The City of Austin is still in the early design stages of a project to fix the eroding banks along Shoal Creek. KUT took a tour of the creek erosion in Pease Park this week with one of the city’s civil engineers.
“Probably 30 or 40 years ago, they used a lot of concrete or rock filled wire baskets, which also break down over time,” Morgan Byars with the City of Austin's Watershed Protection Department said. “We’re trying to use more sustainable solutions that can last centuries.”
Check out the video above for an example of what he’s talking about.
The city will also put native plants along the banks of the river, the roots of which will help prevent soil erosion. Another method involves reinforcing the soil with a green plastic mesh that allows plants to growth through. You can see an example of that here.
The city is planning to hold public hearings in December on its plans to stop erosion along Shoal Creek. Construction is scheduled to get underway in 2013 and be completed the following year.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency named Austin as one of the top ten cities in the country for its use of environmentally friendly infrastructure.
