 Spring (Back) in Love with the GreenbeltCelebrate Valentine’s Day by exploring Barton Creek on SOS’s first 2026 eco-tour! Join our expert SOS staff guides and Dane Smith, Vice Chairman of the Texas Speleological Society, an organization bringing together cavers across Texas since 1956 to study, protect, and explore the state’s caves. Dane will lead the group through Backdoor Spring and Backdoor Cave, two hidden gems in the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone. Along the way, learn about karst geology, local flora and fauna, and the critical role these waterways play in Austin’s environment. This guided hike includes both cave and creek adventure, and is perfect for geology enthusiasts, nature lovers, or anyone looking for a memorable Valentine’s Day experience.
We are expecting a big turnout for this special kick off tour, so grab your spot now!  Central Texas is facing a surge of proposed industrial data centers that strain our water supply, increase electricity costs, and threaten local waterways with chemical contamination. You can make a difference: join the public pressure campaign to contact the Crystal Clear Special Utility District and San Marcos City Council. Your voice helps ensure officials prioritize residents, uphold drought protections, and reject unnecessary, water-intensive industrial projects. If you’re looking for a concrete way to help right now, the public pressure campaign created by our friends at the Data Center Action Coalition puts the power of the pen to work. This easy guide gives you clear ways to contact local utility leaders and elected officials and push back against water-guzzling data center proposals right away. One action will take less than 5 minutes. Upcoming Opportunities to Join the Fight Against Data Centers:
 Drought Watch: A Noticeable Drop in SpringflowFor more than seven years, I’ve been a near-daily swimmer at Barton Springs, often snorkeling through clear water among bass and cichlids, eel grass and cobomba stands that all depend on steady springflow to thrive. This week, near one of the main spring vents where on a winter day one might normally feel a strong heated current, the pulse was barely noticeable, and clouds of algae are steadily spreading across plants that rely on consistent flow to survive.
The springs are the canary in the coal mine, and this majestic place is already showing clear signs of strain. The Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD) warns that groundwater conditions are approaching historic lows. The region has now endured 43 consecutive months of drought, driven by well below-average rainfall, record heat, and rapidly growing demand. Barton Springs flow is less than a quarter of its historical average settling at around 11 cfs since late January. We are on the brink of Stage 4 Emergency Response Period, an unprecedented drought stage in the District’s 39-year history. A Stage 4 declaration would bring significant pumping limitations to protect springflow and the long-term health of the aquifer. “Thousands and thousands of households between Austin and San Marcos depend on well water for their daily needs,” said Charlie Flatten, General Manager of BSEACD. “It is critical that we cut back on outdoor use and conserve for indoor use only.” The question is, if we don’t act now to conserve and support smarter water management, what will Barton Springs and the aquifer it depends on look like in the years ahead? You can read the full BSEACD drought update here and use the resources listed below. Go ahead and start conversations with friends and neighbors who may not realize how to make a difference.
In Solidarity, SOS Alliance Protect the Historic Barton Springs Bridge + Post-Trial Update in Voter Petition Lawsuit1/31/2026
 Despite claims from City Staff that the bridge is beyond repair, experts have debunked these assertions, showing that only minor maintenance is needed, not the costly $40 million demolition and replacement proposed. Further, arguments that the bridge is unsafe for traffic or pedestrians are unsubstantiated, as recent safety improvements have been successful, and the bridge poses no significant danger. Restoring the existing bridge would support the historic fabric of Zilker Park, while avoiding the unnecessary environmental harms that come with ripping out the existing bridge and putting in a new one. Here's how to speak out: The Historic Landmark Commission will hear this case Wednesday, Feb 4 at 6:00 p.m. You can attend in person at City Hall, 301 W. 2nd St. The agenda and backup materials are available HERE.
