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Release Date: October 20, 2011 City of San Antonio Communications Office: 207-7234 San Antonio River Walk will stay full this January -Annual draining moves to every other year- The annual draining of the San Antonio River Walk is moving to a new bi-annual schedule, keeping the river full on even numbered years, beginning January 2012. This is a result of the joint project completed by the City's Public Works and Downtown Operations departments to improve the water quality and clarity along the San Antonio River Walk. In January 2010 and 2011, a total of 6,252 cubic yards of sediment was removed from the river loop/historic bend and extension of the River Walk using specialized heavy equipment. This improvement project has enabled the City to reschedule the river draining to occur only on odd numbered years, in order to do routine maintenance and inspect the walls that are normally submerged in the water. "January continues to be a time for many visitors and local community members to enjoy the River Walk and now they'll have the opportunity to see the river full bi-annually thanks to this improvement project," said Paula Stallcup, director of the Downtown Operations Department. As an additional improvement, Public Works will install 660 storm water inlet protectors within the downtown area in FY 2012, and 220 inlet protectors in FY 2013. This initiative will prevent debris from washing into the river and affecting the water quality and clarity. City staff will continue to monitor the River Walk annually by testing the water quality. "The installation of storm water inlet protectors provides another proactive approach to enhancing water quality along the River Walk," said Majed A. Al-Ghafry, director of the Department of Public Works. Draining will occur in the Museum Reach (Brooklyn to the Pearl) section of the river managed by the San Antonio River Authority (SARA) in order to perform preventative maintenance on the lock and dam near Brooklyn Avenue and to the irrigation system located below the normal water level. This project will begin on Jan. 2, 2012 and will not affect the water level along the river loop. SARA anticipates this portion of the San Antonio River to return back to the normal water level by Jan. 6, 2012. To view a map and the updated schedule for the San Antonio River Walk draining, visit http://www.sanantonio.gov/dtops/riverwalk/maintenance.aspx. |
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