Here’s what happens if AFD firefighting will impact Austin water

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AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Fire Department has formalized a brand new machine to alert the right kind company if their paintings combating a hearth will impact native waterways by any means — a metamorphosis precipitated via a hearth at Texas French Bread Company remaining yr.

In common, an eight-month learn about discovered “firefighting activities present a relatively low risk of harm to aquatic life or other significantly adverse water quality impacts.” And, AFD is already within the dependancy of letting the Austin Watershed Department know if any hazardous subject material has been launched or any spills have came about that might have an effect on water high quality. The AWD “protects lives, property and the environment of our community by reducing the impact of flood, erosion and water pollution,” according to its website.

However, this collaboration was once precipitated via a March 2022 City Council resolution, which sought after to make notifications of possible impact from firefighting a demand to make sure the verbal exchange is occurring constantly. It got here after a hearth at Texas French Bread Bakery in downtown Austin in January 2022, which is lower than 880 yards from Shoal Creek.

After an eight-month learn about from AWD, the 2 businesses labored to decide what will also be carried out to raised give protection to waterways.

According to the memo, AFD now will alert TWD and feature it reply to assess environmental affects when:

• Estimated water use over 10,000 gallons, or over one-hour general period of water glide; or
• Significant foam runoff leaving the web site (e.g., foam runoff is larger than 1″ deep); or
• Firefighting water is understood or suspected to discharge to a receiving rainy creek; or
• There is uncertainty if WPD must be concerned. When unsure, AFD will ship notification

TWD mentioned it has “limited options” for what it may possibly do in reaction, however some come with diverting firefighting flows clear of waterways and dechlorinating them.

How’d they made up our minds new necessities

WPD learned it wanted extra information to know how firefighting impacts native waterways, so it went to each fireplace between Feb. 23, 2022 and Oct. 28, 2022 (a complete of 84). It discovered 17 of the ones fires had runoff that went right into a typhoon sewer or waterway, and just one ended in WPD desiring to make use of dechlorination capsules to offset the consequences.

Prior to the learn about, WPD mentioned it might handiest bring to mind two different cases the place firefighting had led to fish being killed: the Texas French Bread Bakery fireplace and some other eating place fireplace in March 2009.

It’s value noting that firefighters can do what they wish to do to successfully douse fires and are exempt from federal, state and native water high quality regulations. But, in keeping with a town memo, “the intent of increasing WPD’s response actions is not for the purposes of regulatory enforcement, but for the proactive environmental protection to the maximum extent practical.”