 SAVE AUSTIN'S SOUL POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE Post-Trial Update
Austin United PAC’s legal team, led by Save Our Springs Alliance public interest attorneys Bill Bunch and Bobby Levinski, laid out the law and evidence to support reversing the Austin City Clerk's rejection of AUPAC voter petition to call time out on the City's $5.6 billion, 32-year debt-financed convention center project and redirect public spending to support cultural and outdoor tourism that benefits visitors, locals, our creative economy, and our water and parks. If the petitioned ordinance advances and gets approved, these funds would be more equitably spent across the City--rather than just downtown. Judge Mangrum took the case under advisement. AUPAC has requested the Court to order the Austin City Clerk to certify the petition as valid in time for the Austin City Council to place the petitioned ordinance onto a special May 2026 ballot. Key points of the legal argument included:
 In this Issue:
Protect Lady Bird Lake and the East Riverside CorridorThe Austin City Council holds their first regular meeting this Thursday, January 22nd. Just a quick look tells us we have the same city council hell bent on developer deregulation, no matter the harm to Lady Bird Lake, coherent city planning required by city ordinances, or the beauty and quality of life of our city. If you have time, please sign up to speak here and show up at City Hall Thursday at 10 a.m. Let the City Council know you are watching and won't take it lying down. Item 56 on the agenda, the City Council proposes to remove 2.6 acres of Lady Bird Lake shoreline property at 1404 East Riverside Drive from the East Riverside Corridor Plan. The draft City Council resolution proposing to remove this tract from the community-developed Corridor Plan makes the "up is down" argument that removing this tract from the Corridor Plan "will allow for more cohesive development regulations." It further explains the developer wants to create a Planned Unit Development "PUD" on the property. Removing the property from the Corridor Plan and allowing a PUD has the exact opposite purpose: get rid of "cohesive development regulations" and let the developer do what it wants. A Corridor Plan provides consistent standards, standards the developer wants to dodge in ways that are not explained at all. Further, the whole point of a PUD is to, in effect, throw all of the City's development regulations in the trash can and simply write your own, single-site standards. City Code actually says site specific "PUD" zoning should be limited to tracts 10 acres or larger. They regularly ignore this basic standard as proposed here. Up is down; night is day; bad is good. But, hey, they "got the message" and "respect the voters." We ask, how much of the Lake Overlay Ordinance, in place since the 1980s to protect the lake and increase public lakefront park land but torn up for the Statesman PUD and Endeavor's rezoning of the Cidercade property, will be thrown out this time? We won't know until after they tear up the Corridor Plan for this plan-free, special deal lake front property.  Protect Austin from Commercial Sign and Billboard BlightAlso, this Thursday, the City Council is proposing to dramatically deregulate digital signs and billboards. These are Items 64 and 86 on the agenda linked above. SOS joins with Community Not Commodity to urge citizens to speak up and tell the council to slow down. Much of this information is provided by CNC. We haven't had time to decipher all of the proposed changes, but many of the proposed changes will translate into an uglier city, with lots more "for sale" signs. It includes illuminated commercial signs in public rights of way, at bus stops, on residential streets, and at bike share kiosks. There are 2500 bus stops in CAP METRO’s area. In addition, Council is proposing to remove existing limits on relocating billboards that are threatened by condemnation due to “transportation improvements along core transit corridors and future core transit corridors.” Among the restrictions being eliminated is the rule that prohibits moving a billboard to a location within 500 feet of a residential dwelling unit. At the January 13 Planning Commission Meeting, Planning Commission Chair Alice Woods described the digital sign proposal as a “seismic change to what is allowed in our city in terms of digital advertising.” Another commissioner warned that adopting such a “massive” change could make it “difficult to put the rabbit back in the hat.” No wonder they are trying to rush it through before anyone knows what is going on.  Trial Set in Lawsuit to Validate Convention Center Petition This coming Monday, January 26, at 9:00 a.m. SOS staff attorneys will be representing Austin United PAC in its lawsuit against the City of Austin for failing to certify the "Save the Soul of Austin" citizen petition that would give Austin voters the right to delay the City's $5.6 billion convention center project at a May 2026 election. The case has been assigned to the Honorable Travis County District Judge Jessica Mangrum, 200th District Court, on the 9th floor of the Travis County Civil Courthouse at 1700 Guadalupe St. The trial is open to the public and is set for two days. Everyone is encouraged to attend. Please dress appropriately and respect court decorum. There are screens near the elevators that identify the case (D-1-GN-25-010865) and will list the court room. If you aren't aware of the importance of this issue, please watch the Austin Free Press 19 minute documentary, The Magic Hole, here. Note: Because it will be a jury week, parking around the facility may be challenging. There is street parking and a parking garage across 17th Street. As always, we are grateful to the engaged citizens who continue to show up, speak out, and hold City Hall accountable. Your steadfast commitment to Central Texas, to the springs, culture, and protected wild spaces that define this region, remains our strongest defense against backroom deals and deregulation disguised as progress.
