Austin Creek and Altered Channel Centerlines

2026-maintained geospatial data from the City of Austin provides continuous stream centerlines derived from aerial orthophotography, LIDAR-based planimetrics, and construction plans. The layer includes a maintenance version and features updated attribute domains for classifying altered channels.

Use Cases

• Classify watercourse types using the 'Fea_Code' attribute to distinguish natural streams from 'altered channel' or 'altered channel (roadside)'
• Identify specific channel construction subtypes by filtering the 'Comments' field for entries like 'Concrete lined'
• Analyze the spatial distribution and connectivity of 'Hydro_L' non-continuous stream features within the continuous network

Strengths

• Maintained by the City of Austin, a municipal authority, ensuring local accuracy
• Integrates multiple authoritative sources: aerial orthophotography, LIDAR planimetrics, and construction plans
• Updated attribute domains provide specific classifications for altered channel types

Limitations

• Unknown total feature count and spatial extent limits assessment of coverage and granularity
• Relies on ongoing manual identification for 'altered channel (roadside)' features, potentially causing temporal inconsistencies
• Derived from a mix of source types (aerial, LIDAR, plans) which may introduce integration artifacts

Provenance

Source

City of Austin

Collection Method

Combination of stream centerlines created from aerial orthophotography, LIDAR-based planimetrics ('Hydro_L'), and construction plans, edited for continuity.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated March 2026.

Geography

City of Austin, Texas, USA (inferred from organization).