Project History
The San Antonio River watershed is one of our community’s most valuable resources. When Spanish colonial missions were established in the 1700's, water was the key to survival. However, these missions and later developments were periodically devastated by floods. The flood in 1921 was particularly devastating. Since then, many attempts have been made to control flooding along the river and its tributaries.
As part of the federal San Antonio Channel Improvement Project (SACIP) authorized in 1954, projects were initiated to mitigate flooding in these areas, including river channelization and construction of flood control tunnels by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Portions of Alazán, Apache, Martínez, and San Pedro Creeks were included in these projects.
Until this point, the creeks had been a vibrant part of the Westside community; local residents relied on them as both a source of food and an opportunity for recreation. Many long-time residents still recall fishing and swimming in these creeks and recount stories of a diverse and fruitful ecosystem.
Although the USACE river and creek channels provide adequate flood control protection for the area, these channels are unattractive and insensitive to environmental issues. The bed and banks are no longer conducive to recreational uses. Over the years, changing views toward flood control techniques now allow for aesthetically pleasing erosion control and channel stabilization designs which also promote recreational use.
Today, there is a strong community desire to remediate the SACIP channel modifications while preserving or improving the existing floodplain. The Westside Creeks Restoration Project will apply design improvements for the flood control channel, providing stable banks during flooding events; insuring erosion control for the banks and pilot channel; protecting water quality during normal flow; creating or retaining habitat for the fish, water fowl and other birds and wildlife in the area; and providing an operational plan for the long term maintenance of the improved channel. Throughout the transformation, the importance of flood control will remain a major consideration and the current flood control benefits will be maintained.
