPMENTS AND EVEN IN THE URBAN CORE IS THINGS AREN'T GETTING WORSE OUT THERE.
UM, YOU KNOW, FOR THE, FOR THE LAKES, AGAIN, IT'S TRICKY 'CAUSE YOU HAD, UM, AN ABSENCE OF PLANTS WHICH YOU KNOW, NEGATIVELY IMPACTS THE SCORE.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE NON-NATIVE PLANTS BEING THERE, YOU KNOW, IS KIND OF AN OFFSET OR YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S STILL GOOD TO HAVE THAT VEGETATED HABITAT.
YOU HAVE IN 2018, THE ZEBRA MUSSELS COMING IN.
SO YOU HAVE A LOT OF BUGS THAT YOU OR, YOU KNOW, INVERTEBRATES THAT YOU'RE NETTING UP AT A SITE, UM, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, PARTIALLY A MEASURE.
UM, IT, THEY OBVIOUSLY INCREASE BIODIVERSITY.
THEIR SHELLS HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN SHOWN THAT THE BUG COMMUNITIES RESPOND POSITIVELY TO THE PRESENCE OF SEA MUSSELS, BUT IT'S A NON-NATIVE SPECIES, SO THAT'S A NEGATIVE.
THEY CLEAR, CLARIFY THE WATER, SO THE, UH, WATER CLARITY IS A POSITIVE MEASURE.
UM, BUT THEN YOU GET CHANGES IN THE ALGAE FLOATING IN THE WATER COLUMN.
UM, AND THEY, YOU KNOW, KIND OF LIKE A A A CHILD, THEY'RE GONNA CONSUME CERTAIN ALGAE THAT WE ALSO CONSIDER TO BE, QUOTE UNQUOTE GOOD ALGAE THAT ARE BENEFICIAL IN THE FOOD WEB.
AND THEN THEY'RE GONNA SPIT OUT BAD ALGAE LIKE SANO CYANOBACTERIA 'CAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE THOSE, UH, ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS.
AND THEY GENERALLY PRODUCE, UH, SLIMES THAT ARE TOUGH TO DIGEST.
SO YOU GET A SHIFT IN YOUR ALGAE COMMUNITY.
UM, SO ALL THESE THINGS ARE KIND OF PLAYING OFF OF EACH OTHER OUT THERE.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, THERE IS A BOUNCE UP AND DOWN.
UM, BUT IN GENERAL, NOT GETTING WORSE.
YOU KNOW, I TAKE AS, UH, AS, AS A POSITIVE, YOU KNOW, WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN THE FUTURE IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE NEXT NON-NATIVE, YOU KNOW, SPECIES? IS IT A RELATIVE OF THE ZEBRA MUSSELS THAT COMES IN THAT FURTHER IMPACTS THE WATER QUALITY? UM, IS THIS SOMETHING THAT IS ALSO AN ADDING A LOT OF NUTRIENTS, UM, TO THE WATER? IS IT, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING THAT'S BEING PUMPED INTO LADY BIRD LAKE THAT ADDS A LOT OF NUTRIENTS, WHICH IS PART OF THE SCORING MA MATRIX AND COULD STIMULATE MORE, UM, ALGAE GROWTH, CYANOBACTERIA GROWTH.
SO THAT'S, YOU KNOW, PUSHING, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT'LL IMPACT THE SCORES.
UM, YOU KNOW, SO IT, IT'S GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, VERY MUCH, UM, INFLUENCED BY, AS
[01:50:02]
YOU GET URBAN SPRAWL EXPANSION.UM, IF WE ADDED IN SOMETHING LIKE THE FOREVER CHEMICALS, PFOS AND PAS, UM, IF MICROPLASTICS ARE ADDED IN THERE, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE IN, IN YOUR SCORING, YOU KNOW, MATRIX DROUGHTS? YOU KNOW, WE REALLY DON'T HAVE A GOOD MEASURE FOR DROUGHT, BUT A DROUGHT, YOU HAVE LONGER WATER RESIDENCE TIME, WHICH MEANS LESS FLUSHING.
AND SO YOU GET MORE PHYTOPLANKTON BIOMASS, AND DEPENDING ON THAT, AGAIN, THAT BALANCE CAN PUSH THE SCORE UP OR DOWN, YOU KNOW, A FLOOD MOVES THROUGH AND YOU HAVE A LOT OF TURBIDITY LIKE THE, THE THE 2018 EVENT.
AND THAT PERSISTENCE, UM, YOU KNOW, IF, IF YOU'RE OUT CRAB SAMPLES, THAT'S GONNA PUSH THE SCORE DOWN AND THAT'S FLUSHING OUT THE VEGETATION THAT'S GONNA FURTHER PUSH YOUR SCORE DOWN.
SO AGAIN, IT, THERE'S A LOT THAT GOES INTO IT.
AND, AND, YOU KNOW, THE, THE INTERESTING THING AS A SCIENTIST IS LOOKING AT THOSE COMPONENTS, LOOKING AT, UH, THE PAST, WHAT IS THE CURRENT KIND OF HYSTERESIS THAT'S BLOCKING US FROM MOVING THESE METRICS, PUSHING THE NEEDLE? AND IS THERE ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO OVERCOME THAT SYSTEM ESIS TO GET US TO A BETTER PLACE? UH, YEAH, I'M, I'M GONNA CLICK ON THAT, THAT LINK THERE THAT SAYS TO LOOK INTO THE, GET MORE INFORMATION ON ALL THAT'S BEHIND THAT METRIC.
UH, I AM CURIOUS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, UH, WHY I ASKED ABOUT THE FUTURE.
UH, UH, SOMETHING I THINK ABOUT OFTEN ARE WE, UH, LOVING PARKS TO DEATH, LOVING WATER SOURCES TO DEATH.
WHEN I SAW THAT FIRST IMAGE UP ON THERE OF POWERPOINT, THERE WAS HUNDREDS OF, OF FOLKS IN THERE.
