What's happening
The new round of public engagement is taking place as part of the second phase of the WPD's Rain to River creek protection plan. The initiative is meant to address problems like water quality issues, bank erosion and local flooding over the coming years.
WPD already gathered community input on priorities for its new strategic plan, which will replace the existing master plan adopted nearly a decade ago. The current feedback period, which opened last week and runs through Sept. 15, is based around a survey for future waterway-related investments.
“We’re asking Austinites to help us think through some important questions,” department Director Jorge Morales said in a statement. “Should we concentrate our resources on fewer, high-impact projects, or spread them out across more areas? What types of programs or improvements would help people feel safer when it rains? These are decisions we can’t make alone.”
The approach
WPD has said the Rain to River update will respond to climate change, rapid population growth and local equity concerns. It expanded to focus more on that issue as City Council called to "address the equitable protection of the environment" under the existing watershed plan in 2022.
Rain to River is meant to help WPD set new strategic goals and plan for future programs, projects and regulatory updates around Austin. It "aims to build a more resilient and equitable Austin where natural and built environments work together to protect people and waterways," according to a department release.
