ORANGE – A free Texas Watershed Steward training workshop will be held 8 a.m.-4 p.m. March 24 in the meeting room of the Sabine River Authority office, 12777 Hwy. 87 N. in Orange.
Texas Watershed Steward training is a one-day event sponsored by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board in coordination with the Sabine River Authority (SRA-TX) and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
“This training is designed to help watershed residents improve and protect their water resources by getting involved in local watershed protection and management activities,” said Nikki Dictson, AgriLife Extension program specialist and workshop coordinator.
Dictson said the workshop will include an overview of water quality and watershed management in Texas and will primarily focus on water quality issues relating to the Adams Bayou and Cow Bayou watershed areas, including current efforts to help improve the health of these watersheds.
“Residents of the Adams Bayou and Cow Bayou Watershed and anyone else interested in the preserving and protecting the water quality of this important watershed are welcome to register and attend this training,” Dictson said. “We’d appreciate people taking a minute to complete the quick and easy online form on our website so we can ensure there are enough materials for the participants.”
She said registration for the training is now open and may be done by completing the registration form on the Texas Watershed Stewards’ website at http://tws.tamu.edu.
Dictson said workshop attendees will learn about watershed systems, water quality regulation and monitoring, methods to improve water quality, and community-driven watershed protection and management.
“The training also provides the basic knowledge and tools needed to participate in and organize local watershed activities and become more involved in protecting and enhancing your community water resources,” she said.
Orange, Jasper and Newton counties are home to the Adams and Cow bayous watershed, which cover almost 250 square miles in the coastal area of the Sabine River Basin. The lower portion of the Adams Bayou watershed is urban, and includes most of the cities of Orange, West Orange and Pinehurst. The Cow Bayou watershed is urban in some areas and includes portions of the cities of Buna, Mauriceville, Vidor and Bridge City.
“Large areas of the watershed region are used for agriculture, including rangeland,” Dictson said. “And both watersheds are affected by municipal and industrial wastewater discharges and by storm-water runoff from agricultural, industrial and urban areas.”
She added that both Adams and Cow bayous and most of their associated tributaries have low dissolved oxygen levels and elevated bacteria concentrations and do not meet state water quality standards.
“In Cow Bayou, pH values are also occasionally lower than the criteria established to protect general water uses,” Dictson said. “And development pressures, land-use changes and other impacts have created water quality concerns for the river.”
She noted that the SRA-TX and TCEQ and other stakeholders have been working on an implementation plan to encourage land and water stewardship in the Adams Bayou and Cow Bayou watershed areas.
“You can be a part of this effort by attending this event,” Dictson said. The Texas Watershed Steward program is a great opportunity to get involved and make a difference in your watershed.”
A light lunch and refreshments will be provided by the Sabine River Authority.
Along with free training, participants will receive a free copy of the Texas Watershed Steward Handbook, prizes and gifts, and a certificate of completion. In addition, the program also offers seven continuing education units in soil and water management for certified crop advisors, seven units for professional engineers and planners, and seven continuing education credits for certified teachers. It also offers three general continuing education units for Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide license holders, seven for certified landscape architects and three for certified floodplain managers.
For more information and to register, go to http://tws.tamu.edu or contact Dictson at 979-575-4424 or n-dictson@tamu.edu.
For more information on ongoing efforts in the Adams and Cow bayous watershed, go to http://www.tceq.texas.gov/implementation/water/tmdl/37-orangecounty.html or contact Miles Hall with the Sabine River Authority at 409-746-3284 or mhall@sratx.org.
The Texas Watershed Steward program is funded through a Clean Water Act §319(h) non-point source grant from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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