LA VERNIA – The Texas Water Resources Institute is hosting an April 4 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. at the Grace Bible Church, 390 Farm-to-Market Road 1346 South in La Vernia.
Cibolo Creek. (Texas Water Resources Institute photo)
Clare Entwistle, research associate with the institute in San Antonio, said this is one in a series of meetings with stakeholders to develop strategies needed to address water quality impairments in the watershed.
“Portions of the mid and lower 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.
The meeting will focus on reviewing the watershed protection plan as well as a discussion of management measures and an implementation schedule for practices discussed in the plan.
“Possible management strategies to address the watershed’s water quality were discussed at our fall meeting, and we will finalize the measures and discuss an implementation schedule,” Entwistle said. “We will also review the draft watershed protection plan and illicit stakeholder input. Current water quality data and any new watershed characterization developments will also be presented.”
Entwistle encouraged interested stakeholders to attend the general meetings and to become part of the planning process.
“Even if someone was not able to attend the previous meetings, we are still urging area residents to attend this meeting as their input is essential for identifying land and water issues and ensuring appropriate and desirable management measures are included in the plan,” she said.
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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Contact: Clare Entwistle, 210-277-0292, ext. 205, clare.entwistle@ag.tamu.edu
Patricia Carvajal, 210-302-3672, pmcarvajal@sara-tx.org
