Just received this note from Carolyn Perez with the City of Austin, “In 2008 APD, together with the Watershed Protection and Parks Departments, launched an initiative to clean up the creek and enforce ordinances, including those related to vagrancy.”
Operation Reclaim Waller Creek helps clear urban waterway
The City of Austin will launch next week the next phase of Operation Reclaim Waller Creek, an initiative to improve the safety and environmental conditions along this urban waterway.
Austin Police officers, along with crews from Watershed Protection and Parks and Recreation will be focused on cleaning up the ¼-mile stretch of the creek from Cesar Chavez Street to Lady Bird Lake. Previous efforts have cleared areas upstream.
Work will include:
- Cutting overgrowth in and along the creek.
- Removing graffiti.
- Picking up trash and debris.
- Concentrated enforcement of City ordinances.
“This operation will help improve the quality of life for those who work, live and visit the downtown area,” said APD Officer Jason Huskins, Downtown Area District Representative. “We have had issues with illicit activity along this portion of the creek. This cleanup will allow us to have better access to the area and better means to protect our community and the environment.”
Downtown Austin Community Court will assign persons needing to fulfill community service requirements to help with the cleanup.
This month-long operation will help prepare for the Waller Creek Tunnel Project, which will alleviate flooding and reduce the amount of debris in the creek. Construction on the project is due to begin later this year in the area targeted by this phase of Operation Reclaim Waller Creek.
I started walking Waller Creek as a very young child. I walked it from Hancock Golf Course to UT. Waller Creek is part of me. My mother’s and grandmother’s house was at 608 Texas Avenue at Montrose Street. I walked down to the creek every chance I got.