RCE North Texas - 2023

Watergoats-Public-Private Partnership to Combat Floatable Litter
Basic Information
Title of project : 
Watergoats-Public-Private Partnership to Combat Floatable Litter
Submitting RCE: 
RCE North Texas
Contributing organization(s) : 
University of Texas at Arlington
Focal point(s) and affiliation(s)
Name: 
Meghna Tare
Organizational Affiliation: 
University of Texas at Arlington
E-mail: 
mtare@uta.edu
Format of project: 
Report
Language of project: 
English
Date of submission:
Sunday, July 16, 2023
Web link: 
https://trinityra.org/basin_planning/village_creek-lake_arlington_wpp/implementation_projects.php
Additional resources: 
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/cdb8b55f174f49afad0bd8bf4e3e14e5
https://fortworthreport.org/2022/07/26/a-simple-device-has-removed-6000-plus-pounds-of-trash-from-fort-worth-waterways-this-year-heres-how/
https://www.nfwf.org/sites/default/files/2021-09/NFWF-20210818-Five-Star-GS.pdf
Does this project link to any education and/or sustainable development policy or policies?: 
Yes
Watershed Protection
At what level is the policy operating?: 
Local
Geographical & Education Information
Region: 
Americas
Country: 
United States
Location(s): 
Dallas Texas ( Tarrant County)
Address of focal point institution for project: 
601 W. Nedderman Drive # 105
Arlington, Texas 76019
Ecosystem(s):
Dryland
Target Audience:
Community
Socioeconomic and environmental characteristics of the area : 
With the help of a $39,600 National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant, 10 more watergoats were installed in May to help improve water quality in the Village Creek and Lake Arlington watershed, which covers 143 miles of North Texas. The grant – along with support from the Trinity River Authority, Tarrant Regional Water District, UT-Arlington and the city of Fort Worth – funds UpSpire’s installation and maintenance of the watergoats, which impact an estimated 21,128 acres of the Village Creek-Lake Arlington watershed.

The string of bright yellow buoys is visible at eight Fort Worth parks and creeks, including Eugene McCray Park, Cobb Park, Echo Lake Park, Krauss Baker Park, Marine Creek at the Stockyards, Wildcat Branch, Prairie Creek and Eastland Creek. The other two devices were installed near Kennedale and North Richland Hills. The ultimate goal is to get Village Creek back in the good graces of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Description of sustainable development challenge(s) in the area the project addresses: 
There are different levels of “impaired waterways” as classified by the Environmental Protection Agency. Some bodies of water are classified as “good” for drinking water or aquatic life, but “impaired” for swimming and boating or fish consumption. Since 2010, Village Creek has been included on the EPA’s list of “impaired waterways,” or not meeting federal water quality standards, due to excessive levels of E. coli bacteria. While most E. coli bacteria is harmless to humans, high numbers of harmless bacteria in lakes or rivers often indicates the presence of harmful bacteria as well, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Lake Arlington – a large source of drinking water in the region – is not included on the impaired waterways list, but officials have noted “levels of concern” from higher-than-normal amounts of nitrates and chlorophyll a.

High levels of chlorophyll a can be an indicator of excess algae in the water, usually driven by fertilizers, sewage treatment plants or urban runoff, according to the EPA. Too much algae can cause aesthetic problems, such as green scum, or even public health concerns if algae blooms produce harmful toxins.In 2019, leaders of the Trinity River Authority, the city of Arlington and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality developed a watershed protection plan that identified illegal dumping and litter accumulation as two core issues facing the area.That plan laid the groundwork for the river authority to obtain the funding for this project from NWF
https://www.nfwf.org/sites/default/files/2021-09/NFWF-20210818-Five-Star-GS.pdf
Contents
Status: 
Completed
Period: 
January, 2022
Rationale: 
There are different levels of “impaired waterways” as classified by the Environmental Protection Agency. Some bodies of water are classified as “good” for drinking water or aquatic life, but “impaired” for swimming and boating or fish consumption. Since 2010, Village Creek has been included on the EPA’s list of “impaired waterways,” or not meeting federal water quality standards, due to excessive levels of E. coli bacteria. While most E. coli bacteria is harmless to humans, high numbers of harmless bacteria in lakes or rivers often indicates the presence of harmful bacteria as well, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Lake Arlington – a large source of drinking water in the region – is not included on the impaired waterways list, but officials have noted “levels of concern” from higher-than-normal amounts of nitrates and chlorophyll a.

