Many streams in the City of Fort Worth are impacted by litter. To address this issue, Trinity River Authority, UpSpire, and the City of Fort Worth have collaborated to install watergoat litter traps in 20 locations. A watergoat is a chain of floating buoys anchored across a waterway, such as creeks, rivers, and canals, with the purpose of capturing litter for easy removal and prevents litter from floating further downstream. Six were installed as a pilot program by UpSpire in January 2022. After the pilot's success, ten were installed by Trinity River Authority in May 2022. Recently, four watergoats were installed by City of Fort Worth Parks and Recreation Department in December 2023.

Does a Watergoat need maintenance? Please contact the City of Fort Worth at  1234@fortworthtexas.gov  or 817-392-1234 and let us know which location needs attention!

1. Village Creek 2. Prairie Creek 3. Wildcat Branch 4. Eastland Creek 5. Sycamore Creek 6. Echo Lake Park 7. Krauss Baker Park 8. Trail Drivers Park 9. Marine Creek at Stockyards

10. Foster Park 11. Sarita Park 12. Edwards Ranch Road at Clearfork Main St. 13. Watercourse Dr. 14. Purcey Street Outfall 15. Henderson Street

16. Marine Creek Linear Park 17. Saunders Park 18. Cobb Park 19. Candleridge Park

The gray locations in the map above indicate former and removed Watergoats.

Former Locations

• Foster Creek at Bellaire Dr: The gabions, low water levels in the summer, and high water flow during raining season made it difficult for the watergoat to be effective at this site.
• Oakmont Park: After a few months, the trash collected by the watergoat was insignificant to keep the device at this location.
• Malaga Park: After the initial cleanup of the area and installation of the watergoat, the amount of trash collected by the device was insignificant to keep it at this location.
• Willow Lake 1: This initiative was funded and maintained by UpSpire until December 2022 by an anonymous donor.  
• Willow Lake 2: This initiative was funded and maintained by UpSpire until December 2022 by an anonymous donor. 
• IH820 at E Rosedale St: Watergoat could not be recovered after 2024 severe storm event.  

Trinity River Authority and UpSpire, in collaboration with the University of Texas at Arlington, Tarrant Regional Water District, and Dorris Family Foundation, were awarded the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Five Star Urban Waters Restoration Grant in 2021. The grant funded the purchase, installation, and maintenance of multiple trash barriers at 10 littered locations within Village Creek Lake Arlington Watershed and City of Fort Worth Parks.  This supported the expansion of the UpSpire Waterways litter prevention program, as well as increased community engagement in addressing the root causes of litter.  The project focuses on restoring 21,128 acres of Village Creek Lake Arlington watershed and 807 acres within the City of Fort Worth. The ten Watergoats funded by this grant were installed in May 2022.

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Presbyterian Night Shelter’s UpSpire program collaborated with the City of Fort Worth in a public-private partnership to combat litter in area waterways. City of Fort Worth employees evaluated several waterway sites to recommend locations to install floating trash collection devices. Six sites were selected for initial installation.

To capture litter from the initial six locations, UpSpire decided to purchase and install watergoats. The first six watergoats were installed in January 2022. Two of the original six were relocated to new sites in April 2022 to address litter in and around Willow Lake.

UpSpire owns and maintains these six watergoats, and they service each location every two weeks or within three days of a rain event. This program allows UpSpire to provide steady employment opportunities for homeless individuals as a path forward toward independent living.

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The City of Fort Worth Park and Recreation Department installed four watergoats in December 2023, to collect floatable litter in parks with habitual litter accumulation. The Watergoats were purchased using funds from three separate maintenance district budgets within the Park Operations Division. The Watergoats in Marine Creek Linear Park and Saunders Park were purchased by and are maintained by the Northwest District. The Watergoat in Cobb Park was purchased by and is maintained by the East District. The Watergoat in Candleridge Park was purchased by and is maintained by the South District.

This litter abatement initiative aims to improve our parks for Fort Worth residents by addressing litter issues, while also supporting the FY2024 budget theme: So Safe, So Clean, So Green.

  _{Click the tiles on the left to see the location on the map below!}