NEW BRAUNFELS — The first Geronimo and Alligator Creeks Clean-up Event, coordinated by the Geronimo and Alligator Creeks Partnership as part of implementation efforts for the area’s watershed protection plan, is scheduled for April 6.
Those interested in participating may register by contacting Ward Ling, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program specialist in College Station, at 979-845-6980 or wling@ag.tamu.edu.
Participants will meet at the Navarro High School parking lot and New Braunfels Airport parking lot at 9 a.m. for a light breakfast, safety briefing and event instructions. Bags, certificates and a limited supply of gloves and pick-up tools will be available.
“The partnership and public involvement led to the idea for this event, and we want to involve the community in the clean-up day,” said Debbie Magin, director of water quality services for the Guadalupe Blanco River Authority. “The city of New Braunfels is donating large disposal containers to collect the trash and is providing disposal free of charge for the event.”
Geronimo Creek and its Alligator Creek tributary 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.
The Geronimo and Alligator Creeks Watershed Protection Plan was developed by local stakeholders and outlines strategies to restore and protect water quality. Quarterly meetings are held to discuss progress and plan activities, and all citizens are encouraged to attend and get involved in the effort. For more information, go to http://www.geronimocreek.org/.
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.
Other key area partners supporting watershed protection efforts include Comal and Guadalupe counties, the cities of Seguin and New Braunfels, New Braunfels Utilities and the Comal-Guadalupe Soil and Water Conservation District.
For more information on the clean-up event, contact Ling or Magin at 830-379-5822 or dmagin@gbra.org.
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