WESLACO — The Arroyo Colorado Watershed Partnership will meet April 22, Earth Day, to highlight many of the activities in the Lower Rio Grande Valley that support the Arroyo Colorado Watershed Protection Plan, according to an official with the Texas Water Resources Institute.
Watershed coordinator Jaime Flores said the meeting, which is open to the public, will be from 5-7 p.m. at the Estero Llano Grande World Birding Center, 3310 S. FM 1015 in Weslaco.
Earth Day events include the grand opening of a wetland and nature trail park in San Juan and the installation of more road signs marking Arroyo Colorado crossings and the boundary of the Arroyo Colorado watershed, Flores said.
“These activities further the watershed protection plan which was developed by the partnership and is one of the first of its kind in the state. It is designed to improve the Arroyo Colorado’s water quality and aquatic and riparian habitat,” Flores said.
The Arroyo Colorado runs 90 miles from Mission to the Lower Laguna Madre adjacent to the Gulf Coast and is the primary source of fresh water to the Lower Laguna Madre.
The estuary found in the lower 25 miles of the arroyo is an important natural nursery for many fish, crab and shrimp species, he said.
The partnership is administered by the water institute in cooperation with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board.
The institute, located in College Station, is part of Texas AgriLife Research, Texas AgriLife Extension Service and the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University.
“Kicking off Earth Day is the grand opening of the city of San Juan’s 7-acre wetland and nature trail park,” Flores said. “The purpose of the wetland is to work as a natural water filtration system for treated effluent water that is pumped from the San Juan Waste Water Treatment Plant No. 2. The water is cleaned and discharged into the Arroyo Colorado.”
The grand opening will be held from 8 a.m.to noon at the wetland, located near Hall Acres Road and Nebraska Ave., behind the city’s parks and recreation building.
The Pharr-San Juan-Alamo High School has adopted the wetland, and high school students are scheduled to plant gardens and trees, construct benches and build bird houses, Flores said.
Speaking at the event will be Flores and representatives of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Texas A&M University-Kingsville.
“The San Juan wetland is part of a three-city wetland project funded by TCEQ and the Environmental Protection Agency as part of a Clean Water Act grant,” he said. “San Juan opens theirs on Earth Day, the city of La Feria opened their wetland last December and San Benito should break ground later this year, all of which are part of the actions recommended by the watershed protection plan.”
The installation of road signs marking the Arroyo Colorado crossings and watershed boundaries is another activity that supports the plan. They are being installed by the partnership and the member cities of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Stormwater Task Force, Flores said.
“The city of Weslaco has recently installed four signs marking Arroyo Colorado crossings and the other cities should be installing 36 more in conjunction with Earth Day events throughout the Valley,” he said.
In 2009 the partnership and task force cities installed 10 signs.
Speakers at the steering committee meeting will include Jason Pinchback, director of the Texas Stream Team, and Amanda Engledow, a project manager for the water institute in College Station.
Pinchback will discuss activities of the stream team, a network of agencies and trained volunteers who monitor water quality and educate residents about the natural resources of the state.
Engledow will present options for continuing the partnership’s efforts to implement the watershed protection plan.
For more information on the meeting, contact Flores at 956-968-5581, or e-mail jjflores@ag.tamu.edu .
For information on the partnership and its work, visit its Web site at http://www.arroyocolorado.org