Alamo Region Livability Summit August 21, 2013

1. Alamo Region Livability Summit August 21, 2013

2. PROJECT • PARTNERS • Bexar County • City of San Antonio • San Antonio River Authority • San Antonio River Foundation • San Antonio River Oversight Committee • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

3. Project Benefits • Flood Damage Reduction – Project will maintain or decrease the elevation of the 100 year floodplain. • Ecosystem Restoration – The changes proposed will increase water quality and the quantity and diversity of plant and animal species. • Quality of Life – Add to San Antonio’s unique charm and make the city more attractive to residents, visitors, and businesses and provide enhanced recreational opportunities along an expanded linear park system. • Cultural Connections – Linking people, neighborhoods and cultural resources and celebrating the historical connection of the river to four of the five historic missions in the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. • Economic Development – Promote business development along and adjacent to the river. Improvements will also enhance tourism.

4. Museum ReachUrban Segment • Opened May 2009 • 1.3 miles from Lexington Ave. (on south) to Josephine St. (on north) • “Park Segment” continues north up to Hildebrand Ave.

5. Museum ReachProject Features • Locks & dam • Landscaping • Water features • Signage • Benches • Overlooks • Art

6. Museum Reach LandscapeDetails • 70,000 plants • 300 trees • 140 pallets grass • varied conditions: • full sun to full shade

7. Hugman Dam looking downstream

8. Roy Smith Street looking downstream

9. Turning Basin at the Pearl looking upstream

10. Photos: San Antonio River Foundation and Mark Menjivar

11. 8 mile ecosystem restoration and recreation project Restoring river previously channelized by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for flood control Mission Reach: Project Limits

12. Project Elements: Recreational Features • 15+ miles of hike/bike trails • 8 street connections • 89 benches • 137 picnic tables • 5 overlooks with shade structures • 9 water edge landings • 6 foot bridges • 4 pavilions

13. Project Elements: Formal Landscapes • Street Connections • Mission Portals • Pocket Parks & Plazas

14. Restoring Aquatic Habitat Features • 8 miles river length • ~113 acres • Riffles, runs & pools • ~13 acres embayments (marshes) • 2 river remnants restored • Aquatic plants: • 20 species • Emergent, submersed & floating leaved

15. Restoring Riparian Woodland • ~334 acres • Herbaceous Groundcover: • 60+ native grass & wildflower species • Over 10,000 pounds of seed • Woody Plants: • 44 native tree & shrub species • 23,000+ young trees & shrubs

17. Mission Reach: Phase 1 1.25 mile section from Lone Star Blvd to confluence with San Pedro Creek Construction completed in June 2011 total construction cost $35.1 M SARA Responsible for Operation and Maintenance

18. Mission Reach: Phase 2 One mile section from confluence with San Pedro Creek to Mission Road Construction completed in June 2011 for a total cost of $22.7 M. SARA responsible for Operations and Maintenance

19. Mission Reach: Phase 3 5.75 mile section from Mission Road to Mission Espada Construction underway total contract $99.3 M Trails open on three miles of phase to near Mission San Juan; Grand Opening of remainder of phase is Oct. 2013 Paddling is recreational option on Phase 3

20. Landscape Scale Ecosystem Restoration is aSlow Process & Land Management is Critical to Achieve Goals Year 1 Representation Year 25 Representation

25. Operations & Maintenance: Balancing Storm Water Conveyance, Habitat Restoration and Recreational Uses

26. SA Water Quality Threats

27. Non-Point Source Pollution http://www.acogok.org/Programs_and_Services/Water_Resources/Storm_Water.asp http://www.deeproot.com/blog/blog-entries/urban-runoff-negatively-impacts-stream-biodiversity http://www.hrwc.org/author/riclawson/ http://gordonenergy.com/erosion-control-silt-fences.php

28. The effects of urban runoff

29. Toward Solutions Low Impact Development Green Infrastructure Conservation Development Triple Bottom Line Analysis

30. SARA - Triple Bottom Line Evaluation Criteria • Environment • Ecosystem Services • Water Quality • Habitat • GHG Emissions • Eco-Efficiency • Waste Handling • Energy Use • Land Productivity • Socio-Environmental • Land Use • Stewardship • Recreation • Quality of Life • Employee Attraction/Retention • Sense of Security • Community Cohesion • Intrinsic/Existence Value • Cultural and Historic Values • Economic • Operation and Maintenance • Construction Cost • Debt Service • Regional Development • Avoided/Induced Damages or Costs • Socio-Economic • Recreation • Property Values • Utility / Infrastructure Reliability • Health and Safety

31. Westside Creeks Restoration • Develop concepts for restoring the environmental condition of the Alazan, Apache, Martinez and San Pedro Creeks • Maintain the current flood control components of these creeks • Provide increased opportunities for people to enjoy these urban creeks

32. Study Area • Heavily urbanized • Channelized in 1960s • San Antonio Channel Improvement Project (SACIP) • Channelized portions of: • San Antonio River • Alazan Creek • Apache Creek • Martinez Creek • San Pedro Creek

33. Project Location - Alazan Creek - Apache Creek - Martinez Creek - San Pedro Creek Total Length: 14.1 Miles

34. Current Conditions San Pedro Creek

36. Questions? Suzanne Scott • sbscott@sara-tx.org • 210-227-1373 San Antonio River Authority (SARA) • www.sara-tx.org You can follow SARA on Twitter at @sanantonioriver or like SARA on Facebook at @sanantonioriver