NACOGDOCHES – The Attoyac Bayou Watershed Partnership will hold its next meeting June 7 to continue discussions on the development of the Attoyac Bayou watershed protection plan.
Participants at the Attoyac Bayou Partnership meeting in Nacogdoches on the evening of June 7 will continue discussions relating to the development of an Attoyac Bayou watershed protection plan. (Texas Water Resources Institute photo)
The meeting, presented by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, will be from 6-8 p.m. at the Nacogdoches County Courthouse Annex, 203 W. Main, Nacogdoches. Registration begins at 5:30 p.m.
“The meeting will focus on the next steps in developing the watershed protection plan, including a presentation on the partnership steering committee’s recommendations for watershed goals and objectives,” said Anthony Castilaw of Castilaw Environmental Services, the Attoyac Bayou watershed coordinator.
Lucas Gregory, a Texas Water Resources Institute project manager in College Station, said the meeting will also include presentations on ongoing studies and analyses to help the partnership address the different components needed in the plan.
“Stakeholders will hear an overview of recreational use attainability analysis and the schedule for conducting them in the watershed,” Gregory said. “RUAAs are used to determine what level of recreation is occurring in evaluated water bodies and the suitability of the water for contact recreational use.”
Presenters will also give information on the infrared imagery analysis of pastures conducted in the watershed, as well as an update on appropriate animal fecal production rates for use in estimating potential bacteria loads across the watershed, he said.
The Texas Water Resources Institute, which manages the project, is part of Texas AgriLife Research, AgriLife Extension and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University.
Crispin Skinner, Prairie View A&M University Cooperative Extension Program agriculture and natural resources agent for Nacogdoches County, encouraged landowners and others in the watershed to attend the meeting and participate in developing the planning process.
“Stakeholders need to remember that this plan will only be as good as the information that goes into its development,” he said. “Continued local participation in this process is critical. These meetings provide a direct opportunity to participate in developing the watershed protection plan and ensure that it meets local needs.”
Funding for the development and support of the Attoyac Bayou Watershed Protection Plan is provided in part through a Clean Water Act nonpoint source pollution grant provided by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
For more information, see the project website: http://attoyac.tamu.edu/ or contact Gregory at lfgregory@ag.tamu.edu or 979-845-7869.
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