© 2024 Texas Public Radio
Real. Reliable. Texas Public Radio.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

River Authority 'Health Index' Gauges Improvement On San Antonio Waterways

Courtesy San Antonio River Authority
Mission Reach in San Antonio

Spanning more than 3,600 square miles, the San Antonio River Authority's purview includes creeks and connected waterways in Bexar, Wilson, Karnes and Goliad counties. 

SARA works to protect the area's natural resources and enhance the San Antonio River. The authority also collects an ad valorem tax rate of about 1.73 cents for use towards planning, operations and maintenance activities. 

Their "River Health Index," which looks at the condition of streams over a decade, began in 2010 and has set goals to be reached by the year 2020.

The internal self-assessment prioritizes 4 main measures: public safety, environmental protection, public access and awareness. Out of a scale of 10, SARA scored itself at 6.85 for 2017 – a difference of almost 0.6 percent since 2016.

How is the San Antonio River Authority helping residents and property owners prepare for flood risk? What are the River Authority's priorities and how do they plan to reach those goals by 2020? 

Guests: 

View the latest numbers from the San Antonio River Authority's River Health Index below:

"The Source" is a live call-in program airing Mondays through Thursdays from 12-1 p.m. During the live show, call 210-614-8980, email thesource@tpr.org or tweet at @TPRSource. Leave a voicemail with your questions and comments in advance by calling 210-615-8982.

Stay Connected
Jan Ross Piedad Sakian is TPR’s News Operations Producer. In this role, she develops strategy on collaborative and digital initiatives for the station. Since 2016, Jan Ross has served in a coordinating capacity for TPR’s state and national partners, including The Texas Newsroom.