Leaders plan for flooding mitigation

An engineering study focused on finding potential engineering solutions for the Upper Onion Creek area is slated to go back to the Public Utilities Committee soon, said Council Member Ann Kitchen, who represents District 5 in Southwest Austin.

“The city’s consultants are on track for completing the first part of that engineering study by the end of February,” she said. “We are expecting that to come back to our committee in March, and so we can begin the steps at that point of identifying whether or not we can do something from an engineering perspective and whether or not we can start talking about buyouts for the Upper Onion Creek area.”

Mayor Steve Adler said flood mitigation has been a focus for the council.

“We have increased the standards with respect to new development so as to not repeat the same mistakes that we have made in the past,” he said.

The city considers development as part of mitigation plans, Kitchen said.

District 2 Council Member Delia Garza said mitigation will continue to be a controversial issue, and she looks forward to results from the Flood Mitigation Task Force, which began discussing plans in October and is working to present regional strategies to council this spring.

Jacob, who serves on the task force, said he welcomes input and questions from residents. Task force meetings are open to the public, with the next meeting scheduled for March 1.