October 15th, 2025

10/15/2025

IN THIS ISSUE:
Oct 16 - Back in Court to Enforce the SOS Ordinance: Come Watch!
Barton Springs University: Call for Volunteers + Meet Our Keynote Speaker
Oct 18 - No Kings #2 March & Rally This Saturday, 2-5 pm
Oct 26 - The Unforeseen Robert Redford Tribute Screening + Q&A

Back in Court to Enforce the SOS Ordinance -- Come Watch!
On Thursday, October 16, 2025, at 9am, the Save Our Springs legal team will be at the Travis County Courthouse, 1700 Guadalupe St. (Courtroom 12B), alongside counsel for the Barton Creek Southwest Property Owners Association and the Travis Country Southwest POA, to enforce the SOS Ordinance. Members of the public are invited to attend and watch the proceedings. The hearing is anticipated to take 2 hours.

In 1992, Austin voters took the extraordinary step of initiating and approving the Save Our Springs Initiative Ordinance by an overwhelming two-thirds (64%) majority. To date, the SOS Ordinance is still widely regarded as a gold standard for water quality protection, setting a benchmark for protecting the water quality of Barton Springs and the Edwards Aquifer from the impacts of urban development. Because the then-Austin City Council (beholden to the interests of the real estate developers) refused to act to protect Barton Springs, the residents of Austin took democracy into their own hands and forced a vote on the water quality regulations necessary to protect them.

Yet despite the ordinance passing, over 30 years later, we are still struggling to get the Austin City Council to enforce the will of Austin voters. In 2024, the Austin City Council entered an agreement with a landowner at 8401 Southwest Parkway to allow it to opt-out of compliance with the impervious cover limits of the SOS Ordinance. Without this agreement, the proposed development would be required to develop under the SOS Ordinance.

The lawsuit raised by SOS and affected neighborhoods is centered on the established legal precedent that a City Council cannot create a contract with a landowner to bypass the city’s laws, such as the SOS Ordinance. Austin voters intended that the SOS Ordinance apply to all new developments in the Barton Springs watershed. By approving a contractual agreement with a landowner to get around the SOS Ordinance, the Council thwarted the will of Austin voters and violated the Council’s Charter-mandate to legislate only by ordinance. The lawsuit also raises a claim, under the Texas Open Meetings Act, that the council failed to disclose the nature of the agreement and its intent to sidestep the SOS Ordinance.

If you are curious to read more, the cause number is D-1-GN-25-001952, and a copy of our motion for summary judgment can be found here. We hope to see you there this Thursday!

Barton Springs University returns on Tuesday, October 28, 2025! We’re looking for passionate volunteers to help guide small groups of high school students through a full day of outdoor learning!

This event is a cornerstone of the Save Our Springs Alliance mission and our staff works hard to pull this day off, but we can't do it alone! As a BSU Guide, you’ll help student groups move between sessions, navigate the community fair, introduce them to the magic of our aquifer, Barton Springs, and conservation efforts across many fields, and make learning interactive and fun. You’ll be part of the team that keeps this inspiring day flowing smoothly.

Guide Training Day (in-person, virtual, and recorded options available) We’ll walk you through the full event layout, share tips for leading students, and do a site tour so you’ll know every corner from the lecture venues to the lunch area, first aid, and all BSU stations.

Volunteering at BSU is fun, meaningful, and a chance to spark environmental passion in the next generation, all while spending a beautiful day at Barton Springs.

Interested? Sign up and learn more below or email [email protected]

We are VERY excited to welcome Charles “Chuck” Foster Jr. as the Keynote Speaker for this year’s 10th Barton Springs University Day on October 28th!
Chuck Foster is a passionate change-maker with East Austin roots and a lifelong commitment to community, nature, and youth empowerment. A native Austinite and a dad to a teenager himself, Chuck brings warmth, authenticity, and an infectious sense of optimism to every room he walks into.
With a degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Texas State University, Chuck has spent his career building connections — between people, parks, and purpose. He’s the President of the Capital Area Master Naturalists Chapter, mentors students at Deer Park Middle School, has spent more than a decade caring for Springwoods Park through the Adopt-A-Park program, and now owns his own landscaping business with a focus on bringing back native plants.

Chuck's keynote, “Gen Z and the Planet’s Future: This Is Your Moment to Lead,” will empower students to discover their voice, step into leadership, and take bold action to protect our planet. Expect a session full of energy, heart, and inspiration from a man who lives what he teaches every single day.

Barton Springs University Day is Tuesday, October 28th Keynote, Venue A, 10:00 am

No Kings 2 Rally, This Saturday, October 18, 2 - 5:30 pmAt Save Our Springs, protecting our environment goes hand in hand with protecting our communities and our access to direct democracy. We are proud to participate in the No Kings #2 Rally this Saturday. In a healthy democracy, communities have the power to protect what matters: clean water, safe natural spaces, and a future where everyone can thrive. Come march with us and learn how to plug into this movement!

Schedule:

2 pm: Assemble at the Texas State Capitol
2:30 pm: March to Auditorium Shores
3–5:30 pm: Rally with over 35 organizations, including Save Our Springs

If you can’t march, meet us directly at the SOS table at Auditorium Shores at 3 PM.
More info: handsoffcentraltx.org/events/nokings2

Honoring Robert Redford: “The Unforeseen” at Alamo South Lamar!

Join us NEXT Sunday afternoon (4:30 pm), October 26th, for a special Robert Redford tribute screening of The Unforeseen at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar. The film will be preceded by special cuts from a Robert Redford interview at Barton Springs, and then followed by a Q&A with Director Laura Dunn and SOS Executive Director Bill Bunch. Plan to socialize further afterward at the Highball. Please get your tickets here before they disappear.

Spooky season is upon us, but the scariest threats to our community and environment are happening right now. Come out, connect with your neighbors, and stand together to protect what we love. We need your energy, your voice, and your passion.

We hope to see you in the courthouse, at the rally, or at the movies!

SOS Alliance