Stan Wilson, ESC General Manager and Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner (CERP), has been working to restore the riparian landscape along the Comal and Guadalupe rivers and their tributaries since 2019. This work is coordinated by the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan (EAHCP), which is funded by municipal water customers in the major counties within the Edwards Aquifer contributing, recharge, and artesian zones. Recently, EAHCP profiled our restoration work at Landa…
Did you know that August is Water Quality Month? The work the we do at ESC is entirely in service to our natural resources, including water! Our services include green storm water infrastructure, as well as native landscape design and installation that reduces or even eliminates the need for irrigation, supplemental feeding, and herbicide, all of which can negatively affect our shared waterways. In addition to our regular work, our…
The Taniguchi Garden at Zilker Botanical Garden in Austin, Texas was built by Isamu Taniguchi as a gift of peace and tranquility to our city and has made an indelible mark on those who have visited. When the Zilker Botanical Garden Conservancy decided to install a riparian stream bed and demonstration garden to connect the Taniguchi Garden to the pond near the Rose Garden, it was Isamu Taniguchi’s grandson, architect…
Last year, several Environmental Survey Consulting (ESC) staff members decided that we wanted to learn how to monitor water quality for the Colorado River watershed. We contracted Michael Jones with the Texas Stream Team in San Marcos to travel to Austin and provide training. Michael provided in-classroom training at the Austin History Center and then an in-field training on Shoal Creek at Seiders Springs. We were also joined by several…
A natural swimming pool is constructed so water is clarified and treated by wetland plants rather than chemicals and UV lights. While Europeans have decades of experience with these pools, they are just starting to become popular in the United States. ESC has recently melded its decades of experience with created wetlands for urban runoff treatment with construction of traditional swimming pools and natural fish ponds, using natural Hill Country…
Plants and Phytoremediation Unlike raingardens, wet ponds are designed to capture and hold runoff from impervious cover. Urban runoff can carry pollutants such as gasoline, motor oil, heavy metals, fertilizers, pesticides, aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nickel, copper, zinc, cadmium, lead, synthetic organic compounds, zinc nitrates and phosphorus. Phytoremediation is the use of plants for cleaning up contaminants in soil, groundwater, surface water and air. Fortunately, the plant communities ESC establishes and…
Green Infrastructure for Your Yard With increasing pressure to better handle flood events and improve water quality, many municipalities (including the City of Austin) are implementing measures to slow down, retain, and treat stormwater on-site, allowing it to permeate into the groundwater while carrying less runoff pollution. The methods for accomplishing this are collectively known as green infrastructure. While cities are funding these projects with public money and installing them…
Zilker Botanical Gardens Stream Restoration Project – Evolution of a Stream This photo essay illustrates ESC’s process for restoring the stream below the Taniguchi Gardens in the Zilker Botanical Garden.
ESC Completes Two Year Program Daylighting and Restoring Urban Creek at Oak Springs In late 2016, ESC completed the restoration of a creek that had been previously capped off and channeled underground. Existing vegetation was limited to exotic turfgrass and other quick-cover species. ESC’s restoration work was performed in conjunction with the City of Austin Watershed Protection Department. The site, at the corner of Tillery St. and Oak Springs Dr.,…
ESC will be well-represented at this year’s “Urban Riparian Symposium: Balancing the Challenges of Healthy Urban Streams,” being held in Houston, Texas, February 15-17 at Rice University. Presentations include: David Mahler — Giant Ragweed (Ambrosia trifida): Why This Native Annual Becomes a Problem in Urban Riparian Corridors.” David will discuss his findings on why giant ragweed is not a problem at the Spicewood Ranch, but is a problem in urban…