SAN MARCOS RIVER
Flows will be critically low in the San Marcos river this summer, more so than has been seen since the mid-1950s, according to San Marcos Habitat Conservation Plan Manager Mark Enders. Although San Marcos did have several flooding events that helped to stabilize the decline in aquifer levels, Enders said it is not enough “to really change the trajectory of this drought.” But the city of San Marcos is doing its part to protect what’s left of the local aquatic plants and animal species’ environment by bolstering native plant populations and improving stormwater outfalls.
The city recently hosted a ribbon cutting at Bicentennial Park to unveil a River Aquatic Ecosys- tem Restoration Project, which began in 2022 and focused on the stretch of the San Marcos River from City Park to downstream of Stokes Park, according to a press release issued by the city. Enders said improvements included removal of invasive species — Elephant Ears, Chinaberry Trees and Chinese Tallow that are native to Asia — and planting native riparian and wetland vegetation as well as improving stormwater outfalls to decrease erosion and the accumulation of sediment.
