Miles upon miles of greenbelt parkways run from the mouth of the Rio Grande up through and along the different creeks in Laredo? Hike and bike trails with bridges on babbling brooks and occasional park benches on a landscape of native foliage? Sound too good to be true?
Guess again.
The City of Laredo Parks and Recreation, in cooperation with the Environmental Engineering department, unveiled its Chacon Creek Master Plan recently outlining the development of this natural treasure.
"This isn't something that's going to happen overnight but you can already see the progress being made along Chacon Creek," said PARD director Horacio de Leon, Jr. "We envision this area becoming one of the premier parks in Laredo."
The eco-friendly plan calls for the development of this tributary of the Rio Grande without disrupting too much of its native state. One feature includes the development of a water retention pond along the Chacon that will obviously collect overflow waters and provide a fishing hole for Laredoans.
Similarly, the Environmental Engineering department plans to develop a flood control design as well as a natural habitat conservation strategy for the linear park initiating at Lake Casa Blanca and emptying into the Rio Grande. The $32-million project is on a 10-year master plan.
One example already underway is the erosion control project on the western slope viewed from the Benavides Softball Complex. Park crews began the process by cleaning the virtual dumpsite of tires, mattresses, oil drums, lumber and other discarded items.
"We filled about 55 dump-truck loads of dirt for the project," exclaimed Parks supervisor Juan Carreon. "It was amazing to see how much stuff had been dumped there. It also made you wonder how long it had been there."
PARD crews also applied mesh erosion blankets to the embankment. After completing that phase, the crews applied grass seed via a hydro-mulching process that practically ensures seed germination on the steep hillside.
"The difference is amazing," added Carreon. "It's true what they say about a picture speaking a thousand words."
And the resolution of the big picture becomes sharper with time and so do the improvements along the Chacon.