Researcher warns Dog's Head plan could increase flooding, pollution and displacement

Dr. Katherine Brown, speaking as a longtime Austin resident and researcher, told the Public Health Commission that the 2,600‑acre Dog's Head site along the Colorado River was approved under unusually permissive terms and that the development as currently structured poses ecological and public‑health risks. "The original agreements set very minimal regulations. It originally allowed up to one hundred percent impervious cover on this land," she said, and noted the developer later revised that limit to 79 percent, which still leaves only about 384 acres of open space by her count.