SO I AM CURIOUS TO, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S YOUR ROLE OR WATERSHED'S ROLE, DO YOU EVER, UM, RECOMMEND A REDUCTION IN RECREATION, UH, OR, AND THEN SPECIFICALLY WALTER E LONG'S MASTER PLAN? HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT? UM, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
UM, I ACTUALLY, UM, DID A LECTURE THIS AFTERNOON TO A SMALL, UH, ARCHITECTURE DESIGN GROUP FROM UT UM, THEY ARE LOOKING AT, WITH THE MOVEMENT OF THE WALL CREEK BOATHOUSE, UM, TO DOWN RIVER, UM, KIND OF DOWN BY PLEASANT VALLEY AND LAKE SHORE DRIVE, AND, YOU KNOW, SO THEY WERE JUST, THEY WERE JUST TRYING TO GET MORE INFORMATION, YOU KNOW, WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? WHAT DOES THE INTERACTIONS, YOU KNOW, THAT AUSTINITES AND OTHERS HAVE WITH, WITH OUR RESERVOIRS WITH THE COLORADO RIVER? AND ONE OF THE QUESTIONS WAS LOVING THE LAKE TO, TO DEATH.
AND, AND THESE THINGS, UH, HOUSTON TILTS AND UNIVERSITY A COUPLE YEARS AGO KIND OF LOOKED AT, UM, THE USE OF LADYBIRD LAKE, UH, YOU KNOW, KIND OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE, THE AVERAGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE OUT THERE, HOW DOES THAT CHANGE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR? HOW HAS THAT CHANGED THROUGH TIME? I DON'T REMEMBER IF THEY MADE ANY SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, IN TERMS OF, UH, LIMITING THAT USE OR PUTTING A CAP ON IT.
IT WOULD BE A VERY TOUGH THING THOUGH, I MEAN, TO, TO, TO TRY TO DO IN, IN PRACTICE.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A CHALLENGE.
I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S THE CROWN JEWEL OF AUSTIN.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WANT THEIR DIFFERENT RECREATION, I MEAN, EFFORTS TO TRY TO GET SWIMMING OUT THERE.
THEY, THEY WANT TO ENJOY THIS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, FOR US IT'S HOW DO WE PROVIDE, UM, SOMETHING OF A HIGH ECOLOGICAL OR INTEGRITY AS, AS BEST WE CAN, GIVEN ALL THE OTHER KIND OF, UH, EXTRANEOUS ATTRIBUTES AND FACTORS, UM, MAKE PEOPLE AWARE OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE OUT THERE, UM, OF SOME OF THESE STRESSORS AND JUST KIND OF GO FROM THERE.
UM, SPECIFICALLY THE, THE, THE WALTER LONG, DID YOU, DID YOU YES.
THE SECOND PART FOR THE WALTER LONG, I WAS ACTUALLY PART OF THE TASK FORCE THAT REVIEWED THAT.
UM, AND THERE WERE THINGS IN THERE THAT WERE VERY UNPOPULAR THAT ESSENTIALLY GOT TAKEN OUT EVENTUALLY AFTER THREE ROUNDS OF, OF REVIEWS AND, UH, ENGAGEMENT.
UM, YOU KNOW, I'M, I, I AM, UH, IT'S IMPORTANT TO, TO UTILIZE AND TO HAVE AN INTERACTION WITH THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT.
YOU'RE GONNA BE MORE INVESTED IN IT.
YOU'RE GONNA WANT TO ACTUALLY PROTECT IT MORE IF YOU UNDERSTAND IT, IF YOU'RE OUT IN IT.
UM, AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE, YOU KNOW, EVEN WITH LAKE AUSTIN, PEOPLE LOVE THAT RESERVOIR IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
UM, AND EVERYBODY, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY HAVE A VIEW AND, AND THEY WANNA SEE POSITIVE THINGS, YOU KNOW, COME OUTTA THERE.
YOU KNOW, WALTER LONG, AGAIN, AN UNDER UTILIZED RESOURCE.
SO DO YOU WANNA TURN IT INTO, YOU KNOW, CARNIVAL OUT THERE? I DON'T KNOW.
BUT, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE PROPOSALS WAS, WELL, WE'LL USE, YOU KNOW, WE WILL HAVE IT FLUCTUATING WATER LEVEL, EXTREMELY UNPOPULAR, AND IT WOULD DECIMATE, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY THE FISHERY.
UM, YOU KNOW, SO THERE'S DIFFERENT USES.
THERE'S DIFFERENT THINGS AND WAYS THAT, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE CAN, UH, INTERACT WITH OUR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT, TRY TO MINIMIZE THE IMPACTS, TRY TO OFFSET, PROTECT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
[01:55:01]
UM, WHILE, YOU KNOW, AUSTIN'S NATURAL ENVIRONMENT, WE'LL PUT NATURAL IN QUOTES, YOU KNOW, IT'S GREEN BELTS, IT'S RIVER WALKS, IT'S TRAILS.THESE ARE HUGE STRAWS FOR THE CITY.
UM, AND SO YOU WANNA PROTECT THAT, NOT, YOU KNOW, REALLY TRY TO LIMIT PEOPLE, BUT LIMIT, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEIR IMPACT IS TO THOSE SYSTEMS, UM, SO THAT IT'S NOT JUST TURNING INTO A BLIGHT, UM, OR, OR SOME OTHER, YOU KNOW, RISK OR ISSUE.
SO I, YOU KNOW, UM, I'M VERY MUCH A Y I'VE, I WAS, WHEN I MOVED HERE, UH, THE, THE RAIL LINE WAS ON THE BALLOT AND, AND IT FAILED, WHICH WAS MIND BLOWING TO ME, UH, FOR WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A PROGRESSIVE CITY TO VOTE DOWN, UH, LIGHT RAIL, UM, THE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE IN A MORE EFFECTIVE WAY, IN A LOW IMPACT WAY, YOU KNOW, WITH THE TIRES, UM, MORE ACCESS, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE ALL GREAT THINGS.
THE CITY'S PROBABLY GONNA CONTINUE GROWING AS MUCH AS EVERYONE GOING BACK TO THE SEVENTIES HASN'T WANTED IT.
UM, YOU KNOW, READING BOOK ABOUT THE ARMADILLO WORLD HEADQUARTERS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF HISTORY AND, YOU KNOW, THE CHALLENGES AND STRUGGLES BACK THEN.
AND SO IT'S, IT'S ALWAYS A THING AND IT'S ALWAYS, IT IS A THING IN EVERY URBAN ENVIRONMENT.
UM, CAN YOU PREVENT PEOPLE FROM, YOU KNOW, PETTING AND OVER PETTING GEORGE, UM, OUT THERE THAT'S FOR THE BUGS BUNNY FAN REFERENCES
I DEFINITELY UNDERSTAND THAT'S A BALANCE FOR YOU TO WALK THAT LINE BETWEEN RECREATION PEOPLE LOVING, UH, A RESOURCE AND, UH, REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR PERSPECTIVE AND UNDERSTAND YOU NEED A ROAD TO PROTECT A PLACE, SO YOU GOTTA DEVELOP IT, YOU GOTTA BRING PEOPLE THERE TO LOVE IT, UH, TO CREATE THOSE STEWARDS.
