The San Antonio River Authority (River Authority) has announced that three schools have been selected to receive funds from the Watershed Wise Grant Program, which provides funding for schools to build on-site stormwater management projects using a variety of Low Impact Development (LID) methods. The River Authority received a total of 25 applications for the grants within the San Antonio River Watershed.
Following an internal review process, the selections were made, and an announcement was delivered to the chosen recipients: Bonham Academy, Earl Warren High School and Las Palmas Elementary School, all located in Bexar County.
“The quality of the applications has been impressive. The schools selected have displayed a regard for environmental health, and a desire to utilize an educational opportunity to learn more about stormwater runoff and onsite stormwater management” said Jacob Aalfs, landscape architect for the San Antonio River Authority.
Grants of up to $22,000 will be awarded to the winning schools to build LID features, also known as green stormwater infrastructure. In addition to enhancing the watershed’s ability to clean and improve stormwater before it reaches the river, a major goal for this program is to help educators address the issues of sustainability and non-point source pollution through hands-on, applied lessons with local students. Non-point source pollutants come from the air (pollen and dust), vehicles (oils, gas and rubber), roads/parking lots (oil, gas, rubber and dust) and lawns (herbicides, pesticides and bacteria).
Grant funds are applicable for design, construction, and installation of rain gardens, bioswales, cisterns, or a combination. The River Authority’s educators will provide in-class, hands-on, TEKS aligned presentations, lessons, and activities dedicated to the importance
of LID stormwater solutions for the grant-recipient schools.
For more information on the Watershed Wise Grant Program, visit sara-tx.org.
