Downtown Austin Creek News

Downtown Austin is a bit of unique geography, flanked by two natural creeks: Shoal Creek to the west and Waller Creek to the east – each flowing into Ladybird Lake to the south. As downtown Austin flourishes, both creeks are making efforts to restore / improve their terrain and engage the community around these natural amenities.

The Waller Creek project is admittedly of a much larger scale (and has been around quite a bit longer thanks to the vision of former Council Member and Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole) than what’s happening with Shoal Creek, but both efforts are making a huge difference in the way residents and visitors interact with the landscape of the urban core.

Shoal Creek Conservancy specifically is setting out to restore water quality, improve infrastructure, restructure management and maintenance, create directional / informative signage for the public, and otherwise engage the public with programming and public recreational facilities.

Waller Creek Conservancy is a broad-scale effort to completely transform the creek. It’s touted as the nation’s largest urban creek to undergo the transformation envisioned by the Conservancy.

All of the improvements to both creeks will undoubtedly positively affect the values of the towers in their vicinity.

Downtown Austin Condos Along Shoal Creek

Downtown Austin Condos Along Waller Creek

In recent creek news…..

The Waller Creek Conservancy recently posted this update on their Facebook Page:

Construction is nearly complete on the flood conveyance components of the Waller Creek Tunnel. Construction of the pond at the main inlet at Waterloo Park is complete and screens are in place to filter out trash and debris before flows enter the tunnel. Crews are working on the dam in Waterloo Park which will divert floodwaters into the tunnel and limit the amount of water that continues down Waller Creek. On May 5th, a large storm event dropped 2 to 4 inches of rain across Austin in a matter of a just a few hours. With just a small portion of the dam in place, floodwaters from Waller Creek filled the inlet pond and entered the tunnel where it flowed to Lady Bird Lake for the first time. Pond levels have since subsided and work will continue on the dam as weather permits.

Photo courtesy of Austin Watershed

And, Shoal Creek Conservancy recently formalized its partnership with the City of Austin, which will likely increase the budget and the effectiveness of the many ambitious programs in the works for the creek, both long-term projects and short-term initiatives like removing graffitti and installing needed lighting at various travelled points along the creek.