WACO, Texas (KXXV) — Lake Waco Wetlands, celebrating its 20th anniversary, is currently in a state of destruction
- Flooding in May caused major damage to the wetlands, leaving it dry and green
- Efforts are being made to rebuild the wetlands, including replacing boardwalks and a prescribed burn
- Lake Waco was raised to meet the city's water needs, but the wetlands were meant to balance out the impact
- Rebuilding the wetlands and restoring water will take at least six to eight months
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The Lake Waco Wetlands marks its 20th anniversary this year, but it's currently in a state of destruction.
Alex Farmer came to fish at the Lake Waco Wetlands Friday morning, but to his surprise, water was nowhere to be found.
"I had a little bit of time to kill after I dropped my daughter off at daycare this morning. It's a pretty day today, so I just wanted to get some fishing in. I've never been out here and I did not know that it was in this state of disarray," Farmer said.
Although he grew up in Waco – it's his first time coming to the wetlands.
In May, major flooding from strong storms damaged different parts of the wetlands — leaving the area with overgrown vegetation and no water in sight.
Nora Schell, the program coordinator for Lake Waco Wetlands, said work is planned to replace boardwalks along with other resources for visitors to use.
"Basically we're going to start with a clean slate again and redesign some of the areas," Schell said.
Also to help rebuild from scratch, the Texas Forest Service will help set fire to 186 acres of the wetlands as part of a prescribed burn.
"Even though the wetlands aren't wet 365 days a year, it's still a habitat," Schell said.
The Lake Waco Wetlands were created more than 20 years ago.
Schell said the city raised the level of our primary source of drinking water, Lake Waco, seven feet to have more water — to keep up with the growth in Waco and surrounding areas. But raising the lake levels came at a cost, which the wetlands are supposed to help to balance out.
"We knew we were going to destroy some shoreline. The EPA, even though they gave us permission to raise the lake level, they also asked the city of Waco to do a mitigation project, meaning giving back to the animal and plant community we displaced when we drowned out their homes and habitat area," Schell said.
Now, the Lake Waco Wetlands naturally treat about 11 million gallons of water a day from the Bosque River.
Schell told 25 News that the process of getting this area back to normal and filled with water will take at least six to eight months.
