Following the federal passage of a water resources bill, Martinez Creek — as one of the four creeks being restored under the Westside Creeks Restoration Project — will receive more substantial ecosystem upgrades than were initially approved, the San Antonio River Authority announced Friday.
Due to the development and recent passage of the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (WRDA), Martinez Creek will now be restored with the same extent of restoration measures as the San Pedro, Apache and Alazan creeks — which includes the planting of additional trees and shrubs, and design work to create riffles, pools, runs and slackwater areas.
The project aims to restore 11 miles of creekways that were channelized and lined with concrete as part of the 1954 San Antonio Channel Improvement Project. By restoring the aquatic ecosystems with plantings of native grasses, wildflowers and trees, the four selected creeks will return to more natural channels while still maintaining the present level of flood mitigation protection.
Initially, the project’s scope included the full restoration of the San Pedro, Apache and Alazan creeks and a partial restoration of Martinez Creek. A feasibility study completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2014 found that significant work would need to be done to improve utility infrastructure in the area if Martinez Creek was to be fully restored, resulting in the decision to only do a partial restoration.
However, the river authority, Bexar County and Westside Creeks Restoration Oversight Committee continued to work behind the scenes with the Bexar County Congressional delegation to develop language in WRDA to allow for additional funding for the restoration of Martinez Creek.
“After meeting with [the corps] over a number of years, we decided, ‘You know what? It may be easier as an act of Congress [to get Martinez Creek fully restored],’” said Jim Campbell, chairman of the river authority’s board of directors. “So that is why we are here today, is to acknowledge, literally, an act of Congress.”
The passage of the national act authorizes 17 new construction projects, allows for four project modifications, and enables over 200 studies.
Campbell added that ensuring all the Westside Creeks and their adjacent neighborhoods will benefit from the full restoration of the creeks has been a priority for the river authority. He says the passage of the act is “a tremendous win for the Westside Creeks.”
While a new cost total for the full restoration of Martinez Creek has yet to be determined and added to the overall cost of the project, federal dollars have been earmarked to cover about 65% of the cost of the full restoration, with locally matched funds accounting for the other 35%, said Brian Mast, the river authority’s government affairs manager.
Mast added that the Army Corps’ Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Work Plan, a bipartisan federal infrastructure act passed by Congress in 2021, allocated $75 million for the project — however “the original cost was developed pre-COVID, pre-supply chain issues, pre-inflation — we anticipate that cost to increase.”
U.S. Reps. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) and Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), and representatives from U.S. Rep. Greg Casar’s (D-Texas) and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn’s (R-Texas) offices, were present at a celebratory press conference Friday morning announcing the updated project, as were Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai, and Councilwomen Sukh Kaur (D1) and Teri Castillo (D5).
On Friday, Castro said that the full restoration of the Westside creeks will have broad and powerful impacts on San Antonio and the local community.
“At the core, this project will help us rectify previous damage to the ecosystem by returning these creeks to their natural state while maintaining the present level of flood mitigation protection,” he said. “Historically, flooding, particularly on the West Side of town, was incredibly powerful and devastating — and so this is one more step to protect the people of the West Side of San Antonio.”
Also present at Friday’s presentation was Roberto Rodriguez, often referred to as the godfather of the Westside Creeks. For more than 20 years now, Rodriguez has been a champion of the creeks, working with the San Antonio River Authority, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and other local stakeholders to help launch the Westside Creeks Restoration Project.
Rodriguez served two terms on the San Antonio River Authority’s Board of Directors, where his advocacy led to the creation of the Westside Creeks Restoration Oversight Committee in 2008. He retired from the board in 2013, but not before securing a pilot restoration project.
The project ecosystem will likely take Rodriguez’s name in the future. While the ecosystem of creeks is proposed to be renamed, the San Pedro, Apache, Alazán and Martínez creeks will retain their individual names.
Construction on the Westside Creeks Restoration Project was originally projected to be completed by 2029, however the additional updates to Martinez Creek likely extend the project out through 2031, Campbell told reporters Friday.