BUT THANKS COMMISSIONER KRUGER.
I WANTED TO GIVE YOU A STANDING OVATION WHEN YOU FINISHED.
I WAS LIKE, OH MY GOSH, THIS IS INFORMATION I'VE BEEN WANTING TO HEAR FOR A LONG TIME, AND IT MAKES ME FEEL SO GOOD THAT, UM, I MEAN, AS A NUMBER OF PEOPLE HAVE SAID THAT YOU EXIST, THAT YOU'RE DOING THIS WORK, THAT THIS RESEARCH IS HAPPENING.
SO JUST THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU'RE DOING.
UH, FIRST OFF, I WAS WONDERING ABOUT WHAT WERE THE 2010 CODE CHANGES FOR MITIGATION PLANTINGS? UM, THE BIGGEST ONES I THINK WERE THE, AND, AND LIZ, PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT I THINK IT WAS WITH THE, UH, SLOPE AT THE SHORELINE.
SO AGAIN, INSTEAD OF JUST HAVING A VERTICAL, UH, SEA WALL, UH, TO MINIMIZE THAT REFLECTION OF YOUR WAVES, UM, 'CAUSE IT, WHEN YOU GET THAT REFLECTION, YOU'RE CHURNING UP THE SEDIMENTS RIGHT THERE IN THE LITTORAL ZONE.
AND THIS IS AN IMPORTANT AREA FOR BUGS AND, AND, AND PLANTS TO GROW.
AND IF YOU'RE JUST CONSTANTLY AGITATING THAT, UM, YOU'RE NOT GONNA HAVE THOSE COMMUNITIES.
YOU'RE JUST GONNA HAVE A REALLY COARSE SANDY SUBSTRATE GRINDS EVERYTHING UP.
UM, AND SO, SO IT'S MORE ABOUT SLOPE GRADIENT THAN ACTUAL PLANTINGS.
WHAT YEAR WAS THAT? 2010? I THINK IT WAS IN 2010.
SO THE, THE SLOPE THEN WAS REQUIRED TO BE ONE TO ONE, YOU KNOW, IT COULD BE RIP WRAP, IT COULD BE, YOU KNOW, HOWEVER YOU WANT TO, UH, PUT YOUR, YOU KNOW, LIMESTONE BLOCKS OUT THERE.
BUT ESSENTIALLY YOUR GRADE IS ONE TO ONE TO THE SHORELINE TO 4 92 0.8.
AND IS THAT ON ALL LAKES, OR IS THAT ALL RIPERIAN HABITATS OR THAT'S, UH, ANYONE WHO IS PROPOSING A BULKHEAD OR SHORELINE MODIFICATION.
I CAN'T ON LAKE AUSTIN SPECIFICALLY.
OH, WE HAVE THE LAKES, REALLY, BUT IT'S ALMOST ALWAYS LAKE AUSTIN, BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE WAKE, UM, THE WAKE IS CAUSING A LOT OF EROSION FROM THE BOATS.
SO THAT WAS MORE ABOUT, SO GRADIENT THAN PLANT.
AND FOR THE, FOR THE PLANTINGS, I THINK THINK THE THREE PLANTS FOR EVERY FOOT OF SHORELINE MODIFIED WAS ALSO ADDED.
YOU'VE GOT, YOU DIDN'T FORGET
UM, YEAH, THOSE WERE THE BIG ONES.
I HAD THE FLOODPLAIN ASSESSMENT.
I WASN'T SURE IF THAT WAS A 2010 OR IF THAT WAS EARLIER, BUT THAT'S, YOU KNOW, AN IMPORTANT ONE.
YEAH, THERE'S A, YEAH, SO ANY, NOT JUST ALONG THE LAKES, BUT ANYWHERE IF THERE'S A FLOOD PLAIN MODIFICATION, THERE'S, UM, FAIRLY EXTENSIVE, UM, ANALYSIS TO DETERMINE WHAT THE EXISTING FUNCTIONAL, UM, SITUATION IS FOR THAT FLOOD PLAIN.
UM, IF IT'S GOOD, FAIR, POOR, EXCELLENT.
UM, AND THEN IF THERE IS A FLOODPLAIN MODIFICATION THAT IS PROPOSED, THEN THERE ARE REQUIREMENTS TO PLANT BACK AND DO CERTAIN THINGS TO RAISE THE SCORE.
UM, AND SO THAT ALSO EXISTS IN, UM, UM, MAYBE A LESS COMPLICATED FORM ALONG THE LAKE, UM, THAT IS A MORE INTENDED FOR HOMEOWNERS TO UNDERSTAND.
UM, BUT, BUT YEAH, SO IF THERE'S A FLOOD PLAY MODIFICATION, THEN THERE'S EXTRA PLANTING THAT HAS TO GO BACK THERE, SO.
UM, WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO BRING UP SLIDE 16 BY ANY CHANCE? SO THIS WAS UM, THE KEY FINDING, LET'S SEE WHERE YOU SAID MOST SITES DID NOT, YOU KNOW, PROTECT THE PLANTS WHEN YOU WENT BACK AND LOOKED.
[02:00:01]
WAS WHILE I WAS WANTING TO ESTABLISH WHAT CODE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TO SEE IF THIS WAS IN REFERENCE TO SPECIFIC 2010 CODE OR WHAT YOU WERE USING AS THE COMPARISON POINT TO SEE DID PEOPLE MEET THE RE THE REQUIRED MITIGATION OR NOT? OOH, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.UM, IT WAS, I MEAN, IT WAS REALLY JUST KIND OF, BECAUSE THERE'S, YOU KNOW, MULTIPLE CODE CHANGES, AMENDMENTS 2010 WAS KIND OF THE LAST TIME THERE WAS THE CHANGES.
I CAN'T REMEMBER, LIKE WITH THE, WITH THE WETLAND, THE ONE TO ONE PLANTINGS, IF THAT WAS A PART OF 2010 ALSO OR NOT MM-HMM
BUT ESSENTIALLY WE JUST WANTED TO TRY TO CAPTURE EVERYTHING UP TO 2010, UM, IN ONE BUCKET.
