Impacts of Population
The City of Austin has long had a history of growth. The area had always been inhabited byindigenous people, however, in the 1700s the Spanish began to colonize the region. Further growth occurred when settlements emerged along the Colorado River by pioneers in the 1830s. In 1839 Austin became the new capital of the Republic of Texas (changed from Houston) as proposed by Mirabeau B. Lamar, who was the vice president at the time. The City of Austin grew continually throughout the 19th century as it gained governmental importance with the new state capital building construction. It then began to grow due to
educational opportunities that arose as the University of Texas at Austin was established in 1883. The population expansion of Austin took a halt as a result of the Great Depression but then continued in development once again.
Austin, Texas now is the 11thlargest but the fastest growing city in the United States. According to The Austin Business
Journal, 110 people move to Austin on an average day. The estimated 2014 population is 865,504 which is nearly double what it was in 1990. The entire metropolitan area of Austin has about 2 million people. Reasons for such great increases in
population is from a number of reasons. Austin’s economy is thriving with an expected economic growth rate around 6%. The oil industry has been doing very well in keeping Austin’s economy booming but now there is plenty more industries. The University brings in a young crowd looking for a degree and also many young professionals that are going for a graduate degree or seeking employment. Many of the top public corporations have headquarters within Austin, Texas. Intel, Wholefoods, EBay, Google, IBM, Texas Instruments and Advanced Micro Devices are all companies that have a headquarters or a regional office located within the city that offer many other economic opportunities. Retirees are also being drawn in to take advantage of the warm weather and leisurely activities.
The variety of activities make Austin a more visited place by tourists. The warm weather attracts people during the winter months while all year there are activities for all ages. “Keeping Austin Weird” has been the motto for the area which describes
the diversity and excitement of the Austin Culture. This brings includes their nightlife, entertainment, art events, and
entertainment that draw in the college crowd. Plenty of other entertainment including museums and shopping attracts a variety of other people. There is an increasing amount of job opportunities dealing with leisure and hospitality in the area to support the booming tourism. These recreational and leisure activities allow for further job opportunities that also promotes the growth of the city.
Because Texas has very few natural Lakes, such an increase of population within the state can put a lot of pressure on the reservoirs created. Lake Travis, being the main source of water for the city of Austin, takes a huge hit from the population surge. Having more residents and tourists requires more food, housing, businesses, recreation, and schooling. This means the water demand increases to match all of the needs for more domestic, industrial, and aricultural uses. Lake Travis is also used to keep Lake Austin operating at near full capacity for recreation purposes. When water is taken out for all of these purposes, none will be put back in.
The stress on the water system is clearly visible when graphed. As you can see in the graph below, as the population increases, the level of Lake Travis decreases. The decrease was not as prevalent until 2009, when the current drought began. With the new drought cycles coming in during times with such a raised population, the effects are much greater.
educational opportunities that arose as the University of Texas at Austin was established in 1883. The population expansion of Austin took a halt as a result of the Great Depression but then continued in development once again.
Austin, Texas now is the 11thlargest but the fastest growing city in the United States. According to The Austin Business
Journal, 110 people move to Austin on an average day. The estimated 2014 population is 865,504 which is nearly double what it was in 1990. The entire metropolitan area of Austin has about 2 million people. Reasons for such great increases in
population is from a number of reasons. Austin’s economy is thriving with an expected economic growth rate around 6%. The oil industry has been doing very well in keeping Austin’s economy booming but now there is plenty more industries. The University brings in a young crowd looking for a degree and also many young professionals that are going for a graduate degree or seeking employment. Many of the top public corporations have headquarters within Austin, Texas. Intel, Wholefoods, EBay, Google, IBM, Texas Instruments and Advanced Micro Devices are all companies that have a headquarters or a regional office located within the city that offer many other economic opportunities. Retirees are also being drawn in to take advantage of the warm weather and leisurely activities.