In Solidarity, SOS Alliance  In this Issue:
Trial Set in Lawsuit to Validate Convention Center Petition A trial date has been set in the lawsuit filed by Austin United PAC against the City of Austin for rejecting the “Save the Soul of Austin” petition, signed by ~25,000 residents of Austin, which would call a “timeout” on the Austin City Council’s rush to commit an estimated $5.6 billion, over 30 years, for a convention center project, without giving Austin voters a say in the matter. The petitioned ordinance would also prioritize City financial support for Austin’s local live music, arts, cultural, and environmental tourism sectors across the entire city. After the PAC turned in the petition, the City Clerk disqualified over 1,600 signatures, many of which are actively registered voters and should have been counted. For example, the Clerk disqualified signatures for minor discrepancies in names and addresses, but these voters can be easily found on the City of Austin voter rolls. In disqualifying these signatures, the Clerk determined that the petition contained 19,506 valid signatures, short of the required 20,000-signature threshold. The lawsuit asserts that with those wrongfully disqualified signatures, the 20,000-signature threshold was met, and Austinites should be entitled to vote on it at the upcoming May 2026 election. The lawsuit also challenges the City’s violation of the Texas Public Information Act, in keeping secret the statistical sampling method used in preparing the sample used to evaluate the sufficiency of the petition. The trial is set for January 26-27, starting at 9am each day. At this point, we do not know the court room assignment; however, it will be at the Travis County Civil and Family Courts Facility, at 1700 Guadalupe St, Austin, Texas 78701. There are screens near the elevators that identify the case (D-1-GN-25-010865) and will list the court room. Note: Because it will be a jury week, parking around the facility may be challenging. There are street parking and a parking garage across 17th Street.  BSEACD Drought Chart and Status on January 7, 2026 District Drought UpdateAs we move into 2026, drought conditions in the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards Aquifer are becoming increasingly severe. 2025 marked the fourth consecutive year of below-average rainfall, leaving Austin with a deficit of nearly 35 inches, which is roughly a year’s worth of rain. At last week’s BSEACD board meeting, staff for the district reported that without significant rain in the beginning of this year, the district will likely enter the most severe stage of drought, Stage 4 Emergency Response Period, by late March or early April. This scenario spells big trouble, not only to Barton Springs itself but also to the people, wildlife, and ecosystems that depend on clean, reliable groundwater in our region. Conserving water aggressively at home and in our communities, supporting policies that reduce impervious cover, fighting water and energy guzzling data centers, and advancing smart water management solutions are critical if we are to protect Barton Springs and sustain the aquifer. Here are some quick resources to put into action and share with your friends and family.
The growing need for people who care and who act is greater than ever. Your support helps keep our springs flowing, our creeks healthy, and the wildlife that depends on them thriving, while giving communities across Texas the tools to make a real difference.
This New Year, make a gift to help Save Our Springs continue our fight to protect these waters and our city. In Solidarity, SOS Alliance  In this Issue:
What an incredible turnout for New Year's Day! The 2026 SOS Polar Bear Splash was out of this world, and we were thrilled to see so many familiar faces (and MANY more new ones) in community at Barton Springs. An estimated 4,000 people moved through the park over the course of the morning, and participated in the community jump at 9:30am. That moment may go down as one of the greatest spectacles we have witnessed in recent springs' history. There was a shared charge in the air, the kind that makes a moment feel unforgettable.  That’s always been the magic of this day. People from every background show up together, side by side, to start the year with courage and joy of the shared ritual of washing off the old year and welcoming the new. Multiple generations of family trudging in together, gaggles of friends, and plenty of solo dippers who show up brave and leave smiling. One of our favorite sights was a group of women who arrived dressed to the nines before taking the plunge.  A huge thank you to our hardworking volunteers that showed up for the mayhem on a national holiday! Thanks to Epoch and Barrett’s for donating more than 10 gallons of fresh coffee early that morning, powering up the thousands of sleepy-eyed people arriving for their New Year's tradition. This year, Flavor on Wheels food truck also rolled up with Korean-Mexican treats for the masses. We are so grateful for community partners who show up, literally before dawn, to make moments like this even better. Big thanks as well to Porkchop Screenprinting for printing our commemorative Polar Bear Splash shirts!
Because of your support, we are fully energized to kick off the year strong. And we will need that energy. There are several critical fights ahead that require immediate attention, including the proposed MoPac South expansion over the Recharge Zone and a wave of massive water and energy guzzling data center developments targeting Central Texas.
