New Waves September 2009
Texas Water Resources Institute’s E-Newsletter
Breaking news about water resources research and education at Texas universities
- Engineer: Aggie Irrigation Catch Can best in the world
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Texas AgriLife Extension Service engineers claim they have the best-designed irrigation catch can in the world: The Aggie Catch Can.
- River Systems Institute to host Land, Water, People conference
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As part of its annual conference series and its Initiative for Watershed Excellence program, the River Systems Institute will host Land, Water, People 2009 on Nov. 16-18 at the San Marcos Conference Center.
- Texas A&M School of Irrigation to hold upcoming short courses
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The Texas A&M School of Irrigation will host several irrigation training short courses in upcoming months. Topics include drip irrigation, irrigation management of commercial landscapes, landscape irrigation auditing and management, and “Smart” irrigation. To view the entire course schedule, visit the Texas A&M School of Irrigation Web site. Continuing education credit hours are available for each course.
- October meetings to address water quality in Geronimo and Alligator Creeks
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Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority and Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board are inviting area residents to partner with them in addressing water quality issues in Geronimo and Alligator Creek watersheds. The groups will hold two meetings to facilitate the public involvement in developing and implementing a water quality protection plan for these watersheds, said Nikki Dictson, AgriLife Extension water quality program specialist.
- NMSU hosts acequia hydrology symposium, tour in Santa Fe
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New Mexico State University (NMSU) and the Rio Grande Basin Initiative will host the first Acequia Hydrology Symposium on Oct. 21 at the Santa Fe County Fair Building to report the results of research on the hydrology of traditional acequia irrigation systems. Presentations will address both technical and socio-cultural aspects of acequias along the Rio Grande.
“The main thing the research has shown is that acequias seem to have a lot of value for New Mexico operating the way they have for decades,” said Sam Fernald, NMSU associate professor of watershed management. “We’ve gathered the science behind it and are finding that the systems are good.”
The symposium will be from 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. on Oct. 21, at the Santa Fe County Fair Building, 3229 Rodeo Road, Santa Fe. The symposium registration fee is $15. A tour of local acequia systems will be from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. on Oct. 22. The tour fee is $70, and participants must register for it by Sept. 21.
For more information and to register, visit the Web site or contact Selina Trujillo at 505.852.4241.
- Committee to celebrate 20 years of protecting groundwater
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The Texas Groundwater Protection Committee (TGPC), created by the Texas Legislature in 1989, will celebrate its 20th anniversary at its Oct. 26 meeting in Austin.
- Stewart inducted into ARS Hall of Fame
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Dr. B.A. Stewart, director of West Texas A&M University’s Institute for Dryland Agriculture and distinguished professor of agriculture, was recently inducted into the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Science Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame represents the “best of the best” in agricultural research and is considered one of the most prestigious awards presented by ARS. Read the West Texas A&M news release here.
- Rainwater harvesting workshops to be offered in San Antonio
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The Texas AgriLife Extension Service and The Antique Rose Emporium will co-sponsor rainwater harvesting workshops in San Antonio on Oct. 26 and 27, at The Antique Rose Emporium, 7561 East Evans Rd.
- Nueces River Authority receives Gulf Guardian Award
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The Gulf of Mexico Program recently announced that the Nueces River Authority (NRA) will receive a third place Gulf Guardian Award for 2009 in the education category. The award ceremony will be Oct. 29 in Biloxi, Miss., in conjunction with the Oceans `09 International Conference.
- TWDB makes water use summaries available to the public
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The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) recently posted summaries of the state’s 2007 water use estimates per acre-foot for municipal and industrial entities. New to the 2007 figures is a pilot water use measure—an estimate of residential water use per capita for some of the state’s cities, according to Kevin Kluge, team leader of the Water Use Survey.
- New Publications/Papers and Training Courses
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An Analysis of the Economic and Financial Life-Cycle Costs of Reverse-Osmosis Desalination in South Texas: A Case Study of the Southmost Facility, and upcoming training course information.
