CONSERVATION ACTIVIST - Tarrant Regional Water District Demonstration Landscaping
Description of Individual or Organization
The Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) is a state mandated (for profit) water utility district that services and operates 4 major reservoirs in the North Texas area for drinking water, flood management, and recreational purposes.
Leadership (Nominee demonstrates leadership through example, knowledge, attitude)
Leading by example, in order to protect our nearby watershed (the Trinity River), and to help educate the general public, the TRWD's Fort Worth campus has installed multiple green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) components on its premise. The GSI on campus is in alignment with low impact development efforts, and help create a series of rainscapes on campus.
Environmental Impact (Nominee demonstrates a positive impact on the local environment via policy change, product offering, significant volunteer contribution or other achievement)
The TRWD's Fort Worth campus demonstrates 8 major GSI components, including a bioswale, a raingarden, curb cuts, rock channels, native and 170 native and adapted plants, 5 different turf grasses, 2 rainwater cisterns holding 5,000 gal. each, permeable surfaces such as permeable concrete and gravel, and a re-designed stormwater wetland (North, Texas' first extended dry-detention basin with micropools).
Community Impact (Nominee demonstrates commitment to DFW green community through involvement with causes, business ventures or organizations)
Over 150 constituents have toured the Rainscapes in 2019. Education and outreach also takes place throughout the year as the watersheds team conducts classes to students and stakeholders using a stream trailer to model the watershed. Watershed protection plans are also developed, and meetings with landowners and stakeholders are conducted to help encourage better land management practices and ecosystem stewardship. During these events, the idea of rainscapes and GSI is subject to come up, and often does depending on the audience.
Other reasons for your nomination
Within the watershed protection plans that are developed by the TRWD, implementing GSI is an important component. Therefore to practice what we preach, we have done so on our property.
