Current CRESSLE Projects

Land Use
Erosion and change along the Lower Colorado River (LCR) is a concern for infrastructure and water resources. This erosion is likely impacted by changing land use in the surrounding and upstream neighborhoods. We aim to understand how erosion along the LCR compares in different sections of the river, focusing initially on the sections: (1) bordering Roy Guerrero park; (2) bordering Austin’s Colony; and (3) bordering McKinney Roughs Nature Park, as a ‘control’ site. Community members interested in the impact of land use change on river erosion are welcome to join this project to provide community-insight into the impacts of this erosion, and what ideal solutions would look like. Stakeholders would be the City of Austin and the Lower Colorado River Authority, and skills developed would be a better understanding of what causes river erosion, and how we measure it. Email: tgoudge@jsg.utexas.edu

Drinking Water Quality in Austin’s Colony

Austin’s Colony residents have received hard water and intermittent discolored water for over a decade. PODER and the University of Texas at Austin partnered to better understand water quality issues in the neighborhood. Findings revealed toxic metals in the drinking water and showed that mixing groundwater sources within the distribution network causes water quality changes. We invite community members to join ongoing efforts by helping collect household water samples, organize community meetings, and collaborate in developing solutions to improve local water quality. Email: banner@jsg.utexas.edu

Water Quality in Boggy Creek

Boggy Creek, located in East Austin, is one of the city’s most environmentally impacted water bodies and has a long history of pollution and infrastructure issues. This project assesses water quality in Boggy Creek to identify current contamination sources and explore how they relate to the community’s history and local perceptions. Findings show that leaking infrastructure allowed supply water and wastewater to enter the creek. Our collaboration with the Watershed Protection Department resulted in infrastructure repairs followed by a decrease in the bacteria levels in the creek and improved water conditions. We invite community members to join ongoing efforts by supporting water sampling, collecting oral histories, and strengthening the local social network to restore and improve access to Boggy Creek. Email: banner@jsg.utexas.edu

Oral Histories Project, Boggy Creek

Scientists have studied the habitat and environmental conditions in the Boggy Creek watershed for decades and can tell how urban development has decreased biodiversity and degraded water quality via contamination by bacteria and heavy metals. And yet such data tell not what residents remember: how these waters once contained different types of fish, flowers, and sand, how the creek prospered before all the concrete, what role the creek played in ways of living and knowing prior to gentrification. We invite community members to participate in an oral history project that promises to show how our relationship to local environments have changed over time. Through this project, fellows may learn how to conduct oral history interviews, interpret interview data through research coding methods, and/or help present interviews to public audiences through a digital website in collaboration with Austin Public Libraries. Email: megan.poole@austin.utexas.edu

Climate Resilience and Cool Pavements with City of Austin

The city of Austin is exploring heat mitigation strategies such as applying light-colored, solar-reflective coatings containing titanium dioxide (TiO₂) to roads. These coatings help lower surface temperatures, making streets cooler and more comfortable. We are interested in whether this type of approach is effective for neighborhoods like those of participating community members, or if it presents environmental tradeoffs that outweigh its benefits. Community members will help shape this research by sharing their perspectives on neighborhood heat challenges and environmental priorities, and by working with researchers to identify places where the sealant could benefit their community. Findings may guide decisions by the Texas Department of Transportation, and the City of Austin Watershed Protection Department. Email: banner@jsg.utexas.edu

Air Quality

Residents of Bastrop have suffered from high levels of dust due to open mining and extraction activities near their homes and schools. We have partnered with them to install an air quality sensor to monitor PM10 (particles with 10 microns in diameter or less, like those from dust), to understand concentration levels, daily patterns, and how they relate to different wind directions. This information has been used as input in a request to TCEQ to establish officially regulated monitoring sites. In the future, we are open to working with community members interested in exploring air quality impacts in their neighborhoods, leading conversations with neighbors about the measurements, and proactively exploring solutions to address the source of air pollution. Email: sergioc@utexas.edu

Environmental Law Clinic

The UT Environmental Clinic will be updating its 2017 guide to public participation at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.  The existing guide outlines how communities can be involved in permitting, rulemaking, and enforcement.  We’ll also creating slide presentations and possibly videos to supplement the guide for specific issues. We would love input on topics that should be included in the guide, the most useful way to present materials, etc.  Email: kharagan@law.utexas.edu

Climate Resilience

Many neighborhoods in Austin have experienced the negative impacts of flooding. We’re exploring how communities make collective decisions around flood-risk management based on their own risk levels and social capital, and how those preferences can shape rebate or resource distribution programs. We’re looking for a community fellow to help ground this work in lived experience, help frame its real-world relevance, and contribute to this research by hosting meetings, sharing feedback and lived experience through interviews / listening sessions/focus groups. Email: rpbixler@austin.utexas.edu