GrandeDavid
06-13-2006, 07:40 AM
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/environment/stories/MYSA061106.01B.muddy_river_walk.825912f.html
Web Posted: 06/11/2006 12:00 AM CDT
David Uhler
Express-News Staff Writer
Civic boosters cried foul and vowed to push Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban into the San Antonio River after he dissed the River Walk as an "ugly-ass, muddy-watered thing" during the NBA playoffs against the Spurs.
The high-volume war of words, however, may have obscured a painful truth: Is Cuban right?
Beauty, of course, is in the eye of the beholder, but the fact remains that the San Antonio River as it courses through the city is a murky channel that isn't particularly clean.
Far from the picture-perfect image of a gin-clear Hill Country stream, our downtown waterway is an urban river. As a result, it has many problems commonly associated with city dwelling, along with a couple that aren't.
Such as a pair of rhinoceroses.
The rhinos frolic in a canal that flows from the San Antonio Zoo directly into the river. Researchers have discovered that the animals and others in the zoo contribute 19 percent of the fecal coliform found in the river. Zoo officials said they plan to move the rhinos into a new exhibit with a self-contained water system next year. But other pollutants remain.
One-third of the fecal coliform comes from birds and other wildlife. Broken sewer links account for 23 percent, domestic pets another 10 percent.
Fecal coliform itself isn't necessarily dangerous, but it is an indicator that other risks might be lurking.
"If the levels of fecal coliform rise above a certain point, then the chances increase that you will come in contact with a true pathogen, like a virus or some other bacteria or an amoeba," said Steve Lusk, superintendent of environmental services at the San Antonio River Authority.
Federal pollution guidelines measure bacterial pollution based on the number of fecal colonies found in 100 milliliters of water. An average of 200 is considered standard.
On most days, levels in the upper section of the San Antonio River — including the River Walk — are below that level. After it rains, however, counts can range from 9,000 to 52,000, with some samples testing as high as 520,000, Lusk said.
Even water below the federal standard, however, can be hazardous.
"There's nothing that's 100 percent safe," Lusk said. "This is not a swimming pool."
Cuban made his comments about the River Walk during a radio show interview and on his Web site at blogmaverick.com.
"The River Walk is nasty," Cuban wrote in his Web log. "I know it. Everyone who lives in San Antonio knows it. I said it.
"I just know that on crowded nights, everyone who walks that thing is afraid to death some drunk is going to stumble by and knock them into the water. It's that nasty."
Others share Cuban's opinion, to varying degrees.
Brian Windhorst, an NBA beat writer for the Akron Beacon Journal, was a little more charitable in his own blog when he wrote, "the River Walk is nice, relaxing and festive.
"No," Windhorst continued, "the water isn't clean nor is it anything like a genuine river, but it is still totally cool."
Cuban might not even be the river's harshest critic. Jon Sanders, a longtime resident of the Alamo City, sent a letter to the editor of the San Antonio Express-News and wondered why the city doesn't have "a filtration system for the cesspool running through downtown."
"It's hard to see at night, but you can still smell it," Sanders wrote. "I avoid entertaining guests from out of town during the day because it's such an eyesore. It's like inviting people over for dinner and forgetting to clean the bathroom."
Another reason for the river's look is that unlike some Hill Country rivers that are lined by limestone and gravel, the San Antonio has a mud bottom. In the River Walk section, propellers from tourist boats stir the sediment, contributing to the water's muddy look. The river's typically slow flow also promotes the growth of algae, which can smell.
Smell and appearance issues aside, is the river dangerous?
Dr. Fernando Guerra, director of the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, said the only precautions necessary for people who come in direct contact with (i.e. fall into) the river would be a rigorous and meticulous scrub and rinse. Those who swallow water from the river, however, might want to seek medical attention since they could suffer vomiting and diarrhea.
Anyone who goes for an intentional dip on the River Walk might want to consider another painful proposition: Swimming in the river violates a city ordinance and could result in a fine of up to $200.
