With the common goal of protecting and preserving community waterways, local government, business, and community leaders in San Antonio joined forces to create an innovative network of monitoring stations in the upper San Antonio River basin. Called the San Antonio River Basin Monitoring Network (SARBMN), this endeavor helps immediately detect events that could threaten water quality. Since the fall of 2005, the program has been providing real-time data on the basin’s water quality to scientists, regulators, and the public.

  The program has saved the state nearly $400,000 in equipment, installation, monitoring, and maintenance costs. Currently six stations, with a seventh station pending, exist along rivers and creeks in San Antonio. This network includes one site hosted by the Witte Museum—and supported by contributions made by H-E-B and Texas Industries (TXI)—that is located near the headwaters of the San Antonio River on its grounds. As a natural science museum with a permanent water education exhibit, the Witte Museum allows school groups to experience hands-on water quality testing.

  Equipment at each site measures various water quality conditions. The stations transmit readings every hour, 24-hours a day, which are posted on the TCEQ and U.S. Geological Survey web sites. If established trigger conditions are exceeded, automated e-mail messages notify staff of conditions.

  Project Partners include the Bexar Metropolitan Water District, Capitol Cement, CPS Energy, H-E-B, the Public Center for Environmental Health, San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, San Antonio River Authority, San Antonio Water System, TCEQ, TXI, U.S. Geological Survey, Water Monitoring Solutions, Inc., and the Witte Museum. Other SARBMN members contribute greatly to the program’s success.

  Serving as a model for communities everywhere, the SARBMN partnership demonstrates the power of working together on a common goal to benefit the community for years to come.