Watershed Dept. Offers Flood Aid, Battles Lake Austin Hydrilla | The Locally Times
The department is offering up to $2,000 in flood insurance aid as it battles a hydrilla outbreak that now covers 30% of Lake Austin.
## Dept. Seeks Student Videos to Promote Flood Safety The Austin Watershed Protection Department has established a March 25, 2026, deadline for its Flood Safety Video Contest, an initiative aimed at engaging local youth in public safety awareness. According to a department notice, the contest is open to all students in 6th through 12th grade in Austin and the surrounding area. The department’s public information outlines the contest's theme and deadline but does not specify the judging criteria, the nature of any awards for winning students, or how the submitted videos will be used in future public awareness campaigns. ## Pilot Program Offers Flood Insurance Aid to Homeowners In addition to its educational outreach, the Watershed Protection Department is addressing the financial burden of flood risk through a pilot program. The department's records detail a partnership with Austin Housing and the Del Valle Community Coalition to administer the Flood Insurance Assistance Program. This program provides up to $2,000 in financial assistance to help eligible Austin homeowners obtain or maintain flood insurance coverage for a one-year period. Eligibility is restricted to homeowners who live within a designated floodplain and whose household income is below 140% of the Median Family Income. The program requires applicants to provide documentation verifying their income, residency, and homeownership. Public documents do not state the total budget allocated for this pilot program or the projected number of households it is expected to serve. ## Dept. Battles Hydrilla Outbreak in Lake Austin Concurrent with its flood safety and financial assistance programs, the Watershed Protection Department is battling an invasive plant infestation in Lake Austin. Department records indicate a sharp increase in the presence of hydrilla, a nonnative invasive plant. The plant's coverage of the lake has grown from less than 5% in June to approximately 30%. In response, the department added approximately 1,950 sterile grass carp to the lake in November, an action intended to maintain a management rate of five grass carp per acre of hydrilla. A public meeting to address the issue was held on November 18, 2025. The department's report does not detail a long-term strategy for controlling the hydrilla or the metrics being used to evaluate the effectiveness of the grass carp introduction.