SO 2010, AND I DON'T THINK THERE'S BEEN ANYTHING MAJOR THAT'S CHANGED SINCE THEN.
SO THE, THE PLANT NUMBERS AND DIVERSITY MAY NOT BE SPECIFIC TO 2010 PER SE.
BUT IT'S CAPTURING EVERYTHING UP TO THAT POINT TO TRY TO MANAGE VEGETATION COMMUNITIES.
SO THIS WOULD BE SHORELINE PLANTINGS, WETLAND MITIGATION, TREE PLANTINGS FOR FLOOD PLAIN MODIFICATION.
SO ANYTHING THAT WOULD BE REQUIRED THAT WAS ON THE SITE PLAN IS WHAT THEY LOOKED AT.
SO YEAH, MEETING EXPECTATIONS FOR SITE PLANS.
'CAUSE THIS IS A REALLY POWERFUL GRAPH, I THINK, AND SO I'M JUST WONDERING HOW TO COMMUNICATE THAT.
UH, I COUNTED 13 DOTS THAT WERE AT OR ABOVE EXPECTATIONS, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF EACH DOT REPRESENTS ONE SITE.
SO I'M JUST WONDERING IF YOU KNOW OFFHAND, CAN YOU SAY X PERCENTAGE OF SITES THAT WE INVESTIGATED MET EXPECTATIONS, UH, ACCORDING TO THEIR SITE PLANS VERSUS NOT? UM, WHAT WAS THAT NUMBER? I THINK, I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT.
IT WAS AROUND 13 OR 15, SO MM-HMM
15 OUTTA 84, UH, WHATEVER THAT PERCENTAGE IS.
AND YES, EACH OF THOSE DOTS IS A SINGLE SITE THAT WAS VISITED, YOU KNOW, ONE DAY, UH, ME AND TWO OTHER WETLAND BIOLOGISTS LOOKING AT THE, THE PLANT ASSEMBLAGE THAT WAS THERE WHEN WE LOOKED SPECIFIC TO ON THE SITE PLAN WHERE THEY'VE SAID, OKAY, HERE'S WHERE OUR MITIGATION PLANTINGS ARE GOING.
SO, OKAY, WELL LET'S LOOK AT THAT AND SEE, UM, IF THOSE PLANTS ARE REMAINING ARE IN THAT SPOT.
AND THIS WAS ALL AT LAKE AUSTIN? YES.
UM, I KNOW I, OH, I'M SORRY, GO AHEAD.
I WAS GONNA SAY, UH, THIS WORK AND THERE'S SOME MORE GRAPHS, MORE FIGURES TO YOUR, TO YOUR POINT ABOUT THE NUMBERS OF SITES IN KIND OF EACH OF THE CATEGORIES MM-HMM
UM, THERE'S A PUBLICATION THAT'LL BE COMING OUT, UM, THAT, THAT WE CAN SHARE THAT KIND OF GETS INTO ALL THE DIFFERENT CODE KIND OF, UH, COMPONENTS, THE YEARS OF THEM BEING WRITTEN, UM, AND, AND HOW MANY SITES KIND OF FELL INTO THESE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES MM-HMM
AND IF, AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, THE AGE OF THE SITE, UH, YOU KNOW, FROM WHEN IT WAS CLOSED, WHICH, YOU KNOW, AT THAT POINT SHOULD HAVE EVERYTHING, SHOULD HAVE BEEN A HUNDRED PERCENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN SITTING AT THAT FOUR.
YOU KNOW, SO, YOU KNOW, OVER THE YEARS, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT A SITE THAT'S TWO YEARS OLD VERSUS, YOU KNOW, EIGHT YEARS OLD, YOU KNOW MM-HMM
HOW, HOW DID THOSE ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, COMPARE OR CHANGE THROUGH TIME, SO THAT, THAT'S ALL IN THAT REPORT FOR SIMPLICITY.
THIS WAS KINDA THE MOST POWERFUL GRAPH, SO MM-HMM
THAT'S WHAT WAS INCLUDED IN HERE.
I'D LOVE TO SEE THAT REPORT WHENEVER IT'S MADE PUBLIC.
UM, I BELIEVE LIZ AND MAYBE YOU OTHERS HAVE MENTIONED SOME EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH WITH FOLKS WHO DO LIVE ON LAKE AUSTIN TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THESE ISSUES.
IS THAT CORRECT? IS THAT HAPPENING? THERE HAD BEEN, IN THE PAST THERE WERE, UM, KIND OF BROCHURES THAT WERE CREATED TO SHOW WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE FOR LIKE A LAKEFRONT SHORELINE.
UM, WE HAVEN'T REALLY DUSTED THOSE OFF IN A WHILE, SO I DON'T THINK THERE'S BEEN ANY OUTREACH SPECIFICALLY TO THE LAKESHORE FOLKS RECENTLY.
'CAUSE I'M WONDERING, I MEAN, IT SOUNDS LIKE WE HAVE THE CODE, IT'S JUST A MATTER OF THE IMPLEMENTATION AND THE ENFORCEMENT OF IT.
AND I'M SURE OUR CODE COULD BE IMPROVED.
I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM Y'ALL HOW YOU THINK WE COULD DO THAT.
BUT ASSUMING BEST INTENT, YOU KNOW, IT MIGHT BE THAT THESE FOLKS JUST AREN'T FULLY AWARE OF WHAT THEY WERE REQUIRED TO DO.
OR I IMAGINE A NUMBER OF THESE FOLKS ARE MULTIMILLIONAIRES WHO ARE NOT WORKING IN THEIR OWN YARDS AND ARE HIRING OTHERS TO DO THE WORK WHO MAYBE DIDN'T SEE THE SITE PLAN AND, YOU KNOW, AREN'T REFERRING BACK TO THAT DOCUMENT.
SO I'M ALSO WONDERING ABOUT WHAT OUTREACH WE CAN DO TO LANDSCAPING COMPANIES AS MAYBE THE POINT SOURCE RATHER THAN THE FAMILIES THEMSELVES.
YEAH, NO, THAT'S, THAT'S A GREAT POINT.
AND IT WAS SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, WAS, WAS PART OF OUR DISCUSSION THAT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE OWNERSHIP OF THESE PROPERTIES, YOU KNOW, MAY HAVE CHANGED TWICE, YOU KNOW, FROM WHEN THAT PROJECT WAS DONE.
AND, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE COMING IN MAY NOT BE AWARE THAT THIS AREA WAS SUPPOSED TO BE PRESERVED, UM, OR LEFT ALONE.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, LIKE, WELL, YOU KNOW, SO LET ME, LET ME GET RID OF THAT.
