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We just got busier, in a good way, with the announcement that GEAA was awarded $52,650 grant from the Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities initiative. In 2012, Wells Fargo and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation launched this initiative, designed to support projects that link economic development and community well-being to the stewardship and health of the environment. This five-year initiative is supported through a $15 million contribution from Wells Fargo that will be used to leverage other public and private investments with an expected total impact of over $37.5 million. With funding from this grant and other sources, GEAA, the San Antonio River Authority ($15,000), Edwards Aquifer Authority ($15,000), City of San Antonio, and the University of Texas at San Antonio Departments of Architecture and Civil Engineering will begin collaborating on our Community Rain Garden project to engage neighborhoods and businesses over the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone in protecting the Aquifer. The projects will encourage the use of Low Impact Development (LID) techniques to mitigate flooding and storm water pollution, and preserve our ground water resources. Work will commence this fall on a series of ten Community Rain Gardens specially designed to purify storm water and enhance recharge into the Edwards Aquifer. The first of these Rain Gardens will be on the northwest Campus of UTSA. UTSA students and professors will work with experts from SARA and EAA to design LID enhancements for the campus, and will set forth criteria for selecting the other nine sites and for successfully employing Low Impact Development on the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone. If you would like to learn more about using LID in the Edwards Region, check out GEAA’s Watershed Stewardship for the Edwards Aquifer Region. Under Your Feet, also funded by the Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities award, is an on-line and social media campaign designed to teach San Antonians who live on the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone how to take care of the aquifer that is literally under their feet. The Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities requires us to secure an additional $200,000 in matching funds. Ideas and contributions are greatly appreciated. And, look for us on the news on August 3rd, when we will formally announce the grant award.
