As Travis County has grown, so has the threat posed to our water supplies by storm water runoff.
Travis County is home to a variety of industries as well as a collection of valuable water resources. The Colorado River and the Edwards, Trinity, and Alluvial Aquifers provide clean water for most Travis County residents, but storm water runoff can degrade water quality, and our water supplies are particularly vulnerable.
Storm water runoff occurs when rain is not absorbed immediately into the ground but instead flows across the surface, into gutters, storm sewers, and ditches. As the storm water flows across surfaces, it picks up large amounts of dust, soot, chemicals, oils, greases, and even gravel, sand and silt.
This runoff eventually enters our water supply, either by discharging directly into our creeks, rivers, and lakes, or by entering our aquifers through recharge features, particularly within the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone. Once pollution enters the water it quickly diffuses into our environment, where it can be absorbed by plants, animals, and people. Pollutants in storm water runoff have be linked to a variety of illness in animals and people.
