San Antonio Grudgingly Admits Mark Cuban Right About Their River

[hatrack]

SAN ANTONIO - At first the city was outraged over the disparaging remarks Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban made about the "nasty" San Antonio River that loops through downtown. Uttered during the acrimonious days of the Mavs' victorious NBA playoff series with the San Antonio Spurs, Cuban's description of the beloved river as an "ugly-ass, muddy-watered thing" stung residents. Some vowed to push Cuban into the drink if he dared show his face on the River Walk.

Several months later, it appears Cuban was on to something. While embarrassing, his candid observations came as no surprise to the gaggle of governmental entities that monitor and maintain the unique waterway. "It's no longer a natural river. It hasn't been for a long time. It's been channelized and reconfigured so it no longer acts like a river," said San Antonio River Authority environmental services director Mike Gonzales.

"It just sits there. There's very little flow," he said, comparing it to a stock tank, only this body of water is devoid of vegetation yet laden with bacteria-fostering organic matter such as bird droppings.

Warnings are issued periodically saying the water is unsafe for contact recreational use, and efforts to improve the river started long before Cuban's May tirade. But spurred by his needling, local and state entities have mobilized to ramrod improvements to the river's water quality and aesthetics.

EDIT

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/4114605.html

[bananas]

1. hmm, I just saw a post about Mark Cuban this morning

ah, there it is...
"Sharesleuth.com has INVESTIGATIONS INTO COMPANIES--> Owned by Mark Cuban"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1906428

[Wickerman]

2. In the late 80's and early 90's I recall warnings

that it wasn't being engineered for river flow but for tourism and that it would come back to bite the tourism enterprise. Sounds like it is coming on. I haven't been down to the Riverwalk in 6 years but I know the plans for new channels continue to this day - can't imagine it resembles anything like natural flow.

ah, rampant capitalism.