The variety of activities make Austin a more visited place by tourists. The warm weather attracts people during the winter months while all year there are activities for all ages. “Keeping Austin Weird” has been the motto for the area which describes
the diversity and excitement of the Austin Culture. This brings includes their nightlife, entertainment, art events, and
entertainment that draw in the college crowd. Plenty of other entertainment including museums and shopping attracts a variety of other people. There is an increasing amount of job opportunities dealing with leisure and hospitality in the area to support the booming tourism. These recreational and leisure activities allow for further job opportunities that also promotes the growth of the city.
Because Texas has very few natural Lakes, such an increase of population within the state can put a lot of pressure on the reservoirs created. Lake Travis, being the main source of water for the city of Austin, takes a huge hit from the population surge. Having more residents and tourists requires more food, housing, businesses, recreation, and schooling. This means the water demand increases to match all of the needs for more domestic, industrial, and aricultural uses. Lake Travis is also used to keep Lake Austin operating at near full capacity for recreation purposes. When water is taken out for all of these purposes, none will be put back in.
The stress on the water system is clearly visible when graphed. As you can see in the graph below, as the population increases, the level of Lake Travis decreases. The decrease was not as prevalent until 2009, when the current drought began. With the new drought cycles coming in during times with such a raised population, the effects are much greater.
The City of Austin is required to take water managing precautions to help protect their water supply against drought and over-use. The water restrictions are put into “stages” depending on how dire the need for water conservation is.
Such restrictions include:
Certain things are completely prohibited under stage 2, such as charity car washes or fountains with either a fall or spray of water greater than four inches unless necessary to preserve aquatic life. Further regulations stipulate that restaurants may not serve water unless requested by a customer. Another activity that is prohibited is washing a vehicle at home, although residents are encouraged to use commercial facilities.
Austin has been continuously in stage 2 since 2012, this year it is very possible that the lake levels could hit a record low. If the levels do hit below 600ft above sea level, residents will have to turn to stage 3 which requires once a week lawn watering for 6 hours. If the drought continues long enough to reach stage 4, no watering of lawns, filling of pools, use of fountains or patio
misters will be permitted. With any new stage there is a significant loss of water sales. In order to keep water companies making the same quantity of money, they must increase the price of water. Increasing the price of water will make people waste less of it. One down side is that it may make water resources unaffordable to lower-income populations.
The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) is at the forefront of managing the waters of Central Texas, including Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan. The LCRA plays a variety of roles in Central Texas: delivering electricity, managing the water supply and environment of the lower Colorado River basin, providing public recreation areas, and supporting community and economic growth. As far as it’s managements within the highland lakes, the LCRA’s responsibilities include the distribution and creation of Austin’s Water Management Plan. Austin Water has been working closely with the Lower Colorado River Authority on their management plans which Austin Water is wanting to make changes to. The rest of the highland lakes are used as back-up sources for Austin’s water supply but they are all about half as full as they would have been during this drought if it wasn’t for the LRCA.
In 2011 the LCRA released 433,251 acre feet of stored water for Agricultural use, mostly for rice farmers downstream. Because rice farming is “interruptible” by hazard, they get their water for much cheaper than municipal customers do. The amount sent downstream is more than what the city of Austin had used in stored water throughout a 15 year time period. It was not expected that the current drought would have lasted as long as it has, but in the year 2011, record low inflows to the lakes were documented. The new proposed management plan by the LCRA may present more issues that could arise in the future which is why Austin Water representatives are working at changing the plan. Because of the historic nature of this induced flood, Austin Water must take more steps in providing alternate water supplies.
Further induced flooding occurred in January of this year as a result of an emergency order from Texas Commission of Environmental Quality. This emergency order granted LCRA the authority to release of 1 million acre feet combined between
Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan. This time the water was released for more uses other than agriculture such as drinking water and industrial use. If the amount sent to rice farmers would have been sold to municipal costumers such as this, they would have made nearly 65 million dollars. That’s what makes the recent emergency use less costly. The real problem is even if the LCRA wants to deny certain water releases, it would be against the“prescription” of their water management plan.
