For Immediate Release – August 7, 2008

AUSTIN - The Austin Water Utility's (AWU) Wildland Conservation Division is holding its first nighttime hike near Upper Bull Creek on the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve (BCP) Saturday, August 9 from 8 to 10:30 p.m. The nighttime hike is part of the Division's 2008 BCP Hike and Lecture Series, which is hosted by various entities of the Partners of the BCP.

This hike is hosted by the City of Austin. Other Partners of the BCP include the Travis Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, and the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA). The series was created to provide opportunities to learn about one of the most unique urban preserve systems in the country and visit numerous sites around Austin. Guided hikes are usually held on the 2nd Saturday of the month and pre-registration is required through the division's website at http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/water/wildland/hikeregistration.htm. The next hike is scheduled for September 13 in the birding habitat of the Westcave Preserve.

"Since August is such a hot month and it is sometimes hard to entice the community to get up really early when it is cool, we decided to host a nighttime hike," explained Gail McGlamery, who oversees outreach for the City's BCP program and has helped coordinate the series. "We've hosted a star gazing activity before, but this is the first time we've led a guided interpretive walk at night. The response has been surprising and shows us that we should add more of these to our hike calendar in the coming season." She added the hike has already reached capacity, but other hikes in the series will be available for online registration soon.

The Austin Water Utility serves more than 850,000 residential and commercial customers and draws from the Colorado River into three water treatment plants that have a rated combined maximum capacity of 300 million gallons per day. The utility has three major wastewater treatment plants: the South Austin Regional, Walnut Creek and the Hornsby Bend Biosolids Waste Management Plant.

AWU goes above and beyond the Environmental Protection Agency's protocols for safe drinking water, and it supplies some of the nation's cleanest and best tasting water. Forbes.com recently ranked Austin #2 in the nation for providing the cleanest drinking water on tap.

Media Contact:
Sarah Fusco, Public Affairs Office
Email to: Sarah.Fusco@ci.austin.tx.us
City of Austin Water Utility
(512) 972-0150; pgr.(512) 802-8956