AND AGAIN, IF YOU DON'T HAVE SOMEBODY COMING BY FREQUENTLY OR LOOKING AT THAT OR CHECKING UP ON IT, YOU KNOW, IT JUST, IT JUST FALLS THROUGH THE CRACKS AND IT, THAT IS WHAT IT IS.
SO THAT, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WAS VERY MUCH A CONSIDERATION OF, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE, UM,
[02:05:01]
KEEP PEOPLE AWARE OF WHAT THIS IS.AND, AND WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT GOING BACK TO, YOU KNOW, THE REVISITING THESE SITES, TAKING THE SITE PLANS AND LIKE, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE, YOU KNOW, AS, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, UM, THE, THE, THE PROTECTION, UM, OF, YOU KNOW, IF IT WAS A PROTECTED WETLAND, CEF OR THE PLANTING, THE PUTTING IN OF, OF MITIGATION PLANTS IS SOMETHING THAT'S TO BE DONE IN PERPETUITY.
AND SO THE CODE ALLOWS SOMEONE TO GO THERE.
SO THIS SITE PLAN, YOU KNOW, FOR THIS THING THAT WAS BUILT MM-HMM
THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE THERE, SO THIS NEEDS TO BE PUT BACK.
SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT ONCE YOU'RE AWARE OF IT, CODE ENFORCEMENT CAN GO OUT AND ACT ON IT.
YEAH, I DEFINITELY THINK THAT'D BE WORTH EXPLORING.
IT'S SOMETHING I'LL BRING UP WITH CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS JUST ABOUT THINKING HOW CAN WE ENGAGE LANDSCAPING COMPANIES? 'CAUSE AGAIN, ASSUMING BEST INTENT, I THINK THERE'S JUST MAYBE NOT AN EDUCATION AROUND FACILITATION, PLANTING, COMPANION PLANTING, WHATEVER YOU WANNA CALL IT.
UM, SO YEAH, I THINK, I THINK THERE'S MORE WORK WE COULD DO THERE.
I'M ALSO WONDERING, UM, ASTROTURF HAS BEEN A TOPIC OF CONVERSATION HERE RECENTLY, WHICH OF COURSE IS A BIG SOURCE OF MICROPLASTICS.
AND I'M WONDERING, IS THERE ANY CODE RELATED TO THE USE OF ASTROTURF IN RIPARIAN ZONES ON LAKE SHORES, ET CETERA? UM, SO THAT WILL BE COMING TO A, A MEETING SOON.
UM, I, I AM ACTUALLY GONNA BE PRESENTING ON THAT.
UM, SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT GRAY.
UM, DON'T WANNA GIVE YOU ALL THE, ALL THE INFORMATION YET, BUT, 'CAUSE IT WILL BE COMING UP ON ANOTHER, UH, MEETING.
BUT SO, YOU KNOW, IT IS CONSIDERED IMPERVIOUS COVER BECAUSE IT'S USUALLY OVER COMPACTED BASE.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, THERE IS A LIMIT TO THE AMOUNT OF DEVELOPMENT THAT IS ALLOWED IN A CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE.
THERE IS NOT ANYTHING SPECIFIC TO ARTIFICIAL TURF SPECIFICALLY.
UM, ARE THERE ANY REPERCUSSIONS FOR THE SITES THAT YOU FOUND THAT WERE DETERMINED TO BE OUT OF COMPLIANCE? UM, THAT'S TO BE DETERMINED.
UM, IT'LL BE DISCUSSIONS WITH, UH, LIZ'S GROUP AND WITH THE, UM, OUR ENVIRONMENTAL, UM, ENFORCEMENT FOLKS, UH, THAT'LL BE GOING OUT AND REVISITING THESE SITES, SO YOU KNOW, WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE.
UM, IS NON-NATIVE HYDRA A CONCERN? LIKE, I, I UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S ADAPTED, BUT, OR IS IT NOT KNOW YOUR FACE CHANGED.
IF THERE WAS A NEED, UH, TO CONVEY A LARGE AMOUNT OF FLOOD WATER, UH, THE DENSITY THAT HYDRILLA GROWS AT, YOU KNOW, IF LEFT UNCHECKED, UH, COULD BACK UP THE WATER AND CAUSE FLOODING BEHIND IT, AND THE MASS, THE BIOMASS THAT WOULD BE MOVING COULD, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY IMPACT INFRASTRUCTURE AS WELL.
SO IT, IT HAS THOSE RISK, AND AGAIN, IT, THE DENSITY IT GROWS AT ALSO POSES, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT, UM, DIFFERENT TYPES OF, OF HAZARDS AND, AND RISKS.
AND SO I THINK YOU SAID YOU ARE INTERESTED IN MITIGATING IT, BUT RIGHT NOW IT'S JUST RESOURCES THAT ARE A MATTER OF CONCERN THAT ARE PREVENTING YOU FROM DOING MORE.
IN TERMS OF MITIGATING IT, ARE YOU TALKING HYDRA LAKE AUSTIN OR THE KA BAMBA LADYBIRD LAKE? 'CAUSE THE KA BAMBA WE'RE KIND OF KA BABA'S NATIVE.
SO I'M TALKING ABOUT NON-NATIVE HYDRA, SPECIFICALLY THE, THE RESOURCES, UM, I DON'T, AREN'T REALLY THE ISSUE PER SE.
IT'S TRYING TO FIND THAT BALANCE OF NOT HAVING A 2014 WHERE WE LOSE ALL THE VEGETATION, BUT NOT HAVING A 2011 WHERE WE HAVE 500 ACRES OF VEGETATION MM-HMM
UM, AND SO TRYING TO TURN THOSE KNOBS DIAL THAT IN IS, IS THE TRICKY PART, UM, WITH, WITH THE APPROACHES, UH, THAT WE'RE, THAT WE'RE TAKING.
UM, TWO OTHER QUICK QUESTIONS.
UM, ARE YOU GONNA BE PRESENTING THIS INFORMATION TO CITY COUNCIL? 'CAUSE IT FEELS REALLY IMPORTANT.
I HAVE NOT BEEN ASKED TO DO THAT.
UM, LASTLY, WITH SOME OF THE DATA THAT YOU SHARED, HAVE YOU DONE ANY COMPARISONS TO OTHER MAJOR CITIES IN TERMS OF WHERE WE STACK UP WATER QUALITY? UM, I DON'T KNOW ANY NUMBER OF THINGS.
