JUNCTION – A Texas Watershed Steward workshop on water quality and availability issues related to the Llano River will be held 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Aug. 30 at the Texas Tech Center, 254 Red Raider Lane in Junction.
The Aug. 30 Texas Watershed Steward training in Junction will focus on water quality and availability related to the Llano River. (Texas AgriLife Extension Service photo)
The training is open to anyone interested in these issues, coordinators said.
This no-cost workshop is presented by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board in coordination with the South Llano Watershed Alliance.
“The workshop is designed to help watershed residents improve and protect their water resources by becoming involved in local watershed protection and management activities,” said Dr. Kevin Wagner, Texas Water Resources Institute associate director.
Wagner said the workshop will include current efforts to help improve and protect the Llano River.
The training will include a discussion of watershed systems, types and sources of water pollution, and ways to improve water quality, he said. There also will be a group discussion on community-driven watershed protection and management.
“Surface water in the Llano River is a critical source of water in the area,” said Dr. Tom Arsuffi, director of Texas Tech Llano River Field Station and a South Llano Watershed Alliance Board member. Arsuffi and others have been working on the Llano River Watershed Planning Project, a collaboration between local stakeholders, the Texas Water Resources Institute, Texas Tech University, South Llano Watershed Alliance, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board.
Current and future water quality and availability related to the Llano River has and will continue to have an impact on residents in several Texas counties. (Texas Watershed Steward Program graphic)
“The project’s purpose is to complete a thorough watershed assessment and help stakeholders address impairments in the Llano,” Arsuffi said. More information on the project and the South Llano Watershed Alliance can be found at http://southllano.org/ .
“Along with the free training, participants receive a free copy of the Texas Watershed Steward Handbook and a certificate of completion,” said Galen Roberts, AgriLife Extension program specialist and Watershed Steward Program coordinator.
The program will offer seven continuing education units in soil and water management for certified crop advisers, seven units for professional engineers and certified 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.
Preregistration is open through the Texas Watershed Steward website, http://tws.tamu.edu.
“Participating in the Texas Watershed Steward program is a great opportunity to get involved and make a difference in your watershed,” said Roberts.
For more information contact Roberts at 979-862-8070, groberts@ag.tamu.edu.
The Texas Watershed Steward program is funded through a Clean Water Act §319(h) nonpoint source grant from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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