PROGRAMS
The Field Operations Division protects and manages Austin’s natural waterways, engineered channels, drainage pipelines and storm water ponds that together make up our city’s drainage system.
Much of west Austin sits above the environmentally-sensitive Edwards Aquifer which supplies drinking water to more than 60,000 people, feeds countless springs, including Barton Springs, and supplies water to the Colorado River.
Our Operations Branch manages vegetation and green infrastructure at properties owned or managed by the Watershed Protection Department.
Our creeks and lakes are home to an amazing number of trees, birds, fish, and other wildlife.
The Regional Stormwater Management Program (RSMP) is an alternative means of compliance to the City of Austin’s detention requirements. Funding the Watershed Protection Department receives through the program is used for planning, designing, and constructing drainage infrastructure improvements to reduce the risk of flooding.
Austin is home to three species of aquatic salamanders that live nowhere else in the world: the Barton Springs salamander, Austin blind salamander, and Jollyville Plateau salamander.
Stretching from Waterloo Park to Lady Bird Lake, the Waller Creek Tunnel helps reduce the risk of flooding in downtown Austin.
Austin’s creeks used to run clear in the wilderness, but now they run through the built environment of the city. They pick up pollution from all of us. The concrete and rooftops of the city cause their flow to vary wildly, swinging from dry to overflowing during heavy storms.
We issue permits and conduct routine inspections of specific types of stormwater infrastructure and business activities. The permits and inspections help protect Austin residents and the environment from stormwater pollution, flooding, and erosion.
The Watershed Protection Strategic Plan is the guiding blueprint for our department. The Strategic Plan helps us understand and address existing flooding, erosion, and water quality problems. It helps us prepare for future challenges.