WHAT KIND OF CROSS CITY COMPARISONS HAVE YOU DONE? UH, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
UM, PER SE, WHAT WE HAVE DONE, AT LEAST WITH THE CREEKS IS, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE WATER QUALITY PROTECTIVE THRESHOLDS THAT COULD BE TARGETS OF, OF OUR MANAGEMENT.
UM, WHETHER IT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, A NEW SUBDIVISION DEVELOPMENT, IF IT'S A LAND APPLICATION, IF IT'S A DIRECT DISCHARGE, WE WANNA MAINTAIN, UH, A CERTAIN WATER QUALITY THAT MAINTAINS THE HIGHEST BIOLOGICAL INTEGRITY AND ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY.
SO WE'VE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF MATHEMATICALLY IDENTIFIED SOME OF THESE THRESHOLDS AND COMPARED THOSE WITH OTHER REGIONS AND AREAS.
[02:10:01]
AGAIN, HOW WATER QUALITY IS QUANTIFIED IS, IS A LITTLE TRICKY.UM, YOU KNOW, OUR RESULTS PROBABLY COULD BE COMPARED WITH SOMETHING LIKE EPA NATIONAL LAKES ASSESSMENTS, UM, BUT IT WOULD COME WITH A LOT OF CAVEATS BASED BECAUSE OF THE UNIQUE GEOLOGY LAND USES OF THIS AREA.
UM, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY SOME OF THE BEST EXAMPLES ARE ARE, YOU KNOW, IN SOME OF THESE URBAN AREAS, LIKE IN WASHINGTON, UH, MATEOS COGGINS, UM, WAS KIND OF, AND, AND SOME OF OUR OTHER, UH, MEMBERS WITH KING COUNTY, THEY'VE BEEN VERY PROACTIVE IN KIND OF THEIR WATERSHED, UH, MANAGEMENT AND, AND MONITORING OF THEIR CREEKS AND TRIBUTARIES AND HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED OVER TIME.
SO, YOU KNOW, THEY KIND OF HAVE THEIR OWN EII PROGRAMS AND, YOU KNOW, HOW EFFECTIVE HAVE THESE DIFFERENT MEASURES AND APPROACHES BEEN, YOU KNOW, AS OUR, UH, CITYSCAPES EVOLVE, UM, THE MICROPLASTIC WORK, UH, WHEN I WAS AT THE CONFERENCE, UM, YOU KNOW, CONNECTED WITH PEOPLE THAT ARE LOOKING AT SOME OF THE URBAN AREAS ON THE EAST COAST AND SOME OTHER AREAS, UM, YOU KNOW, THE NUMBERS, YOU KNOW, GENERALLY DON'T MAKE A DIRECT COMPARISON WITH THE NUMBERS.
UM, JUST, YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S SOME METHODOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES.
UM, BUT THE PATTERNS AND TRENDS, YOU KNOW MM-HMM
WE'RE VERY MUCH IN LINE WITH WHAT THESE OTHER PEOPLE WERE SEEING IN URBAN AREAS.
YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF SPIKES AT THE MILES OF URBAN CREEKS AND THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SUBURBAN AND, YOU KNOW, KIND OF RURAL AREAS VERSUS AN URBAN AREA.
YOU KNOW, WE CAN LOOK AT KIND OF LARGER PATTERNS, UM, FOR SOME OF THESE THINGS, AND YOU CAN MAKE SOME INFERENCES ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME UNIVERSALS LIKE, YOU KNOW, FOR LOW PHOSPHORUS YOU GENERALLY WANNA BE BELOW 20, YOU KNOW, YOU WANNA BE 15, YOU WANNA BE 10.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHEN KIND OF THE ACADEMICS AND THE STATISTICS COME INTO IT.
UM, BUT IN GENERAL, YOU CAN MAKE SOME OF THOSE INFERENCES.
AND I'D SAY IN GENERAL, UM, I COME FROM THE MIDWEST.
I LIVED IN SOUTH FLORIDA, UM, YOU KNOW, BEING HERE WE HAVE, WE'RE PRETTY LUCKY TO HAVE, UH, SOME REALLY GOOD WATER QUALITY RESOURCES.
UM, LAKE TRAVIS, I THINK SUSTAINS REALLY GOOD WATER QUALITY, AND THAT'D BE MORE OF A-L-C-R-A QUESTION, BUT FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN AND LOOKED AT LAKE AUSTIN, UM, IN GENERAL, MAINTAINS, YOU KNOW, SOME REALLY GOOD WATER QUALITY.
UM, WE'RE, WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE FOR SURFACE WATER RESOURCES WITH, UM, WHAT, WHAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE HERE.
I MEAN THE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE GREEN BELLS, THE CREEKS, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S THE, THE, EVEN THE BLACKLAND PRAIRIES, YOU KNOW, THESE AREAS THAT HAVE BEEN LIGHTLY TOUCHED OR, YOU KNOW, HAVEN'T BEEN, YOU KNOW, OVERLY DEVELOPED YET, UM, WHERE THERE'S BEEN MEASURES TO PROTECT SOME OF THE EROSION AND OTHER THINGS.
I MEAN, THESE ARE, THESE ARE GOOD RESOURCES, YOU KNOW, ENDANGERED SPECIES, ENDANGERED MUSSELS, UH, LIVING IN, YOU KNOW, THE EAST SIDE OF AUSTIN AND YOU KNOW, COLORADO RIVER.
UM, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE HABITATS AND THESE ARE AREAS THAT CAN SUPPORT DIVERSE, ROBUST, AND SENSITIVE SPECIES.
WELL, COMMISSIONER KRUEGER WAS JUST ABSOLUTELY LIKE READING MY MIND OF WHAT MY QUESTIONS WERE, SO THAT'S, THANKS,
SO, UM, I DO HAVE A COUPLE THINGS I JUST, I DO WANNA REALLY LIKE, UM, ECHO THIS, THIS SORT OF ENFORCEMENT, UM, FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE OUT OF COMPLIANCE.
YOU KNOW, THAT DOES SEEM LIKE, I MEAN, YOUR FIRST COUPLE SLIDES ARE REALLY BUILDING THE CASE OF THE VALUE OF THESE PLANTS ALONG THE SHORELINE AND, AND, AND HAVING THAT HEALTHY, ESPECIALLY, YOU KNOW, INTERFACE BETWEEN THE SHORELINE AND, AND, UM, AND, AND THE REST OF THE, UM, BODY OF WATER.
