2026 Water Wonks Hour Lecture Series #7: San Antonio’s Growing Heat Challenge
The Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance is pleased to introduce our 2026 Water Wonks Lecture Series. Mark your calendars for 3:30 p.m. on the 4th Wednesday of each month. Water Wonks will feature a host of experts sharing innovative ideas and details about their work in the world of water. The series is a free community education opportunity.
REGISTRATION WILL BE AVAILABLE BEGINNING JUNE 25th.
Beginning June 25, 2026, a registration form will be provided below where you may express your intention to attend this lecture.
Meeting details and zoom link will be sent to your email following your registration.
Lecture #7 San Antonio’s Growing Heat Challenge
Speaker:
Bill Barker, FAICP, FITE
Bio:
Bill moved to San Antonio in 1997 to be the Planning Director for VIA Metropolitan Transit. He has also served as the Executive Director of Solar San Antonio, a Project Manager in the City’s Office of Sustainability, and an Adjunct Associate Professor in the UTSA graduate urban and regional planning program. Currently, he is an advisor to the Great Springs Project, on the Executive Committee of the Alamo Group of the Sierra Club, active in the Urban Land Institute, and was recently appointed by the Mayor to the SA Climate Ready Advisory Committee.
After working in mission simulation at NASA in Houston to help train flight controllers and astronauts in the Apollo lunar mission, his career in transportation started at the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center of the U.S. Department of Transportation. He then joined the North Central Texas Council of Governments (the Dallas–Fort Worth Metropolitan Planning Organization) and became the Director of Transportation and Energy there.
As a consultant, Bill has helped public and private clients in seven states, Canada, and Mexico as well as the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Agency for International Development. He has been engaged in “think tank” projects with the Houston Advanced Research Center, the Environmental Defense Fund, the Gas Research Institute, the UTSA Center for Urban and Regional Planning Research, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Transportation Research Board, and the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida.
Bill is the only professional recognized as a Fellow by both the Institute of Transportation Engineers and the American Institute of Certified Planners. He has a B.S. in physics and an M.A. in urban affairs.
Synopsis:
This presentation explores how extreme heat is impacting San Antonio and Bexar County, including how to measure human heat stress and respond to it. Globally, 2023–2025 are the hottest years ever recorded, and Earth is now warmer than at any time in over 120,000 years .
Locally, San Antonio ranks among the U.S. cities with the biggest rise in days above 95°F, and days over 100°F are becoming far more common .
The official air temperature at the Airport is measured in the shade and does not reflect the true heat people feel across various neighborhoods . Surface temperatures can exceed 140–160°F, creating real risks of burns and heat illness.
Better tools for measuring heat stress, including Heat Index, Wet Bulb Globe Temperature, and HeatRisk are explained. The presentation highlights some practical solutions including: shade, hydration stations, misting, atmospheric water harvesting, pervious pavement, geothermal cooling, passive daytime radiative cooling, and the planning of cool oases connected by cool corridors.
Stay tuned for additional monthly lecture topics coming in 2026!
