Austin's regional endangered species permit expired in May, Austin Water says. Advisory committees for the renewal open in early 2027

The federal permit that lets Austin and Travis County build in endangered species habitat under one regional plan expired in May. That is according to an Austin Water presentation prepared for the City Council's Climate, Water, Environment, and Parks Committee meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 10. The city and county are now working on a renewal.

The briefing was sponsored by Council Members Paige Ellis and Ryan Alter. It covered Austin Water's Environmental Resource Office and its Wildland Conservation Division, which manages land that protects the city's water supply and the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards Aquifer. The committee meeting was not on video in our records, so this story is based on the posted presentation.

What the permit does

The Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan is a regional habitat conservation plan that Austin and Travis County have run together since 1996. It works through a federal "incidental take" permit, which allows activities that could harm listed species, in golden-cheeked warbler and karst, or cave, habitat, in exchange for permanent habitat protection.

According to the presentation, the plan has:

• permitted more than 1,500 development projects and more than 400 infrastructure projects;
• supported more than 12,000 acres of development;
• kept Endangered Species Act compliance under local control.

The renewal

The presentation says:

• The permit expired in May 2026.
• The city and county signed an interlocal agreement for consulting help with the renewal.
• Proposed changes will go to the plan's coordinating committee and to elected bodies for review and public input.
• A renewed permit will have to meet current U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rules and consider newly listed species.
• Texas Parks and Wildlife Code Chapter 83 requires two advisory groups, a Biological Advisory Team and a Citizens Advisory Committee. Applications should open early in 2027.

The presentation does not say how projects are being handled while the renewal is pending.

The land behind it

Austin Water reported more than 49,000 protected acres. About 23,000 are managed directly, 3,000 are parkland that serves both purposes and 23,000 are under conservation easements. The city has spent more than $280 million on land over 30 years. The Balcones Canyonlands Preserve includes more than 13,000 acres of city land, among them Barton Creek, Mount Bonnell and Bull Creek. The Water Quality Protection Lands, started in 1998, cover more than 28% of the Barton Springs recharge zone.

Staff named three pressures:

• Development. A slide comparing 1998 and 2024 shows more than 23,000 acres developed, against more than 6,800 acres protected under the 2018 Proposition D bonds.
• Condemnation. Staff called it "one of the greatest threats" to the wildlands. Land under conservation easements has a lower value, which can make it a target.
• Visitors. There are more than 12 miles of public trails on Austin Water land and more than 30 on co-managed preserve land.

What our records add

The latest purchase. On Oct. 22 the council approved, on consent, buying about 6.89 acres south of RM 2222, west of Oakwood Cove, for the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve. The price was up to $3,676,000, including closing costs.

Hornsby Bend. The presentation also covered the Hornsby Bend biosolids plant, where the council will consider $55.3 million in contracts on Nov. 19.

Pease Park. The same committee meeting included a briefing on the Pease Park Conservancy's larger role. Our story covers that plan, which the council approved Nov. 5.

What's next

Early 2027: the city and county seek applicants for the two advisory committees. After that, proposed permit changes go to the coordinating committee, the City Council and the Travis County Commissioners Court.