Celebrating 30 Years of Citizen Advocacy

and the Birth of the Save Our Springs Movement

Thirty years ago, on June 7th, 1990, over 1000 citizens showed up at Austin City Hall to protest the "Barton Creek PUD," a 4,000 acre development proposed for the banks of Barton Creek by Freeport McMoRan, a global mining company that was the single largest discharger of toxic pollutants into the waters of the United States. Austin citizens from all walks of life took their allotted 3 minutes to tell the city council to vote "no" on the massive development proposal. After taking testimony throughout the night, the City Council voted unanimously the next morning to deny the development approval. The event triggered Austin's "save our springs" movement followed by the passing of the SOS Ordinance in 1992.

watch the 24 minute compilation of the all night hearing here

Photos by Alan Pogue
Alan Pogue is a photojournalist who works exclusively in black-and-white still documentary photography.
His career focuses on social justice and Texas politics from the early 1970s to the present.

Stories From Those Who Were There

Whatever Happened

to the

Barton Creek PUD?

Find Out Now

Common Ground: The Battle for Barton Springs, by Karen Kocher was completed as her Master’s thesis at U.T., and chronicles the early days of the movement, culminating in the victory of the Save Our Springs ordinance at the ballot box on August 2, 1992.

Click to read

In this special issue [Austin Chronicle], we take a look back at the citizen movement leading to the landmark passage of the Save Our Springs Ordinance on Aug. 8, 1992. The campaign kicked off in force at an all-night City Council meeting in June 1990 when more than 900 people signed up to speak against a massive Barton Creek development. Our e-edition begins with former Chronicle writer Daryl Slusher’s call to action before the hearing.

~ Amy Smith
Amy Smith wrote about Austin policy and politics for over 20 years. She joined The Austin Chronicle in 1996.