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Watershed staff report: Austin Lakes Index, hydrilla, shoreline plantings and microplastics in reservoirs
Summary
Watershed Protection staff presented the Austin Lakes Index and recent monitoring of aquatic vegetation, shoreline planting compliance and a sediment study that found microplastics concentrated near urban tributary mouths; the commission discussed vegetation management, shoreline code compliance and public outreach.
Dr. Brent Bellinger, Conservation Program Supervisor for the City of Austin Watershed Protection Department, updated the Environmental Commission on the Austin Lakes Index, aquatic vegetation trends in Lake Austin and Lady Bird Lake, shoreline planting survivorship on Lake Austin, and initial sediment sampling for microplastics.
Bellinger summarized the Austin Lakes Index (ALI), an annual index compiled by Watershed Protection that aggregates multiple measures of reservoir ecological condition. He said ALI scores for Austin reservoirs typically range from the mid-40s to mid-60s and that the index helps guide where the city invests engineering and restoration resources. He presented three main topics: aquatic vegetation, shoreline/riparian protections and a microplastics sediment study conducted in partnership with the University of Texas.
On vegetation, Bellinger described differing management aims across reservoirs. Lake Austin has seen cycles of…
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