Additional steps that are being taken to reduce the use of Lake Austin’s water supply include subsidizing the use of rain water. Rain that falls onto roofs that would normally be evaporated is stored instead. These rain water collecting systems can be used in homes or businesses. The system not only collects water but then cleans the water and releases it back as ground
water. The main issue with this method is the initial high price of equipment and labor to set it up. There are also additional costs along the way for the cleaning methods. With some government funds the up-keep would be less of an issue. If the price of water goes up enough, this may be a better solution financially in the long run.
Such restrictions include:
- Assigned watering day for residents is determined by property type, type of irrigation used, and whether the street address ends in an even or odd number.
- Hose-end irrigation may take place between midnight and 10 a.m. and between 7 p.m. and midnight on your assigned watering day.
- Automatic irrigation systems may operate between midnight and 5a.m. and between 7 p.m. and midnight on your watering day.
- Watering with a hand-held hose or a refillable watering vessel, such as a bucket, is allowed at any time on any day of the week.
- Efficient and green initiatives are exempt from regulation during stage 2, such as Drip irrigation and watering of vegetable gardens with a soaker hose.
Certain things are completely prohibited under stage 2, such as charity car washes or fountains with either a fall or spray of water greater than four inches unless necessary to preserve aquatic life. Further regulations stipulate that restaurants may not serve water unless requested by a customer. Another activity that is prohibited is washing a vehicle at home, although residents are encouraged to use commercial facilities.
Austin has been continuously in stage 2 since 2012, this year it is very possible that the lake levels could hit a record low. If the levels do hit below 600ft above sea level, residents will have to turn to stage 3 which requires once a week lawn watering for 6 hours. If the drought continues long enough to reach stage 4, no watering of lawns, filling of pools, use of fountains or patio
misters will be permitted. With any new stage there is a significant loss of water sales. In order to keep water companies making the same quantity of money, they must increase the price of water. Increasing the price of water will make people waste less of it. One down side is that it may make water resources unaffordable to lower-income populations.
The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) is at the forefront of managing the waters of Central Texas, including Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan. The LCRA plays a variety of roles in Central Texas: delivering electricity, managing the water supply and environment of the lower Colorado River basin, providing public recreation areas, and supporting community and economic growth. As far as it’s managements within the highland lakes, the LCRA’s responsibilities include the distribution and creation of Austin’s Water Management Plan. Austin Water has been working closely with the Lower Colorado River Authority on their management plans which Austin Water is wanting to make changes to. The rest of the highland lakes are used as back-up sources for Austin’s water supply but they are all about half as full as they would have been during this drought if it wasn’t for the LRCA.
In 2011 the LCRA released 433,251 acre feet of stored water for Agricultural use, mostly for rice farmers downstream. Because rice farming is “interruptible” by hazard, they get their water for much cheaper than municipal customers do. The amount sent downstream is more than what the city of Austin had used in stored water throughout a 15 year time period. It was not expected that the current drought would have lasted as long as it has, but in the year 2011, record low inflows to the lakes were documented. The new proposed management plan by the LCRA may present more issues that could arise in the future which is why Austin Water representatives are working at changing the plan. Because of the historic nature of this induced flood, Austin Water must take more steps in providing alternate water supplies.
Further induced flooding occurred in January of this year as a result of an emergency order from Texas Commission of Environmental Quality. This emergency order granted LCRA the authority to release of 1 million acre feet combined between
Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan. This time the water was released for more uses other than agriculture such as drinking water and industrial use. If the amount sent to rice farmers would have been sold to municipal costumers such as this, they would have made nearly 65 million dollars. That’s what makes the recent emergency use less costly. The real problem is even if the LCRA wants to deny certain water releases, it would be against the“prescription” of their water management plan.
Additional steps that are being taken to reduce the use of Lake Austin’s water supply include subsidizing the use of rain water. Rain that falls onto roofs that would normally be evaporated is stored instead. These rain water collecting systems can be used in homes or businesses. The system not only collects water but then cleans the water and releases it back as ground
water. The main issue with this method is the initial high price of equipment and labor to set it up. There are also additional costs along the way for the cleaning methods. With some government funds the up-keep would be less of an issue. If the price of water goes up enough, this may be a better solution financially in the long run.