Assess opportunities for blue-green infrastructure in the public realm to reduce flood risk.
The City will identify areas prone to flood risk (now and from future flood events) such as neighborhoods located on flood plains along the Trinity River and evaluate whether green infrastructure may be a solution in that area to mitigate flood impact. This will include city parks as potential flood retention areas. The ‘Drainage Design Manual (2019)’ and the ‘Complete Streets Design Manual (2013)’ provide design guidelines.
Stop planting grass that requires watering along bike trails. Replace grass along existing trails with drought tolerant species. Don't install any more sprinklers aside new bike trails.
Reduce the frequency of mowing park land and areas under power lines. Excessive mowing creates pollution during mowing, wastes public money that could be used for more productive work, destroys wild flowers, and exposes soil to deep cracking during summer heat.
Consider native grasses that grow better. Grass is actually better for carbon sequestration than trees. However, it doesn't need to be mowed short.
We ought to be using native grasses in parks, bike trails, and under power lines. We should stop planting grasses that requiring watering and mowing, especially beside bike trails. We should stop mowing the grass under power lines so frequently Mowing is harmful in many ways - wastes fuel and produces emissions, exposes the ground to more summer heat to the point that it cracks deeply, and hinders the growth of beautiful,natural flowers (that are really enjoyable).