Construction will begin by the end of July on a $5.7 million project to add public amenities at Austin’s Asian American Resource Center while improving the quality of stormwater runoff flowing into nearby Little Walnut Creek.
The project will remedy water quality problems in the Rutherford Tributary drainage area, a 132-acre watershed near the Asian American Resource Center and the city’s Rutherford office campus in Northeast Austin. The watershed drains into Little Walnut Creek. The stream suffers from excess pollution, poor habitat conditions and other issues that ultimately affect Little Walnut Creek, the city said.
To clean the water, the project will expand an existing biofiltration pond and add a wetland area, stream and rain garden in the field behind the center. It will also modify an existing concrete channel near the Rutherford campus to mitigate flooding and create a more natural habitat by using limestone blocks and special vegetation mats instead of concrete slopes.
As part of the project, the city will install new landscaping and build an urban trail, two pedestrian bridges over the channel and a play area.
Construction will take place primarily in the field behind the Asian American Resource Center, 8401 Rutherford Lane, from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekends. Work could also take place on Saturdays occasionally, the city said. Drivers may encounter construction traffic, noise and other disruptions during the project.