DEPARTMENT: Parks and Recreation
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Xavier D. Urrutia
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT:
Edwards Aquifer Protection Program - Demonstration Project with UTSA
SUMMARY:
This ordinance authorizes a funding agreement with the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) in an amount not to exceed $2,671,236.00, for a water quality demonstration project under the 2015 Proposition 1 Edwards Aquifer Protection Program for a period of three years. This ordinance also authorizes the execution of necessary documents by the Director of Parks and Recreation.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
In May 2015, voters renewed for the third time the Proposition 1 Edwards Aquifer Protection Program, funded through a portion of a 1/8-cent sales tax in the amount of $100 million. Previous elections set the initiative at $90 million and included Edwards Aquifer protection efforts beyond Bexar County. The current voter-approved program includes $10 million dedicated for aquifer water quality projects within urbanized areas of Bexar County over the Recharge and Contributing Zones of the Edwards Aquifer. These projects have come to be known as "demonstration projects" which the City is pioneering in coordination with San Antonio River Authority, Edwards Aquifer Authority and San Antonio Water System.
A University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) demonstration project is recommended for the Research/Study and New Construction/Retrofit category. As part of their research proposal, UTSA will focus on the low-density and significantly forested Leon Creek Watershed to study the relation between land cover and water quality, with a focus on the replacement of forest cover/Ashe Juniper with impervious cover. This project will also provide three years of data analysis on the efficacy of Low Impact Development (LID) improvements including a bioswale, vegetative filter strip and sand filtration which will be incorporated into a UTSA-funded parking lot construction ...
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