Lake Waco Wetlands Celebrates 20th Anniversary

Last updated on August 19, 2024 at 09:00 AM

Located on the North Bosque River and covering over 180 acres, the Lake Waco Wetlands provides a diverse habitat for the early development of plants and animals often dubbed “nature’s nursery.”

Wetlands are among the most biologically productive ecosystems in the world, alongside tropical rainforests and coral reefs. They also can provide protection as a place for excess water to go during floods. The Lake Waco Wetlands can impact water quality by naturally treating about 11 million gallons of water a day from the Bosque River.

A Responsibility to Sustainability

Lake Waco Wetlands groundbreaking ceremony. 2001.

In February 1998, officials from the Brazos River Authority, City of Waco, and other towns along the North Bosque River began discussing the possibility of constructing wetlands to address concerns about water quality in Lake Waco. However, the wetlands more directly emerged in response to the City of Waco’s decision in December 2000 to raise the lake level by seven feet. The creation of the Lake Waco Wetlands was designed as a mitigation project to replenish wildlife habitat that was lost in the process of raising the lake level.

On August 17, 2001, a groundbreaking ceremony was held to build the nursery area of the wetlands on 174 acres of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-owned land near FM 185 close to where the North Bosque River empties into the lake. Once finished, the City of Waco started pumping about 11 million gallons of water from the river each day, so that the plants and natural processes can clean the water before it flows into the river again and eventually into Lake Waco.

A Hub of Research and Education

Volunteers at the Lake Waco Wetland planting. 2001.

In March 2004, Nora Schell was hired as Lake Waco Wetlands first program coordinator, a position she currently holds after previously serving as a Cameron Park ranger for 18 years. That same year, on August 27, 2004, the City of Waco celebrated the grand opening of the 6,000-square-foot Research and Education Center. This year, the center celebrates 20 years since it first opened its doors.

The Wetlands is an ongoing, ever evolving project with new plants, maintenance, non-native plant growth, and occasional controlled burns. Future projects saw the addition of a community trail from the research center down to the wetlands provided by Travis Carroll of Boy Scout Troop 444. Other additions include an extension of the boardwalk provided through a $16,000 grant from Cabela’s Outdoor Fund and the 20,000 square-foot outdoor Baylor Experimental Aquatic Research (BEAR) Center.

After many floods and droughts, the Lake Waco Wetlands continue to serve as a valuable open-air educational area and habitat. The Wetlands are available for guided tours and open to the public every day for exploration. Birders and other naturalists are welcome to visit the Wetlands to observe and photograph the area.

Discover the Wetlands