YOU KNOW, I FEEL LIKE WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, REALLY DOING A GOOD JOB WITH ENFORCING THAT, UM, AND EDUCATING, YOU KNOW, AS, UM, AS BEST WE CAN.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DON'T GET TO SEE A WHOLE BUNCH OF THESE VARIANCES, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT COME FORWARD WHEN WE DO, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DO TRY TO EXPRESS, YOU KNOW, THE EDUCATION SIDE OF THINGS, BUT, UM, IT SEEMS LIKE AN AREA THAT WE COULD DEFINITELY DO BETTER.
UM, I WANNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, THE, THE AMOUNT OF, OF TIRE DEBRIS, UH, AND ASPHALT THAT'S, UM, IN THERE.
UM, TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHERE DOES ALL OF THAT COME FROM
I MEAN, THAT WOULD REQUIRE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF FOLLOW UP STUDIES OF, YOU KNOW, THIS WOULD KIND OF FALL INTO A NON-POINT SOURCE POLLUTION SOURCES, YOU KNOW, SO ARE THERE PARTICULAR ROADWAYS THAT ARE IN WORSE CONDITION THAT ARE MORE CRUMBLY? ARE THERE CERTAIN TIRE BRANDS THAT, YOU KNOW, ARE SOLD DOWN SOUTH THAT BREAK DOWN MORE QUICKLY, MORE EASILY IN OUR HEAT AND SUN? THERE'S A LOT THAT, UM, WOULD BE NEEDED TO, TO UNPACK THAT, UM, THAT I DO NOT HAVE AN ANSWER FOR OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
SO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS THAT LIKE, UM, A A CAR IS DRIVING ALONG, THEY GET A, THEIR
[02:15:01]
TIRE STARTS TO SHRED OUT, OR A TRUCK IS, AND THEN THAT DEBRIS IS JUST GOING INTO THE RIVER.IS THAT KIND OF WHAT, WHAT I'M GATHERING THERE? OR ARE YOU ALSO ENVISIONING, AND THIS ISN'T AN EITHER OR QUESTION, BUT YOU KNOW, HEY, I'M DONE WITH THESE TIRES, I'M, I'M GONNA TOSS 'EM IN THE RAVINE, UM, KIND OF SCENARIO.
UM, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD BE KIND OF TRACKING.
I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME AREAS THAT DRAIN INTO THE RESERVOIRS WHERE THEY, THEY ARE POPULAR DUMP SITES, SO, YOU KNOW, ARE THOSE TIRES BREAKING DOWN INTO THE FINE PARTICLES AND, AND THEN FLOWING DOWN INTO A CREEK OR RAVINE OR, YOU KNOW, MOVING INTO THE RESERVOIR.
SO THAT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, ONE TARGETED STUDY TO TRY TO FIND, IDENTIFY THOSE AREAS AND WHAT DOES THAT LOADING LOOK LIKE? UM, YOU KNOW, JUST THE NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR, UM, YOU KNOW, A BIG TIRE TREAD, YOU KNOW, OFF OF A SEMI TRACTOR TRAILER COMING OFF, YOU KNOW, THAT'S PROBABLY BEING PICKED UP AND DISPOSED OF PROPERLY.
BUT IT'S THOSE SMALL, YOU KNOW, UH, JUST FRICTIONAL INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE TIRES AND THE ROADS AND, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY SEES, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU GET THAT FIRST RAINFALL AFTER A LONG TIME, YOU SEE THE OIL, YOU KNOW, RUNNING OFF THE ROADS GET SLICK AND YOU HAVE ALL THE OIL, AND IT'S PROBABLY THE SAME THING.
YOU KNOW, ALL THESE, THE LITTLE BITS OF, OF TIRE AND ROAD IS GETTING CAUGHT UP IN THESE RAINFALLS AND THEN GOING DOWN TO YOUR STORM DRAIN.
SO, YOU KNOW, THE, THE TIMING OF THAT, THE FREQUENCY, AND THEN AGAIN, YOU KNOW, ARE THERE HOTSPOTS OR NOT, YOU KNOW, GREAT QUESTIONS.
I THINK MY, MY WHERE I, YOU KNOW, KIND OF WOULD LIKE TO GO WITH THAT IS IF WE DID HAVE MORE INFORMATION ON THAT, LIKE THEN HOW ARE WE EDUCATING THE PUBLIC ON THAT AS WELL? UM, YOU KNOW, I MEAN I I, I PERSONALLY THINK THAT WE COULD DO A BETTER JOB WITH, AND I KNOW THAT THERE HAVE BEEN SOME, YOU KNOW, UM, ADS THAT THE CITY HAS RAN, YOU KNOW, THE COUNTY HAS EVEN RUN A COUPLE OF, YOU KNOW, THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR WATER BOTTLE WHEN YOU LET IT OUT, YOU KNOW, JUST DUMP IT OUT AND, AND THEN IT GOES INTO THE STORM DRAIN AND WHERE DOES THE STORM DRAIN GO, YOU KNOW, AND IT FOLLOWS IT ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE GULF OF MEXICO.
UM, BUT IT, BUT THERE'S A LITTLE PROBLEMATIC WITH THAT AD IS THAT IT DOESN'T ACTUALLY SHOW THAT MOST OF THE TIME IT GETS STOPPED IN THE CREEK AND THEN IT'S JUST BREAKING DOWN RIGHT THERE.
UM, YOU KNOW, SO I, I'D LIKE TO SEE US DO SOME, SOME BETTER EDUCATION OF EXACTLY WHAT DOES THAT MEAN, YOU KNOW? YEAH.
HOW DOES THAT END UP IN US YEAH.
YOU KNOW, THE FOOD CHAIN AND, AND YOU KNOW, THE WHOLE, UH, BIOLOGICAL STRUCTURE.
SO I, I A HUNDRED PERCENT AGREE, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT GETTING THAT MESSAGE WAS SOMETHING VISCERAL LIKE A, A PLASTIC BAG OR A WATER BOTTLE, VERY EASY TO SEE THIS AS IT MOVES THAT LIFE CYCLE OF SOMETHING THAT'S FIVE MILLIMETERS.
AND WHAT DOES THAT MEAN, UM, YOU KNOW, IS A TOUGHER THING TO, YOU KNOW, A I MEAN, JUST THE TRACKING, THE MEASURING, QUANTIFYING THAT, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, EFFECTIVELY RELATING THAT INTO THE FOOD WEB.
YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE CARTOONS, UM, YOU KNOW, LIKE WHAT I SHOWED, YOU KNOW, KIND OF THE, THE LIFE CYCLE OF PLASTICS AND ALL THE DIFFERENT PATHWAYS AND THE ARROWS, UM, YOU KNOW, BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN AND HOW IT'S IMPACTING US? THOSE ARE TOUGH MESSAGES.
BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE SCIENCE IS STARTING TO RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF MICROPLASTICS AND, YOU KNOW, THE FOREVER CHEMICALS AND THESE OTHER THINGS.
AND I THINK THOSE WILL BE MESSAGES AND THINGS THAT WILL, UM, BECOME MORE PREVALENT, PERVASIVE, UM, JUST WITH TIME, UM, AS, AS THAT MESSAGING IS EFFECTIVELY CRAFTED.
UM, AND THEN LAST YOU MENTIONED, UM, THE HOUSTON TOLLESON STUDY AND, AND, UM, AND CARRYING CAPACITY.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE, IT SEEMS LIKE WE TALKED ABOUT THAT SEVERAL TIMES AND THEN IT'S JUST KIND OF GONE AWAY.
UM, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN KIND OF REVIVE AND, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF HAVE AGAIN, A, A LOOK AT OF WHAT IS THAT CAPACITY, AND ESPECIALLY AS WE ARE THINKING ABOUT ALL THE NEW DEVELOPMENT THAT'S GONNA COME ON THE SOUTH CENTRAL, YOU KNOW, SIDE WITH, UM, WITH MORE PEOPLE, JUST MORE, UM, YOU KNOW, ALL THE WAY AROUND.
SO MORE BOAT RENTALS, MORE ACCESS TO THE LAKE, YOU KNOW, ALL THOSE DIFFERENT THINGS.
SO, UM, AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW, THEN, THEN WE HAVE TO TAKE THAT AND FIGURE OUT, WELL, WHAT DO WE DO WITH IT NOW? UM, YOU KNOW, BUT TO BE SEEN ON THAT, I THINK HAVING THE DATA AND HAVING YOUR WONDERFUL RESOURCE OF, OF, UM, EXACTLY HOW YOU'RE TRACKING EVERYTHING AND LOOKING AT IT HOLISTICALLY FROM TOP TO BOTTOM, UM, IS REALLY A VALUE.
SO THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO, AND YOUR WHOLE TEAM APPRECIATE IT.
YEAH, I'M, WELL, VERY WELL SUPPORTED.
UM, SUPERVISORS, STAFF, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR, UH, CIP MIP MIP TEAM.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S A LOT OF RESOURCES, UM, THAT GO INTO THESE TYPES OF STUDIES AND, UH, THE TIME AND IT'S, IT IS WELL SUPPORTED AND, YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE OUR INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, UM, HAS REALLY OPENED UP, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF,
[02:20:01]
UH, AVENUES FOR, TO DO AND PURSUE THIS KIND OF RESEARCH.UM, YOU KNOW, JUST THE, THE ANALYTICAL TOOLS AND CAPABILITIES THAT ARE JUST RIGHT DOWN THE ROAD, UH, FROM US.
IT, IT'S GREAT TO HAVE THOSE RESOURCES.
UM, AND, UH, AND THEY'RE EXTREMELY EAGER TO WORK ON THESE LOCAL PROBLEMS AS WELL.
SO IT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, I GET TO STAND UP HERE AND BE THE PRETTY FACE, BUT IT'S, IT'S A LOT THAT'S, THAT'S BEHIND IT AND, AND IS, YOU KNOW, SUPPORTING ME.
WELL, THANKS AGAIN FOR COMING IN AND GIVING US A WONDERFUL AND VERY ENLIGHTENING PRESENTATION.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR HAVING ME, AND I'LL SEE YOU IN A YEAR OR SO.
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
AGENDA ITEM, UM, ARE FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. UM, AND I WILL SAY I JUST WANNA KIND OF MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT.WE HAVE PRETTY FULL AGENDAS THROUGH THE END OF DECEMBER.
I'M JUST GONNA GO AHEAD AND SAY IT.
UM, SO BE, BE READY AND BE THOUGHTFUL OF THAT.
I SEE YOUR MIC IS ON COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN.
ANY OTHER POSSIBLE SQUEAK IT IN BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR? FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS? HEARING NONE, WE WILL CLOSE THE MEETING AT 8 21.
EXCUSE ME, BEFORE WE, OH, WHEN YOU SAY THE AGENDA IS FULL, CAN YOU ELABORATE A LITTLE BIT ON, ON WHAT THAT I REALLY CAN'T, 'CAUSE IT'S NOT ON THE, IT'S JUST A MULTIPLE ITEMS THAT COULD BE LONG DISCUSSIONS ON, UM, MOST OF THE UPCOMING MEETINGS.
SO I GUESS, OKAY, TO EXPAND ON THAT JUST A LITTLE BIT WITHOUT BEING TOO SPECIFIC, UH, ARE THESE THINGS THAT ARE LIKE THE ITEM WE HAD TODAY, IT WAS A VARIANCE OF, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER IT IS, AS OPPOSED TO THINGS THAT WE'VE REQUESTED BE BROUGHT UP.
UH, 'CAUSE I KNOW I REMEMBER, UH, COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN HAD BROUGHT UP, I DUNNO, SOMETHING IN A MEETING OR TWO AGO THAT HE WANTED TO HEAR ABOUT AND THE ASTROTURF YEAH.
UM, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SOME ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN REQUESTED BY Y'ALL AND OTHER ITEMS THAT ARE, UM, THAT ARE JUST PART OF LIKE A PROCESS FOR CERTAIN PLANS THAT ARE MOVING FORWARD AND THEN DEVELOPMENT CASES, SOME PUDS AND, YOU KNOW, THERE WILL PROBABLY BE MORE VARIANCES.
SO MOST OF THEM ARE JUST BUSINESS STUFF YEAH.
RATHER THAN THINGS THAT WE HAVE REQUESTED? CORRECT.
I I THINK IT'S A PRETTY GOOD MIX.
I MEAN THERE'S DEFINITELY A, A, A REQUEST ON THERE, SO YEAH.
AND SOME THAT WE'VE WAITED FOR, FOR QUITE A WHILE, SO.
UM, I'LL RECLOSE THE MEETING