Contacts: Clare Entwistle, 210-277-0292, ext. 205, clare.entwistle@ag.tamu.edu
Patricia Carvajal, 210-302-3672, pmcarvajal@sara-tx.org
LA VERNIA – The Texas Water Resources Institute, or TWRI, is hosting a meeting for anyone interested in becoming involved in a partnership to improve and protect the mid and lower Cibolo Creek watershed.
The meeting will be at 6 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Grace Bible Church, 390 Farm-to-Market Road 1346 in La Vernia.
Clare Entwistle, a TWRI research associate in San Antonio, said the meeting is one in a series of meetings with stakeholders on developing strategies needed to address water quality impairments in the watershed.
“Portions of the mid and lower portions of Cibolo Creek are currently designated by the state as impaired because of elevated bacteria concentrations and low dissolved oxygen concentrations,” she said.
The institute is coordinating a project with the San Antonio River Authority to work with local stakeholders to develop a plan to address the water quality issues.
Entwistle said the meeting will focus on reviewing the first few chapters of the watershed protection plan as well as discussion of management measures and needed load reductions for Cibolo Creek.
“Possible management strategies to address the watershed’s water quality were discussed at our spring workgroup meetings, and we will continue the conversation at this meeting,” she said. “We will also talk about the reductions in bacteria that we need to achieve to reach our water quality goals.”
Entwistle said current water quality data and any new watershed characterization developments will also be presented.
“We encourage interested stakeholders to attend the general meetings and to become part of the planning process,” she said. “Even if someone was not able to attend the previous meetings, we are still urging citizens of the region to attend this meeting as their input is essential for identifying land and water issues and ensuring that appropriate and desirable management measures are included in the watershed-based plan.”
This effort is funded through a nonpoint source grant from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board.
For more information, visit the project website at: http://Cibolo.tamu.edu or contact Entwistle at clare.entwistle@ag.tamu.edu or Patricia Carvajal with San Antonio River Authority at pmcarvajal@sara-tx.org.
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