Environmental Sustainability and the Trinity River Corridor Project
Dallas began on the banks of the Trinity River. The water itself and lazy days of paddling on it have been part of the true fabric of North Texas for hundreds of years. From Native Americans navigating the river in paddling canoes, to ferry boats in the Age of Industrialization, the Trinity River has provided an avenue of leisurely and functional resourcefulness for the inhabitants along this waterway.
Through the Trinity River Corridor Project, modern visitors to the river can begin to enjoy it in a new way as the visual evidence of progress appears along the floodway in the form of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, the Santa Fe Trestle Trail, the Dallas Wave, the Pavaho Pump Station, and the mowed connections cropping up along the levee maintenance roads.
City leadership and private groups recognize the reality of the congested state of Dallas and they strive to maintain a visionary perspective through the Balanced Vision Plan. The organization of the project components took all of this into account along with a long-term view of sustainability. For example, in many of the projects such as the Trinity Parkway, the designs include the infrastructure for wind or solar energy in anticipation of a time when renewable technologies further mature and become feasible for public works projects.
Building a Greener Future
Dallas has initiatives on all fronts to build a greener future for the City. These initiatives include Environmental Management Systems, ISO Certifications, Green Building Standards, Green Vehicle Fleet Standards, Renewable Energy, Energy Conservation, Air Quality Standards, Long-term Strategic Water Conservation Plan, Long-term Recycling and Waste Management Plan, Trinity River Initiatives, Great Trinity Forest 100-year Management Plan. Most important is the fact that Dallas is interested in being a leader in sustainable projects and environmental responsibility.
To learn more about how the City of Dallas and the Trinity River Corridor Project are protecting the environment, visit GreenDallas.net and the Lewisville Aquatic Ecosystem Research Center.
