Despite public and private fundraising efforts, Fort Worth is still struggling to find enough dollars to build its long-awaited “trash wheel” — a water wheel capable of removing up to 50,000 pounds of floating waste each day from the Trinity River.
Fort Worth needs at least $444,750 more to construct the wheel, according to a city report.
The city and Tarrant Regional Water District have chipped in $350,000 each to make the project a reality. Donors have contributed $240,700 so far, and organizations across Fort Worth have committed to put up another $400,000.
The project takes inspiration from Baltimore Harbor’s four solar and water-powered machines. Using a system of pulleys, rakes and floating buoys, the wheels funnel trash into a nearby dumpster while routing fish away before they can be harmed.
Fort Worth officials first floated the idea in 2020, championing the wheel as a symbol of the city’s commitment to cleaning up the Trinity as well as an environmental education tool for students visiting downtown. In Baltimore, residents have made the googly-eyed “Mr. Trash Wheel” an environmental mascot, printing his face on T-shirts and craft beer labels. Fort Worth officials envision a covered wagon design to reflect the city’s “Where the West Begins” heritage.
Over the past year, the city has twice asked companies to submit bids on the project. The most recent round, which closed in January, resulted in two bids above the city’s total funding of $1.347 million. The city blamed the higher cost on increased construction material prices for steel and concrete, subcontractor availability and increased costs of labor.
“It’s always disappointing whenever proposals come back and they exceed our available budget,” environmental services director Cody Whittenburg said during a June 4 council meeting.
City officials are planning to work with Streams & Valleys, the Trinity River-focused nonprofit organization, to evaluate fundraising options, Whittenburg said. Staff will return with another update for the council in the fall.
Once fully funded, the city plans to construct the wheel at the Purcey Street outfall near Panther Island Pavilion in downtown Fort Worth. Part of the location’s appeal is its close proximity to the new City Hall building, formerly home to Pier 1.
Every person working on the trash wheel has great passion for the project and wants to see it come to fruition, said Stacey Pierce, executive director of Streams & Valleys.
Each project comes with its own specific technical challenges that can “take longer than you think,” she said. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has already approved permits required to install infrastructure in the Trinity River.
If Fort Worth community members come together, they could close the funding gap in “two seconds,” Pierce said.
“I’m ready for the community to step up and do their part in this,” Pierce said. “And if it’s a dollar, great. If it’s more than that, great. But do something other than talk about how bothered you are by the trash.”
Haley Samsel is the environmental reporter for the Fort Worth Report. You can reach them at haley.samsel@fortworthreport.org.
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