Update:
Wastewater Pipeline Construction at Festival Beach Food Forest
Since January 6, 2026, the Festival Beach Food Forest team has been responding to an unexpected and insufficiently communicated wastewater pipeline relocation project associated with TxDOT’s I-35 expansion. We offer our heartfelt gratitude to the community for answering our calls to action, helping to salvage plants from our barrier berm, and donating to our mitigation fund.
Ultimately, we were only granted a two-day pause from TxDOT, and facing the imminent destruction of our barrier berm, our team moved forward with the difficult decision to un-plant 90 young trees and shrubs from the affected area. These plants are currently being stored and cared for off-site, and we hope to re-plant them in the Food Forest very soon. The City of Austin was also able to assist with relocating a 40-year-old Mountain Laurel out of the path of destruction.
We are in this for the long haul, and we will continue to keep this page updated as we move forward. The path to restoration is not yet clear, and we expect to have additional calls to action in the coming weeks. The I-35 TxDOT project will continue to impact the forest and the surrounding areas. Construction is set to last for up to a decade and the damage for many more decades to come. We must ensure the City is taking care of its public spaces and its people. To do this, we need your enduring support.
For more information, read our press release.
For those who want to contribute financially, please consider giving to our Mitigation Fund.
Note: This is a developing situation. This page will be updated as new information becomes available, plans evolve, and additional ways to support Festival Beach Food Forest are identified.
Get Involved
Ways to get involved will continue to grow as the situation develops. Please check back regularly and follow updates to stay engaged. We expect to have additional calls to action in the coming weeks.
Donate
Your gift will directly support costs associated with critical efforts to mitigate ecological damage caused by the pipeline construction.
Stay Informed & Share Updates
Follow along for updates, calls to action, and on-the-ground needs.
Press
2/19/25 – I-35 Expansion Threatens Austin’s Only Food Forest – Austin Chronicle
2/14/26 – ‘Devastating’: Austin volunteers race to save Food Forest before I-35 construction – KXAN
2/9/26 – I-35 expansion impacting Austin’s Festival Beach Food Forest – Spectrum News
2/3/26 – Blindsided: Wastewater project disrupts Festival Beach Food Forest – Austin Free Press
2/2/26 – Food Forest supporters speak during general public communication at Austin Parks & Recreation Board Meeting
2/2/26 – Volunteers blindsided as I‑35 project threatens newly planted Austin food forest – KXAN
1/28/26 – Austin food forest warns I-35 expansion project could disrupt green oasis – KVUE
1/26/26 – Press Release
Advocacy
2/23/26 – Food Forest supporters speak at Austin Parks & Recreation Board Meeting
2/9/26 – Food Forest supporters speak at Austin Travis County Food Policy Board
2/5/26 – Food Forest supporters speak at Austin City Council Meeting
2/4/26 – Food Forest supporters speak at Austin Environmental Commission Meeting
2/2/26 – Food Forest supporters speak at Austin Parks & Recreation Board Meeting
1/14/26 – Food Forest supporters speak at Austin Water and Wastewater Commission
We are grateful for every person who signed our petition, helped out at a workday, showed up to speak or support at a meeting, and contacted City Council or Parks Board members on the Food Forest’s behalf. Thank you for being part of our community and working with us to steward this land with dignity and respect.
Check out some of the hundreds of comments submitted on our petition:
