San Antonio River Basin Project launched to improve creek and rivers

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the City of San Antonio and the San Antonio River Authority (SARA) have launched a collaborative Urban Waters Project in the US.

The project intends to facilitate local and federal communication, and guide them how to co-ordinate in order to re-establish connections of the waterways with urban communities.

The community-led Urban Waters Federal Partnership aims to improve rivers and creeks in San Antonio area while providing economic, environmental and social benefits.

The partnership formed will work on initiatives including brackish groundwater desalination, olmos basin/San Antonio zoo water quality and ecosystem restoration, eastside promise neighborhood/wheatley choice/promise zone and salado, creek greenway, san pedro creek restoration, westside creeks ecosystem restoration and San Antonio missions world heritage and cultural connections.

Applicants for the federal partnership include the City authority and SARA. Other applicants for the programme are Bexar County, National Park Service (NPS), San Antonio Housing Association (SAHA) and San Antonio Water System (SAWS).

The participants will work together to reconnect people with urban waters, which is likely to be done by setting up recreational opportunities, improvement of water quality, expansion of the community water sources and restoration of the urban creeks.

EPA regional administrator Ron Curry said: "Restoration of the San Antonio River Basin and its waterways allows city area residents to enjoy the environmental and recreational benefits from their local waters and surrounding lands.

"We look forward to working with our partners to transform degraded waterways into assets and to improve water quality for many years to come."

City Mayor Ivy R. Taylor said: "The Urban Waters programme is great opportunity for San Antonio to continue our focus on improving the San Antonio River and its tributaries.

"The selected projects touch on most residents’ top priorities: water quality and quantity, and building better basic infrastructure."

EPA has extended open invitations to the local citizens as well, in an effort to collect valuable inputs about the project development.

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Image: The project will restore the San Antonio River Basin. Photo courtesy of Billy Hathorn