About 200 volunteers collect a half-ton of debris
SEGUIN — Volunteers removed a half-ton of trash and debris from the Geronimo and Alligator creeks watershed area during the recent fourth annual cleanup, event coordinators said.
The event was coordinated by the Geronimo and Alligator Creeks Partnership, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority.
“This was part of implementation efforts for the area’s watershed protection plan,” said Ward Ling, AgriLife Extension specialist in College Station and coordinator for the Geronimo and Alligator Creeks watershed.
About 200 volunteers met for breakfast tacos, safety briefings and cleanup instructions. Event t-shirts, trash bags, gloves, pick-up tools and other supplies were made available to those participating in the cleanup.
Members of the Guadalupe Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalist program provided information to volunteers about water quality issues in the creeks. They also offered safety information, such as helping volunteers identify areas where poison ivy was likely to be found.
“This year’s cleanup was well supported by the community,” said Mike Urrutia, the river authority’s director of water quality services. “Local groups came together to support the event through their financial donations and time, and formed volunteer teams. People came out to pick up trash along roadways that drain to the creeks, as well as along creek banks. Everyone had a good time.”
Ling said volunteers collected almost half a ton of trash along 17 miles of roadway and creek banks.
“That amounted to 175 bags of trash, four tires, several wooden pallets, mattresses and miscellaneous debris,” Ling said.
Progressive Waste Solutions and the City of New Braunfels donated disposal and recycling services for trash collected during the event. Event sponsors included Alamo Group, Becker’s Feed & Fertilizer, the City of New Braunfels, Continental Corporation, Corona Visions Electronic Recycling Inc, Crossroads Veterinary Hospital, Ehlers’ Tree Farm, Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority, Geronimo Creek Retreat, Guadalupe County Groundwater Conservation District, HEB, Parker’s Building Supply, Planet Fitness, Progressive Waste Solutions, Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church and Thrivent Financial.
“Due to the large number of volunteers who came out, we were able to clean more areas than ever before,” Ling said. “Volunteers covered 27 locations, such as along roads that cross Geronimo and Alligator creeks, and the large stormwater detention pond behind the Town Center at Creekside.”
Ling said he and other event coordinators appreciate the participation of Corona Visions Electronic Recycling again this year.
“Corona Visions set up a booth at Parker Lumber for receiving electronics to be recycled, and that was a helpful addition to event efforts,” he said. “We are already looking for ways to increase the volume of electronic waste for collection at next year’s event.”
Geronimo Creek and its tributary Alligator Creek flow through Comal and Guadalupe counties. Both were identified for watershed protection plan development due to elevated levels of bacteria and concerns about high levels of nitrogen, as reported in the Texas Water Quality Inventory published by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
A Clean Water Act grant was provided to the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to enable development of the watershed protection plan.
For more information on the project, contact Ling at 979-845-6980 or wling@ag.tamu.edu, Urrutia at 830-379-5822 or murrutia@gbra.org, or go to http://www.geronimocreek.org/.
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