High levels of chlorophyll a can be an indicator of excess algae in the water, usually driven by fertilizers, sewage treatment plants or urban runoff, according to the EPA. Too much algae can cause aesthetic problems, such as green scum, or even public health concerns if algae blooms produce harmful toxins.In 2019, leaders of the Trinity River Authority, the city of Arlington and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality developed a watershed protection plan that identified illegal dumping and litter accumulation as two core issues facing the area.That plan laid the groundwork for the river authority to obtain the funding for this project from NWF
https://www.nfwf.org/sites/default/files/2021-09/NFWF-20210818-Five-Star-GS.pdf
Objectives: 
This project is funded by National Fish and Wildlife Foundation – Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Program. Trinity River Authority, UpSpire, University of Texas at Arlington, and Tarrant Regional Water District have contributed in-kind matching funds. It includes plans to purchase, install and maintain multiple trash barriers at highly visible and heavily littered locations within Village Creek Lake Arlington (VCLA) Watershed and the City of Fort Worth Parks. This will aid in the expansion of the UpSpire Waterways litter prevention program, increase community engagement and restore 21,128 acres of VCLA watershed and 807 acres within the City of Fort Worth. Up to 1,332 lbs. of trash will be removed from the area per month.
Activities and/or practices employed: 
Watergoat Installation Process

TRA has identified and installed Watergoats at 10 sites. A Watergoat is a floating boom device that creates a barrier to prevent trash from clogging creeks, ponds, stormwater outfalls and other bodies of water. They offer an efficient means of capturing small floating litter and debris before it continues downstream, keeping parks and waterways clean. UpSpire’s Waterways Crew is invested in keeping the parks and waterways around the greater Fort Worth community clear of unsightly litter. Scoops, hooks, and nets are used to easily remove debris after being collected by the Watergoats. TRA will continue to monitor the sites regularly and conduct a litter source assessment survey. This partnership will directly engage a diverse group of upstream and downstream communities to achieve ecological and specific educational outcomes by hosting litter cleanups and by providing information through newsletters, social media, email and signage at the Watergoat locations.

Presbyterian Night Shelter’s UpSpire program collaborated with the City of Fort Worth in a public private partnership to combat litter in area waterways. City of Fort Worth employees evaluated several waterway sites to recommend locations to install floating trash collection devices. Six sites were selected for initial installation. To capture litter from the initial six locations, UpSpire decided to purchase and install watergoats. A watergoat is a floating net which captures trash as it floats downstream, especially during and after rain events. The first six watergoats were installed in January 2022. Two of the original six were relocated to new sites in April 2022 to address litter in and around Willow Lake.

UpSpire owns and maintains these six watergoats, and they service each location every two weeks or within three days of a rain event. This program allows UpSpire to provide steady employment opportunities for homeless individuals as a path forward toward independent living

https://tragis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html?webmap=0262031eb4e6402a99ad47cacb601144
https://trinityra.org/basin_planning/village_creek-lake_arlington_wpp/implementation_projects.php
Size of academic audience: 
2.126 Million
Results: 
14,000 lbs of litter was collected and removed from the waterways
Attached Report
Relationship to other RCE activities: 
The RCE North Texas focuses on SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
Trinity River Authority( TRA), City of Fort Worth and EPA are also members of the RCE North Texas so this was a collaborative project
https://trinityra.org/basin_planning/village_creek-lake_arlington_wpp/implementation_projects.php
Funding: 
This project is funded by National Fish and Wildlife Foundation – Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Program. Trinity River Authority, UpSpire, University of Texas at Arlington, and Tarrant Regional Water District have contributed in-kind matching funds. It includes plans to purchase, install and maintain multiple trash barriers at highly visible and heavily littered locations within Village Creek Lake Arlington (VCLA) Watershed and the City of Fort Worth Parks. This will aid in the expansion of the UpSpire Waterways litter prevention program, increase community engagement and restore 21,128 acres of VCLA watershed and 807 acres within the City of Fort Worth. Up to 1,332 lbs. of trash will be removed from the area per month.
Press release https://www.nfwf.org/sites/default/files/2021-09/NFWF-20210818-Five-Star-GS.pdf

Pictures:

File Name Caption for picture Photo Credit
Image icon IMG_4921.jpg (4.36 MB) Watergoat
Image icon Wildcat Branch_The Big Event.jpg (166.2 KB) Map of lake Arlington for Cleanup
Image icon IMG_6420.JPG (5.65 MB) Photo to show litter accumulated in the lake
Image icon MicrosoftTeams-image (1)[46].png.jpeg (10.52 MB) Clean up Volunteers
Image icon Watergoats flyer (2).png (2.36 MB) Event Flyer
References and reference materials: 
PDF icon Trinity River Authority Watergoat Results - Smartsheet.com_June 23 2023.pdf
PDF icon The Big Event Map_20230422.pdf
PDF icon Earth Week 2023.pdf
File Final Report.docx
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
(https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs) and other themes of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
SDG 3 - Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages 
Direct
SDG 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 
Direct
SDG 6 - Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all 
Direct
SDG 11 - Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable 
Direct
SDG 13 - Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts 
Direct
SDG 14 - Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development 
Direct
SDG 15 - Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification and halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss 
Indirect
Theme
Disaster Risk Reduction 
Direct
Ecotourism 
Direct
Waste 
Direct
ESD for 2030-Priority Action Areas
Priority Action Area 1 - Advancing policy 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 2 - Transforming learning and training environments 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 3 - Developing capacities of educators and trainers 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 4 - Mobilizing youth 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 5 - Accelerating sustainable solutions at local level 
state: 
Direct
Update: 
No
I acknowledge the above: 
Yes