Boggy Creek: Time for Change
All photos below are of Boggy Creek, taken by area residents. For a slideshow of more pictures, click here.
Pollution is caused by infrastructure neglect
50 or so years ago, the City of Austin decided to run neighborhood sewage waste pipes through the Boggy Creek bed instead of under the city streets to save money. Over time, these pipes, many encased in concrete, have cracked, seeping raw sewage into Boggy Creek. A recent test of water quality in Lower Boggy Creek found that the fecal coliform count in Lower Boggy Creek was 14,320 colonies/100mL. This high level of fecal coliform means that the water is unsafe for human contact. In a healthy creek, this number would be close to zero.
Close up of pollutants, which cloud creek water
Algae grows in polluted, slow moving water
The sewage leaking from the pipes is a hazard to children who play in the water, to pets who run through the creek, and to families who recreate in the park which surrounds the creek. Neighbors have complained about this for years, but have been told that the problem is too expensive, too complicated, or not urgent enough to fix. The sewage is so bad that now the Environmental Protection Agency has stepped in and mandated that the City of Austin water utility must stop running sewage through the pipes in Lower Boggy Creek in 2007. This (already funded) project will involve the construction of new sewage pipes outside of the creek and re-direction of some sewage. It will not stop sewage from flowing in pipes in the creek closer to Manor Road. It will not remove any of the concrete and old pipes from the creek.
Pipes encased in concrete ruin the creek ecosystem
Neighbors are gratified that finally the worst of the flow of sewage will be stopped, but are concerned that no funding exists to clean up the creek ecosystem. To address this concern, City staff have designed a project will be included in the 2006 Bond Package, described below.
Boggy Creek Bond Issues, 2006 Bond Election:
If approved by voters, the Boggy Creek Bond Issue would:
Prevent sewage from seeping in Upper Boggy Creek
(in sewage pipes not re-directed by water utility.)
Remove concrete and pipes from creek.
Rebuild creek beds and shore up banks to restore natural beauty, prevent further erosion, and make the creek a more effective natural water channel.
Broken pipes, litter and erosion spoil a spot for recreation
The concrete around the pipes interferes with the natural creek banks and excaserbates erosion of surrounding soils. This erosion leaves pipes unsupported, which increases strain on the pipes, furthering breakage. Many pipes in the creek and their concrete casings are broken and cracked. Even once empty, the broken pipes are a hazard due to sharp edges and are unsightly. They continue to worsen problems of erosion, which makes creek banks steep and can undercut walking paths, making recreational use of the area dangerous. Erosion and degradation of the stream channel also contribute to flooding of property along the creek.
Erosion increases as creek bed and banks degrade
This part of Boggy Creek runs through Rosewood Park, in a residential part of Central East Austin. Because this is our largest neighborhood greenspace, people walk dogs, run or bike through the area and families picnic and barbeque amidst the pollution, concrete and environmental degregation. We have waited a long time to see any progress at all on the creek. It is necessary that the sewage be re-directed, but that alone is not sufficient to bring the creek up to standard. We want the pipes removed and the creek repaired, and City staff have told us it will be cheaper to do it all at once -- now, when the Water Utility is addressing some of the sewage problems. We ask that Austinites approve bond funding for the Boggy Creek Repair and that the creek be made a safe and pleasant place for current residents and future generations.
Children playing in Boggy Creek.
The City Council has included the Boggy Creek Repair project in the bond package! Thanks to everyone who expressed support for this project! Please encourage your neighbors to vote YES on the bond package when it comes to a public vote so we can make creek repair a reality!
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