The City of Austin will be purchasing parcels of land for flood mitigation purposes using the remaining $175,000 of a grant awarded to the city by the Department of Employment and Economic Development.

City Council voted 7-0 Monday evening to use the remaining grant fund dollars to purchase the parcels. The $175,000 is remaining from an original $800,000 amount, and the grant expires on Dec. 31, 2010, meaning it must be used by then.

The City of Austin has identified five parcels that have suffered repetitive loss due to flooding. The council and the city have not specified which parcels will be purchased, but five are available, located at: 1301 Third St. NE, 1103 Fifth Place SE, 501 Oakland Ave. E, 1205 Fourth Ave. SE and 1203 Fifth Ave. SE.

According to City Administrator Jim Hurm, the parcels could potentially be used as part of the linear park system, depending on their location, or they may remain vacant until further notice.

Hurm said the city has purchased over 300 parcels for the purpose of flood mitigation since the 1970s.