Dripping Springs Permit Referred to Contested Case Hearing

On Wednesday, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) decided who can challenge a controversial plan would allow Dripping Springs to dump nearly a million gallons of treated sewage a day into Onion Creek, a major source of water for the Edwards Aquifer and Barton Springs. TCEQ commissioners will allow Save Our Springs Alliance,  Save Barton Creek Association, Protect Our Water, and several individual landowners to participate in a "contested case hearing" on whether to grant Dripping Springs the permit. The commissioners also decided that the City of Austin could proceed to the hearing for a determination of its affected status.

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Speak Up Now - No Stadium on Austin Park Land!

The private, for-profit Columbus Crew professional soccer team wants Austin to give them public park land to build a 20,000 seat stadium.  Their "preferred site" is Butler Shores, at the confluence of Barton Creek and Lady Bird Lake, but they are also looking at Roy Guerrero Colorado River Park in East Austin. We need your help now to stop this terrible idea.   Please take a few minutes right now to send a  single email to the Austin City Council urging them to pledge their support now for a City Council resolution that would stop further consideration of public park land for a private stadium or other private development.  Councilmember Ann Kitchen will be introducing this resolution, with council co-sponsors, within the next few days. 

We need more park land, not less.  Austin has a park shortage, and we need to be buying more park land to keep up with our exploding population.  We can welcome soccer and other businesses to Austin, but they need to pay their own way - and help us preserve our parks. 

If you haven't already, please also sign the online petition against using Austin public park land for a soccer stadium here

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UPDATE: Butler Shores Site Taken Off Table For Soccer Stadium

Precourt Sports Ventures announced Friday afternoon that it has ceased its pursuit of Butler Shores Metropolitan Park as a potential Major League Soccer stadium site.  Read the Stateman article HERE.

Update on Soccer Stadium: Resolution Introduced to Save Park Land

Council Member Ann Kitchen posted a resolution today to protect our park land as a location for a MLS Stadium.   The resolution directs staff to remove the city parkland (Butler Shores and Roy  Guerrero Park) as possible locations, provide in-depth analysis of McKalla lane property, and continue with community engagement for McKalla and other potential sites.  You can read the resolution here. 

Council will vote on this resolution on February 15th. Please save the evening for this critical public meeting at Austin City Hall.  We need you, your family and friends to be there to urge the Council to vote for this resolution.

Many thanks to co-sponsors;  Council Members Ann Kitchen, Alison Alter, Jimmy Flannigan and Leslie Pool for taking the lead in protecting our park land from private development

Happy New Year!

Thank you to everyone who donated, volunteered, spoke up at a public meeting, sent an email, or signed a petition in support of saving our springs.  We are blessed to have a community that cares about our work and protecting Barton Springs.  Thank you!! 

Check out these way fun photos from New Year's Day at Barton Springs.  The cold didn't bother folks enough to stay away - it was crowded all day and huge fun.  Winter swims at Barton Springs are the best all season long, so don't miss out on the very best of Austin in the days, weeks and months ahead.