Austin TX real estate developer Gary Bradley made his name in 1977, when as a 27-year-old entrepreneur he built Rob Roy, up to that time the largest suburban development in the area. He situated the exclusive community along the shoreline of Lake Austin, then the sole source of potable water for the city. With Rob Roy, Gary Bradley won praise from environmental organizations for adherence to forward-thinking standards for development on ecologically sensitive land.
Today, Lake Austin remains a source of pride in the region. One of the area’s four chief lakes - along with Lake Travis, Lady Bird Lake, and Lake Walter E. Long - it drains into the vast sweep of the Colorado River. All of these bodies of water continue to play a critical role in the local ecosystem, offering habitats for a number of species of wildlife. They are all additionally the main receptors for stormwater runoff from local housing developments.
Most of Lake Austin’s shoreline is privately owned, which limits the amount of bank fishing and boat ramp space available. The city has adopted conservation measures that include temporary cage-planting of native aquatic flora, which affords the growing plants protection from predatory marine life. This vegetation, in turn, supplies a cover for smaller fish and other lake denizens while contributing to a more diverse ecology along the shore.
In 2014, the city completed work on a water treatment plant funneled out of Lake Travis, adding to its capacity to supply its residents with clean drinking water.