Thank you for starting the year with us in cool water, good company, and shared purpose. We’re grateful you’re here, and we’re ready for what’s ahead. Onward Into 2026, SOS Alliance  New Year’s Day is this Thursday, which means it’s almost time for one of Austin’s great traditions: the SOS Polar Bear Splash at Barton Springs Pool. For decades, this has been our way of washing off the old year and starting the new one grounded and reinvigorated. It’s joyful, it’s refreshing, and this year, it’s exactly what we all need. WHO Everyone is welcome! WHERE Barton Springs Pool WHEN Thursday, January 1st. SOS staff & volunteers on site: 8:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. (front and back gates). Community group jump: 9:30 a.m. WHAT Celebrate the New Year and the Soul of Our City. Free coffee & donuts from local legends Epoch and Barrett’s, plus find out ways to get involved with SOS. Flavor on Wheels food truck at the back gate. Cool 2026 commemorative SOS t-shirts available for $30 supports our work (both gates)  The Polar Bear Splash is about showing up for the springs and for one another. We are fortunate to live in a city where a spring-fed pool still flows through the heart of town, and that doesn’t happen by chance. The soul of Austin endures because we choose again and again to protect it. On New Year’s Day, we come together not only to celebrate, but to recommit -- to organizing, to stewardship, and to keeping our home waters safe and clean.
A quick and important note: the Polar Bear Splash will not have lifeguards on duty. It is swim at your own risk. Barton Springs is 70 degrees year-round with a natural (slippery) bottom, and we expect the air temperature to be about the same. If you have health concerns or limited swimming ability, please proceed with caution, or come be part of the fun hillside. There are plenty of ways to participate without getting in the water. This is a chance to reconnect with neighbors, with the springs, and with the work ahead. We’ll be sharing updates on how to get involved with Save Our Springs Alliance in 2026. If you do take the plunge, we recommend bringing a warm robe and beanie, and of course grabbing a screen-printed commemorative shirt to throw on after your New Year's dip. We can't wait to see you there! SOS Alliance
 Having clean, fresh and flowing water is a right for humans and for nature. Together we can save our springs. We hope to see you at Barton Springs on New Year's Day for coffee, donuts, and a plunge into the best swimming hole in Texas! With gratitude, Bill Bunch, Executive Director, Save Our Springs Alliance P.S. Be sure to check out our newly wrapped SalaVander at the Springs, and watch for our 2026 schedule of eco-tours, classes, and community events.   Whether you made a gift this year, volunteered your time, raised your voice when we called for action, or have been standing with Save Our Springs from the beginning, you’re part of a community that shows up for Central Texas waters. At a time when our water, our public lands, and even our democratic institutions face unprecedented pressure, you choose to stay engaged, and that choice matters. Your support matters, too. Please consider including Save Our Springs Alliance in your end-of-year giving.  This year, in the face of relentless development pressure and our increasingly strained aquifer levels, your support delivered real, measurable protection for the Texas Hill Country. Here is some of what we accomplished together in 2025: Education at the Heart of Lasting Change
Advocacy That Lifts Community Voices
Legal Action That Protects Water, Wildlife, and People
Thanks to supporters like you, 2025 was one of the most ambitious years in SOS’s 33-year history. As 2025 comes to a close, an end-of-year, tax-deductible gift to Save Our Springs Alliance helps ensure we enter 2026 prepared to protect our home waters, precious wildlife, and access to direct democracy. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and Best Wishes for the New Year! We can’t wait to celebrate with you at the Polar Bear Splash on New Year’s Day at Barton Springs Pool :) With gratitude and hope for the year ahead, Save Our Springs Alliance   Speak Up Now to Defend the Endangered Species Act!
The federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) was passed in 1973 with broad bipartisan support to protect the ecosystems that endangered and threatened species depend on and to conserve these species. Despite surveys showing that nearly 84% of Americans continue to express support for the ESA, political plans to weaken the landmark environmental statute are underway by changing several of the rules that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) uses to implement the ESA by limiting protections for species listed in the future and infusing political bias into the agency’s processes. You have the power to stand with SOS and the endangered species we share our home with by submitting comments at the links below by 11PM on December 22nd and reminding the FWS that the ESA mandates that decisions be made on the “best scientific information,” not politics. Below are brief summaries of the proposed rule changes and instructions on how to comment for each one. Updated Regulation on Listing Species as Threatened Currently under the ESA, with a few exceptions, species that are listed as threatened rather than endangered automatically receive almost all of the same protections that endangered species do. Such an approach gives threatened species immediate and important protections that will hopefully allow their populations to recover. However, the proposed regulation seeks to make the exception the rule and under the new regulation, every newly listed threatened species would need the FWS to take additional action to set out any prohibitions designed to protect the species; threatened species will no longer automatically receive many of the same protections as endangered species, and under the new rule it would be up to FWS to decide what those protections would be. Unfortunately, these species specific rules are unlikely to be adequate, will leave threatened species unprotected from harassment and other forms of harm, and will take a long time to develop and finalize. This rule’s proposals related to threatened species could impact SOS’s work in getting new salamander species listed if the FWS decides to list the Pedernales River springs salamander or Lipan salamander as threatened instead of endangered. If that happened, it would no longer be a guarantee that the salamanders would quickly receive adequate protections. To comment on this rule and tell the FWS that threatened species need to be protected just as much as endangered species, go to this link and fill out the form. Updated Regulation for Designating Critical Habitat When listing a species as endangered, the FWS often designates critical habitat for a species (critical habitat is habitat areas that are especially important for conserving a species) and any area designated as critical habitat receives special protections under the ESA. While the FWS is allowed to take into account the economic and national security impacts of a critical habitat designation, the critical habitat designation is supposed to be based on the best available science and prioritize the conservation of species in line with the purpose of the ESA. But the new proposed critical habitat designation rule directs FWS to give more weight to the opinions of industry when deciding whether to exclude areas from a new critical habitat designation and encourages the FWS to rely on unreliable sources of information to find that the economic impact of a critical habitat designation outweighs the benefits. Since habitat loss is one of the main causes of extinction, regulations that limits or make habitat protection more difficult under the ESA are untenable. This rule could impact SOS’s work by making it more difficult to get a critical habitat designation for the salamander species that will be listed under the ESA in the future, like the Pedernales River springs salamander and the Lipan salamander. To comment on this rule and urge the FWS to keep politics out of endangered species conservation, go to this link and fill out the form. Updated Regulation on Unoccupied Critical Habitat This proposed rule will also impact how FWS designates critical habitat moving forward by directing the agency to no longer consider designating any currently unoccupied but historic range as critical habitat. This change represents a missed opportunity to protect historic habitat and give species a chance to recover during a time of rapid habitat loss. The proposed rule also invites the agency to make findings that the designation of critical habitat is not prudent on a more frequent basis, a move that leaves endangered species without important habitat protections. This same rule also makes changes to the regulations on listing and delisting species by proposing to limit the phrase “foreseeable future” as it is used in the definition of endangered and threatened species. This could limit how impacts like climate change and resultant shifting species distributions are taken into account when listing a species. The proposed rule also will remove the regulatory language prohibiting the consideration of economic impacts when deciding whether to list a species. To comment on this rule and remind the FWS that protecting habitat is key to protecting endangered species, go to this link and fill out the form. Updated Rules on Section 7 Consultations A key protection under the ESA happens under section 7 of the statute which requires federal agencies to consult with the FWS for any federal actions that may affect an endangered or threatened species to ensure that federal actions do not harm listed species or critical habitat. The proposed rule would limit which impacts are considered and how the impacts are considered during the course of a section 7 consultation. The changes would direct FWS to not consider many indirect, cumulative, or climate-driven effects from being considered. This change could impact SOS’s work by making it more difficult to get TXDOT, CTRMA, and the FWS to take impacts from highway expansion on the Bartons Springs and Austin Blind salamanders into account and provide adequate protections for the species. To comment on this rule and demand that FWS continue to take the impacts to endangered species from federal projects seriously, go to this link and fill out the form. Thank you for submitting comments on these important issues! Our voices matter and can help to ensure continued protections for endangered and threatened species. Please also consider donating to SOS to support our work protecting threatened and endangered species in the Texas Hill Country.  PBS 2024 photo by Carli Rene @inkedfingers Austin, TX — Start your New Year with a splash—and a celebration of clean water! Join Save Our Springs Alliance on New Year’s Day, January 1, 2026, at Barton Springs Pool for the annual SOS Polar Bear Splash, a cherished Austin tradition that has brought the community together for over 30 years. From 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., SOS staff and volunteers will greet guests at both the front gate near the Philosopher’s Rock and the back parking lot entrance. Don’t miss the community group jump at 9:30 a.m., the perfect way to wash off the old year and dive into 2026 with energy, fun, and purpose. For more than three decades, Save Our Springs Alliance has been at the forefront of protecting Barton Springs, the Edwards Aquifer, and Central Texas waterways. This iconic event is a joyous celebration of the community resilience, environmental stewardship, and clean water advocacy that SOS has championed since 1992. As Travis County Commissioner Brigid Shea says, “SOS is the reason we can still swim in Barton Springs today.” Participants can warm up with coffee and donuts, grab a 2026 commemorative t-shirt, and connect with the people and programs that keep Austin’s waters safe. Special appearances will include Commissioner Brigid Shea at 10:00 a.m. and local artist and muralist Fabian Rey at 12:00 noon at the north gate.
Whether you’re a longtime supporter, a first-time jumper, or just looking for a unique way to kick off the year, the SOS Polar Bear Splash is the perfect way to celebrate Austin’s natural treasures and the people who protect them. Come make a splash, meet your community, learn how to get involved, and greet 2026 with Save Our Springs Alliance. Mark your calendar:
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