By Nancy Preyor-Johnson

Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff calls the San Antonio River Improvements Project that’s restoring eight miles of the San Antonio River the most important public works project of our time. 

“I was born and raised on the city’s South Side, and I remember the river in its natural state, then as a drainage ditch,” Wolff said. “Now it’s even better than it was in the beginning.”

Indeed, the restoration has changed the face of the beloved San Antonio River.

“In the ’60s when the ditch was constructed for flood control, it took away all the natural elements and made the ecosystem very unstable. People were shocked to see it. It didn’t act like a natural river,” says Suzanne B. Scott, general manager for the San Antonio River Authority (SARA), a state-created body that protects and preserves the river.

The ecosystem revitalization along the river spans from Hildebrand Avenue south to Loop 410 South, improving flood control, the ecosystem and providing recreation.

“We have brought the life back to the river. It makes me feel so good to see people enjoying it — the cyclists, walkers and families out there enjoying nature,” says Scott. “This wouldn’t have been possible without the support of many, especially Bexar County.”

And it will only get better. The natural grasses and trees will continue to grow over time, gradually transforming the river.

With enough green to make scientists and Mother Nature smile, the restoration reverts back to a more simple and natural time while reconnecting the river to the historic missions. Mission portals will connect San Antonio’s four historic missions – Mission Concepcion, Mission San Jose, Mission San Juan and Mission Espada — to the San Antonio River, encouraging visitors to walk and bike between the Mission Reach and the river.

Emerging science and technology that simply didn’t exist in the past made it possible.

“There is a lot of restoration happening across Texas, but nothing on this scale,” says Mark Simmons, research scientist at the Wildflower Center at University of Texas at Austin. 

Simmons, whose team provided ecological consulting for the project, says riparian restoration is going to become increasingly important especially in urban areas that have suffered most because of construction.

The project, scheduled for completion in 2013, includes four reaches: Museum Reach, Downtown Reach, Eagleland and Mission Reach. SARA has managed the project and will be responsible for ongoing maintenance.

Restoration efforts began 13 years ago when Bexar County, the City of San Antonio and SARA created the San Antonio River Oversight Committee of 22 local leaders led by architect Irby Hightower and former Mayor Lila Cockrell, who has advocated for the river restoration since the early ’60s.

The $258.3 million restoration is funded by Bexar County, the City of San Antonio, San Antonio River Authority, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the San Antonio River Foundation.

Cindy Taylor, president of the South San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, says one of the project’s returns is in economic development.

“It has already changed San Antonio,” Taylor says. “This is a new destination point for so many — tourists and locals alike.”

“People will have a greater respect for the importance of nature,” says Scott.

NANCY PREYOR-JOHNSON is a San Antonio freelance writer.