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This past spring we kicked off our Bee Creek Initiative, which is a multi-pronged initiative aimed at heightening our understanding of the ecological condition of Bee Creek and its watershed. Bee Creek is a three-mile creek flowing through Southwest Austin before joining the Colorado River in Central Austin. A little over one mile of the stream flows through Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve. Bee Creek has a rich natural and cultural history as a water source for the plants and animals living in the 3.3 square mile watershed. Yet, like many other creeks in Austin, Bee Creek has suffered significant damage from upstream development. Our Initiative seeks to better understand the water quality as it flows downstream into Lake Austin and how it changes seasonally, especially during periods of drought and heavy rains. We are also studying whether water quality indices influence the macroinvertebrate community. Finally, we will compare our current data with historical data to examine whether the water quality of Bee Creek has changed over time and whether any detectable differences are due to land-use change.

We are sampling six points along Bee Creek, spaced every half mile, seasonally over the span of two years. We just completed our summer sample round and are now working hard to identify the macroinvertebrates we collected during our sampling. Macroinvertebrates are indicative of stream health; a higher abundance and diversity of macroinvertebrates signify healthier ecosystems.

A second goal of our Bee Creek Initiative is to share with the public the story of Bee Creek’s history and its importance to increase awareness and environmental advocacy for Bee Creek watershed protection. We will do this through the creation of outreach materials, such as 3D-printed macroinvertebrates and identification keys, a 3D topographic map of the Bee Creek watershed, and participation in community outreach events focused on water conservation. 

The Bee Creek Initiative is made possible through support from the William & Salome Mcallen Scanlan Foundation, the Winkler Family Foundation, and Jake Benson. We thank them for their generosity and support as we continue to preserve water quality within a rapidly growing city.