Texas Water Resources Institute

Archive for October 2004

Meeting Water Quality Standards in Buck Creek

By Jenna Smith
Originating from saltwater seeps and springs in the Texas Panhandle, beautiful Buck Creek flows through Donley, Childress, and Collingsworth counties in the Red River Basin of Texas. Buck Creek is a subwatershed of the Lower Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River. The watershed is almost exclusively comprised of agricultural cropland and [...]

October 1st, 2004 | Posted in Uncategorized
Texas Groundwater 2004

Towards Sustainability
The concern for Texas’ groundwater supplies has caused our state legislature to consider making significant changes in groundwater law. As a Texan, it is important for you to understand the potential new laws surrounding this viable water source in our state. As a service to you, a 3-day groundwater conference entitled Texas Groundwater 2004 [...]

October 1st, 2004 | Posted in Uncategorized
Subsurface Drip Irrigation Reaching New Depths

By Kellie Potucek
A growing number of ranches bordering urban cities in Texas are being sold off as suburbanized “ranchettes,” and new owners are asking how they can maximize the use of their land. Many owners desire to raise livestock for 4-H or recreational purposes, but do not have the time or labor to manage grazing [...]

October 1st, 2004 | Posted in Uncategorized
Dairy Manure Compost in Action

By Jenna Smith
Counties throughout the Bosque and Leon River Watersheds have a firsthand opportunity to view the benefits of dairy manure compost. By utilizing nutrient-rich dairy compost on lawns and athletic fields, county residents have learned that using compost as a soil amendment is a viable alternative to traditional inputs and benefits their local environment [...]

October 1st, 2004 | Posted in Uncategorized
Standardizing Secondary Wastewater Treatment

Subsurface Flow Constructed Wetlands
By Kellie Potucek
As the population in Texas’ rural and suburban regions rapidly increases, there is an escalating need for permitted onsite wastewater treatment systems. In order to qualify for a permit, stringent standards must be met to guarantee the quality of water released from a system.
In loamy soil areas, conventional treatment of [...]

October 1st, 2004 | Posted in Uncategorized
New Technologies Aim to Remove Excess Phosphorus

By Jenna Smith, October 2004
Dairies within the Bosque and Leon River Watersheds will soon have the opportunity to participate in a program directed to assess a variety of technologies, which can decrease the level of phosphorus in dairy manure and process-generated wastewater.
Current dairy waste management systems utilize lagoons, which store and treat process water and [...]

October 1st, 2004 | Posted in Uncategorized
A Balancing Act

Freshwater Flow to Estuaries
By Kellie Potucek
Both humans and animals benefit from the many functions of tidal wetlands located in estuaries. One illustration of their importance lies in the marshes’ ability to improve water quality. Marshes trap suspended sediment and help alleviate flooding problems associated with rainstorms. Furthermore, as sources of food and habitat, the wetlands [...]

October 1st, 2004 | Posted in Uncategorized