The Dallas City Council voted Wednesday to partially remove the standing wave feature on the Trinity River.
“It’s an almost total removal,” said City Council Member Phillip Kingston. “It merely leaves the armoring on either side of the feature and it leaves some subsurface elements that are below the riverbed.”
Kingston said the partial removal, which will cost $2 million, was the most affordable option for the city. The feature cost over $4 million to build in 2011.
The feature’s intent was to create rapids for kayaks. The Corps of Engineers told the city that the feature was in violation of federal law because it impairs navigation for boaters. They told the city to remove it. Kingston said the feature was built in 2011 and was a bad idea from the start.
“It was an idea that I think came to the city from a very wealthy contributor to the Trinity Trust and it’s been the tradition around here that staff is highly responsive to rich people,” Kingston said.
The city is discussing waiting until next year to have the feature partially removed in anticipation of heavy rains. Kingston said he believes it’s important to remove it now to avoid costly fines from the Corp of Engineers.
“I have seen all of the correspondence from The Corp of Engineers and at each turn they have demanded immediate removal,” said Kingston.
Kingston said The Corp of Engineers has the ability to stop granting permits to the city.
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