Last Updated on January 30, 2024
Derek Boese, JD, PMP General Manager
By now, you may have seen the Westside Creeks Community Involvement Session advertisement on our website or social media. The Westside Creeks Ecosystem Restoration Project aims to restore 11 miles of Martinez, Alazán, Apache, and San Pedro creeks that were channelized as part of a 1954 federal flood control project known as the San Antonio Channel Improvement Project. The aquatic ecosystem restoration is in the initial design phase of the project. As part of the restoration, riffle, pool, and run features will be restored in the creeks, where possible. Native grasses, shrubs, and trees will be re-established to bring these waterways closer to their former pre-channelized beauty. The San Antonio River Authority (River Authority) and its partners will implement these restoration measures while, at a minimum, preserving the current flood protection and, where possible, improving it.
Concrete channelization from a flood control project along Apache Creek.
The Westside Creeks Community Involvement Session this Saturday, July 22, at Tafolla Middle School is an opportunity for everyone interested in the Westside Creeks to share their thoughts on what they would like to see along the historic creeks. There will be activities for everyone, and River Authority scientists will be on site with live aquatic critters. One tank will represent the aquatic species found in the restored Mission Reach of the San Antonio River; another will demonstrate the current life in the Westside Creeks in their current construction. A coloring station for the young and young at heart will feature a native bird coloring page depicting the Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris), a species that visitors to the restored westside creeks will likely spot. The main activity will feature large project area maps where community members can place stickers depicting different amenities and add handwritten notes with other ideas. A watershed education activity will also be available, and project experts to answer questions.
Painted Bunting
River Authority Environmental Sciences staff will be at Saturday’s meeting with live aquatic critters.
We’ve designed the event so people can come and go as they like, and as an enticement, refreshments will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please join us as we kick off the initial design of this important and long-discussed project. I want to thank the Westside Creeks Restoration Oversight Committee, whose members have worked diligently on this project since 2008. With their commitment, the Westside Creeks project has reached this critical milestone.
Derek
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