While all the metrics in the San Antonio River Basin Report Card have overlapping correlation to the safe, clean, enjoyable creeks and rivers aspects of the River Authority’s mission, the Public Trash grade is primarily related to the clean and enjoyable aspects.
Improving the health of creeks and rivers is one the main goals of the River Authority. Since the 1970s, the River Authority’s scientific leadership and targeted efforts have resulted in reducing pollution and trash in our waterways and improving water quality throughout the basin.
A major factor in the amount of trash along creeks and rivers is whether there has been drought, average, or significant rainfall. Rainfall events bring trash into area creeks and rivers from stormwater runoff. Trash left on the ground miles away from a creek or river can and does end up in area waterways because of stormwater runoff.
Trash is unsightly and requires extensive budget funds and labor from the River Authority and other local government agencies along with community volunteers to remove trash by hand. Trash also has adverse impacts on aquatic and riparian habitats and impede recreational use of local parks and waterways.
The River Authority’s work to mitigate future threats to our waterways is more critical than ever as communities within the basin are growing rapidly – the population in the San Antonio region is anticipated to increase by over 1 million people by 2040. In a region whose history and culture are linked to its natural resources, protecting area creeks and rivers as we grow demonstrates stewardship for these vital resources.
To proactively address the threats to creeks and rivers from trash throughout the San Antonio River Basin, the River Authority launched a public outreach initiative related to trash. The River Authority intends to use this initiative to educate the communities throughout the basin and encourage citizens to take a pledge to help keep area creeks and rivers clean by not littering and picking up trash when they see it on the ground, whether in their neighborhood or at area parks and parking lots. So, take the pledge today, and “Don’t Let Litter Trash Your River.”
In developing and reporting this metric, we are grading the amount of public trash found on the ground along the San Antonio River Walk – Mission Reach following rain events. Along the 9-mile stretch of the Mission Reach, the River Authority has a goal of picking up all the trash washed into the park during a rain event within 14 days of the rainfall. Trash is picked up to meet this goal by staff from the River Authority’s Watershed & Park Operations Department as well as from our River Warrior volunteers. The River Authority, following rain events that leave a large amount of public trash in the park, also expends financial resources to hire contractors to help with the public trash collection.
The River Authority keeps records of the total pounds of trash collected in the Mission Reach following rain events by staff, volunteers, and contractors. It is this data that will be used for the report card grade. While this report card grade only measures public trash washed into the Mission Reach during rain events, the grade can be used to demonstrate the larger community problem of public trash being washed into area creeks and rivers throughout the San Antonio River Basin, particularly in urban areas.
For this year’s grade, the score is calculated by using an average of the pounds of trash collected along the 9-mile stretch of the Mission Reach over the past 4 years as a base line. For this year’s basin report card grade, the data for the 5-year average comes from fiscal years 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21. (Note: The River Authority Fiscal Year runs from July 1 to June 30.) The total trash collected this fiscal year (July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022) is subtracted from the base line, then divided by the base line, and multiplied by 100 to develop a score that determines our A through F grade.
Essentially, the grade is a trend analysis with the basic assumption being that lowering the amount of public trashed washed into the Mission Reach during rain events is positive (i.e. will get a higher grade) and increasing public trash washed into the park during rain events is negative (i.e. will get a lower grade). Being a trend analysis, it is possible that this grade may produce scores above 100 or below 0. Scores above 100 will be shown as an “A+” on the report card dashboard and a score below 0 will be shown as a “F.” The actual numeric value will be used in the averaging of all metrics to produce the overall basin grade.
| 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 5 year average | 2021-22 | Score | Grade |
| 216,639 | 115,720 | 97,598 | 151,793 | 137,805 | 143,911 | 121,692 | 15.4% | F |
The amount of public trash deposited and cleaned-up from the Mission Reach on annual basis reflects how well the community properly disposes of trash. We are using this grade as a surrogate to demonstrate the larger community problem of public trash that can be found throughout the San Antonio River Basin, particularly in urbanized areas. The 2022 San Antonio River Basin Report Card grade for this public trash metric showed a slight increase in the score this Fiscal Year as compared to the 2021 grade. However, the positive change was not enough to raise the grade above an F.
There are many variables that can impact the amount of public trash picked up by the River Authority along the Mission Reach following rain events. Clearly, one such variable is annual rainfall amounts. Given that this metric is based on the amount of public trashed washed into the Mission Reach during rain events, years that have more rainfall may be assumed to have more public trash washed into the park. Per National Weather Service rainfall data, a total of 22.1 inches of rain fell in San Antonio during Fiscal Year 2021-22 (July 2020-June 2021). This compares to the rainfall totals for the previous five fiscal years of 33.18 (2016-17), 29.72 (2017-18), 48.33 (2018-19), 28.04 (2019-20), and 24.27 (2020-21). This 5-year average is 32.71. The data appears to show a correlation between the amount of public trash washed into the Mission Reach during rain events and the annual rainfall totals as there was less rain over the last 12-months than the previous fiscal year, and there was less public trash to pick up.
Other human variables, such as public behavior and attitudes toward trash, are assumed to also be a factor in the amount of public trash washed into the Mission Reach during rain events.
Put simply, the main recommendation is, please do not litter! Every resident and visitor plays a critical role in the health of area creeks and rivers, the River Authority recommends everyone throw trash in appropriate waste receptacles and follow recycling guidelines to properly reduce, reuse, and recycle. You are also encouraged to make sure trash and recycling containers are properly and securely covered and not overloaded as wind and rain can blow waste from the container onto the ground. It’s important for each resident to help keep their neighborhood clean and pick up trash in area parking lots and throughout community. Join the River Authority and take the pledge and “Don’t Let Litter, Trash Your River.” Together, we can make a difference and keep our San Antonio River Basin trash free.
In addition, when visiting the Mission Reach (or any other park or green space), please never leave trash or recycling on the ground next to a receptacle. If the container is full, please take your trash or recycling with you until you find an appropriate receptacle to leave your waste or recycling. You are also asked to pick up after your dog when visiting parks and green spaces as pet waste is not only unsightly for other recreational users, but pet waste can also add bacteria pollution to area creeks and rivers when it rains.
Another action citizens can take to help is to become a River Warrior, the River Authority’s volunteer group that assist with different community service projects such as cleaning up the Mission Reach following significant rain events. The River Warriors are also provided learning opportunities where they can get more information about the River Authority’s commitment to safe, clean, enjoyable creeks and rivers. Become a River Warrior today!
Find out more about sustainability and getting involved in helping protect your river, including watershed cleanup projects, building a rain garden, and much more.