AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Water said it will do a prescribed burn of 190 acres Tuesday in its water quality protection lands southwest of Austin, according to a press release.
The city department said smoke may be visible “northeast of RR 3237, north of FM 150, south of FM 967 and west of FM 1626 and FM 2770” between 10 a.m. until around 8:21 p.m. Smoke may also be visible from further away.
“Conducting prescribed burns is one of the strategies used to manage these lands and protect groundwater in Central Texas,” said Matt Lore with Austin Water’s Wildland Conservation Division. “Prescribed burns improve the resiliency of our land when they are used as a planned seasonal management tool.”
The prescribed burn is just north of an area that saw wildfires in previous years.
The prescribed burn will occur with assistance from Austin Fire and Travis County ESDs, as well as federal, state and local land management agencies, according to the release.
The water quality protection lands manages over 35,000 acres critical to “the quality and quantity of water recharging the Edwards Aquifer,” which supplies water to Hays County and Travis County.
“Prescribed burns mimic the natural fire cycle in a way that can be planned and organized to limit fire intensity and can serve both natural landscapes and human communities by reducing the potential for destructive wildfires,” Austin Water’s release said. “Wildland Conservation staff have seen wildflowers and native grass communities experience greater biodiversity after prescribed fires. Grassland birds like quail and northern harrier hawks benefit from open habitat, found after a fire, for nesting and feeding.”