Web Posted: 06/11/2006 12:00 AM CDT
David Uhler
Express-News Staff Writer
Civic boosters cried foul and vowed to push Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban into the San Antonio River after he dissed the River Walk as an "ugly-ass, muddy-watered thing" during the NBA playoffs against the Spurs.
The high-volume war of words, however, may have obscured a painful truth: Is Cuban right?
Beauty, of course, is in the eye of the beholder, but the fact remains that the San Antonio River as it courses through the city is a murky channel that isn't particularly clean.
Far from the picture-perfect image of a gin-clear Hill Country stream, our downtown waterway is an urban river. As a result, it has many problems commonly associated with city dwelling, along with a couple that aren't.
Such as a pair of rhinoceroses.
The rhinos frolic in a canal that flows from the San Antonio Zoo directly into the river. Researchers have discovered that the animals and others in the zoo contribute 19 percent of the fecal coliform found in the river. Zoo officials said they plan to move the rhinos into a new exhibit with a self-contained water system next year. But other pollutants remain.
One-third of the fecal coliform comes from birds and other wildlife. Broken sewer links account for 23 percent, domestic pets another 10 percent.
Fecal coliform itself isn't necessarily dangerous, but it is an indicator that other risks might be lurking.
"If the levels of fecal coliform rise above a certain point, then the chances increase that you will come in contact with a true pathogen, like a virus or some other bacteria or an amoeba," said Steve Lusk, superintendent of environmental services at the San Antonio River Authority.
Federal pollution guidelines measure bacterial pollution based on the number of fecal colonies found in 100 milliliters of water. An average of 200 is considered standard.
On most days, levels in the upper section of the San Antonio River — including the River Walk — are below that level. After it rains, however, counts can range from 9,000 to 52,000, with some samples testing as high as 520,000, Lusk said.
Even water below the federal standard, however, can be hazardous.
"There's nothing that's 100 percent safe," Lusk said. "This is not a swimming pool."
Cuban made his comments about the River Walk during a radio show interview and on his Web site at blogmaverick.com.
"The River Walk is nasty," Cuban wrote in his Web log. "I know it. Everyone who lives in San Antonio knows it. I said it.
"I just know that on crowded nights, everyone who walks that thing is afraid to death some drunk is going to stumble by and knock them into the water. It's that nasty."
Others share Cuban's opinion, to varying degrees.
Brian Windhorst, an NBA beat writer for the Akron Beacon Journal, was a little more charitable in his own blog when he wrote, "the River Walk is nice, relaxing and festive.
"No," Windhorst continued, "the water isn't clean nor is it anything like a genuine river, but it is still totally cool."
Cuban might not even be the river's harshest critic. Jon Sanders, a longtime resident of the Alamo City, sent a letter to the editor of the San Antonio Express-News and wondered why the city doesn't have "a filtration system for the cesspool running through downtown."
"It's hard to see at night, but you can still smell it," Sanders wrote. "I avoid entertaining guests from out of town during the day because it's such an eyesore. It's like inviting people over for dinner and forgetting to clean the bathroom."
Another reason for the river's look is that unlike some Hill Country rivers that are lined by limestone and gravel, the San Antonio has a mud bottom. In the River Walk section, propellers from tourist boats stir the sediment, contributing to the water's muddy look. The river's typically slow flow also promotes the growth of algae, which can smell.
Smell and appearance issues aside, is the river dangerous?
Dr. Fernando Guerra, director of the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, said the only precautions necessary for people who come in direct contact with (i.e. fall into) the river would be a rigorous and meticulous scrub and rinse. Those who swallow water from the river, however, might want to seek medical attention since they could suffer vomiting and diarrhea.
Anyone who goes for an intentional dip on the River Walk might want to consider another painful proposition: Swimming in the river violates a city ordinance and could result in a fine of up to $200.