SAN MARCOS – A Texas Watershed Steward workshop addressing water quality issues of the San Marcos River will be held from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 23 at the City of San Marcos Recreation Center, 170 Charles Austin Drive in San Marcos.
There is no charge for the workshop, but due to limited seating participants are encouraged to preregister at http://tws.tamu.edu.
The Texas Watershed Steward program is sponsored by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board in cooperation with the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment — formerly the Rivers Systems Institute — and the Gudalupe-Blanco River Authority.
“The training is open to anyone interested in improving water quality in San Marcos and the surrounding area,” said Richard Parrish, AgriLife Extension agent for agriculture and natural resources for Hays County. “It is designed to help watershed residents improve and protect their water resources by becoming involved in local watershed protection and management activities.”
Parrish said the workshop will include an overview of water quality and watershed management in Texas.
“We will be discussing some of the current efforts to help improve and protect the health of these important water resources,” he added.
The training will address watershed systems, types and sources of water pollution, and ways to improve and protect water quality. There also will be a group discussion on community-driven watershed protection and management.
“The San Marcos River is a critical water resource for the area,” said Travis Tidwell, volunteer program coordinator with the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University. “The San Marcos River, which flows from Spring Lake and feeds into the Guadalupe River, supplies municipal drinking water and supports recreational, agricultural and other economic activities. The river and surrounding watersheds are considered to be an important wildlife habitat area by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.”
This workshop is being held in support of ongoing water quality management activities for the San Marcos River watershed. The San Marcos River appeared on the state’s list of impaired waters in 2002 for elevated levels of total dissolved solids.
Efforts are currently under way to identify pollution sources to Spring Lake and the San Marcos River, said local officials.
Researchers are collecting water quality data, as well as working with local officials, residents and property owners to identify potential management measures.
“The watershed protection planning process will begin in winter 2013,” Tidwell said. “Management strategies to be included in the plan are intended to provide direction to local stakeholders and outline a strategy for addressing water quality issues in the San Marcos River and Spring Lake.”
More information about the project and how to become involved in the planning process can be found at http://www.meadowscenter.txstate.edu/ .
“Along with the free training, participants will receive a copy of the Texas Watershed Steward Handbook and a certificate of completion,” said Galen Roberts, coordinator for the Texas Watershed Steward Program.
The program offers 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 private pesticide license holders, three for certified landscape architects and three for certified floodplain managers.
“Participating in the Texas Watershed Steward program is a great opportunity to get involved and make a difference in your watershed,” Roberts said.
For more information, contact Roberts at 979-862-8070, groberts@ag.tamu.edu or Parrish at 512-393-2120, re-parrish@tamu.edu.
For more information on the watershed planning efforts in the San Marcos River and surrounding watersheds, contact Tidwell at 512-245-9148 or travistidwell@txstate.edu.
The Texas Watershed Steward program is funded through a Clean Water Act nonpoint source grant from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
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