VICTORIA – A Texas Watershed Steward workshop on water quality issues related to the Lavaca and Navidad rivers will be held from 1-5 p.m. May 22 at the Victoria Educational Gardens, 283 Bachelor Drive, Victoria.
The training is free and open to anyone interested in improving water quality in the Coastal Bend region, said program coordinators. Participants are encouraged to preregister at the Texas Watershed Steward website at http://tws.tamu.edu.
The workshop is presented by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board in collaboration with the Texas Water Resources Institute.
“This training is designed to help watershed residents improve and protect their water resources by becoming involved in local watershed protection and management activities,” said Peter McGuill, AgriLife Extension agent for Victoria County.
McGuill said the workshop will include an overview of water quality and watershed management in Texas, but will primarily focus on area water quality issues, including current efforts to help improve and protect the Lavaca and Navidad rivers. The workshop will primarily address issues related to these two rivers, but the information will be applicable to all rivers, lakes, bays, and estuaries in the region.
The training will include a discussion of 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 Lavaca and Navidad Rivers are important water resources,” said Sylvia Balentine, director of environmental services for the Lavaca-Navidad River Authority and adminstrator of the river authority’s Texas Clean Rivers Program. “The Navidad is an important source of water for municipal and industrial supply, and both the Navidad and the Lavaca are treasured natural resources of the State of Texas for such activities as fishing and for essential wildlife habitat.”
Balentine said she wants to encourage local residents and other stakeholders to attend the workshop in order to gain more information about water quality improvement and protection.
Along with the training, participants receive a copy of the Texas Watershed Steward Handbook and a certificate of completion. The program offers four continuing education units in soil and water management for certified crop advisors, four units for professional engineers and certified planners, and four credits for certified teachers. It also offers three general continuing education units for Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide license holders, four 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,” McGuill said.
For more information, go to http://tws.tamu.edu or contact McGuill at 361-575-4581, pjmcguill@ag.tamu.edu, or Galen Roberts at 979-862-8070, groberts@ag.tamu.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 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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