Archive for 2005

Mexico Transfers Water to U.S.

New issues arise after partial water debt is paid
By Raul L. Garcia
Mexico released 210,785 acre-feet of water to Texas into Amistad International Reservoir on Saturday, March 19, 2005, to alleviate its sizable water debt to the U.S. arising from international treaty requirements. This delivery is an addition to the 56,750 acre-feet of water Mexico transferred [...]

September 1st, 2005 | Posted in Uncategorized
The Future of Desalination in Texas

Brine can transform water supplies in Texas communities
By Amanda Crawford
As Texas’ population grows, the ever-present threat of water shortages looms. However, technology is also advancing, providing possible solutions for water deficiencies. One such solution is desalination–a cost-effective method of producing potable and useable water from existing saltwater resources.
While desalination use has advanced along the Texas [...]

September 1st, 2005 | Posted in Uncategorized
Pond Scum

Researchers prepare a plan to use Riverside Campus ponds
By Amanda Crawford
Eight years ago, 10 ponds were built on the Texas A&M University Riverside Campus. But the agricultural program for which these ponds were intended moved away from that campus and the ponds were neither used nor maintained. Thomas DeWitt, assistant professor of ecological genetics with [...]

September 1st, 2005 | Posted in Uncategorized
Sediment Setback

Fort Hood’s sediment and erosion cause problems for the base
By Amanda Crawford
Since 1942, Fort Hood has been home to the U.S. Army’s III Mobile Armored Corps. It is the only U.S. military post able to station and train two armored divisions at once. At this base, troops execute weapons qualification tasks and tank gunnery training [...]

September 1st, 2005 | Posted in Uncategorized
Supporting Student Research

The Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) will fund 10 graduate student research projects for 2005-06 conducted by graduate students and researchers at Texas A&M University, Rice University, Texas A&M University Kingsville, Baylor, and the University of Texas at Austin.
Funded by TWRI through the U.S. Geological Survey as part of the National Institutes for Water Research [...]

September 1st, 2005 | Posted in Uncategorized
The Sky is Falling

Using cloud-seeding technology to produce rain
By Amanda Crawford
Because drought and water shortages are ever-present threats, many Texas Water Districts have constructed alternate methods of preserving, and now producing water. Cloud-seeding is one such solution.
Cloud-seeding introduces foreign particles into an unproductive cloud, enhancing the formation of water droplets. In simpler terms, it is a way to [...]

September 1st, 2005 | Posted in Uncategorized
Rainwater Harvesting

An Underutilized Conservation Project
By Amanda Crawford
Rainwater harvesting, a water collection practice used throughout the world for over 4,000 years, gives consumers access to an additional water source on their property. The collected rainwater is often used for landscape irrigation, but, with proper treatment, it can be used for drinking water.
Most people do not take advantage [...]

September 1st, 2005 | Posted in Uncategorized
Improving Stormwater Quality

By Raul L. Garcia
The City of Houston, Harris County, the Harris County Flood Control District and the Texas Department of Transportation have teamed up through a Joint Task Force (JTF) to address Houston’s stormwater pollution prevention efforts and requirements of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) stormwater permit program.
Background:
In 1998, the Environmental Protection Agency [...]

September 1st, 2005 | Posted in Uncategorized
TWRI Welcomes New Faces

By Danielle Supercinski, August 2005
Kevin Wagner joined the Texas Water Resources Institute in July 2005 as a project manager in charge of directing 319 projects funded by the Environmental Protection Agency through the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. He oversees the development of project research and educational [...]

August 17th, 2005 | Posted in Uncategorized
Reclaimed Wastewater: An Idea that Could Soak in

Aug. 9, 2005
Writer: Kathleen Phillips, (979) 845-2872, ka-phillips@tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. George Di Giovanni, (915) 859-9111, gdigiovanni@ag.tamu.edu
Dr. Naomi Assadian, (915) 859-1908, n-assadian@tamu.edu
EL PASO – As water becomes ever more scarce, quenching thirsty crops with wastewater may be OK if done right, researchers here say.
“Managing reclaimed water by pretreating before using it to irrigate, monitoring for viruses, choosing [...]

August 9th, 2005 | Posted in Uncategorized
Water: Researchers Seek Ways to Make the Most of a Limited Resource

Aug. 4, 2005
Writer: Linda Anderson, (979) 862-1460, lw-anderson@tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Zhuping Sheng, (915) 859-9111, Z-sheng@tamu.edu
Joshua Villalobos, (915) 859-9111, jvillalobos@ag.tamu.edu
EL PASO – Mild winters, low humidity, lots of room, cultural diversity, higher education opportunities and a lively economy – El Paso has a lot to offer.
But one thing it doesn’t have is a lot of water.
Enter [...]

August 4th, 2005 | Posted in Uncategorized
Rangeland Repair

Using agricultural practices to preserve Fort Hood
By Edith Chenault, Spring 2005
Birds chirp in the chilly autumn morning as the sun warms the top of the hill. Rustling in the wind, the showy red and orange leaves of the red oak trees kindle the deep greens of the cedars. The sky is a brilliant blue, with [...]

May 4th, 2005 | Posted in Uncategorized
Communicating Outcomes

Collaboration leads to water conservation
By Danielle Supercinski, May 2005
Sunny skies and cool weather greeted project participants as they arrived at the fourth annual Rio Grande Basin Initiatives (RGBI) Conference, April 12-14, 2005, in Alpine, Texas. It was a productive week that provided numerous discussions on local water issues, agency reports, Task Group breakout sessions and [...]

May 3rd, 2005 | Posted in Uncategorized
CroPMan Programs Aid Growers

Computer models help growers irrigate crops efficiently
By Danielle Supercinski, May 2005
For more information regarding this subject, contact:
Tom Gerik
Crop simulation models have been developed and used by the research community to simulate the impact that cropping practices have on yield and natural resources—soil, water and air.
Many models are only designed to simulate the growth of specific [...]

May 2nd, 2005 | Posted in Uncategorized
Students Try on New “Hat”

Water well screening program provides efficient water for urban consumers and irrigation
By Jenna Smith, May 2005
For more information regarding this subject, contact:
Monty Dozier
Experts in the water science field are getting younger and younger. Nearly 200 high school and middle school students in El Paso County screened water samples for private well owners in the area.
Monty [...]

May 1st, 2005 | Posted in Uncategorized