The Texas Water Resources Institute, TWRI, invites local residents, landowners, city and county officials, nonprofit partners, and stakeholders to a public meeting for the Medina River Below Medina Diversion Lake Watershed Protection Plan, WPP, Oct. 1 in Castroville.
The meeting will be 1-3 p.m. at the Braden Keller Community Center, 1410 Amelia St.
The meeting will provide updates on WPP implementation and ongoing efforts to improve and protect water quality throughout the Medina River watershed. Attendees will hear from watershed partners working on conservation, monitoring and community-based initiatives.
“Stakeholder involvement is essential to the success of the Watershed Protection Plan,” said Mary Michael Zahed, TWRI program specialist, San Antonio. “This meeting is an opportunity for community members to learn about current projects, hear the latest water quality updates and help guide future watershed protection efforts.”
Watershed meeting highlights
The agenda will include Caille Marshall, San Antonio River Authority aquatic biologist, who will provide an overview of recent water quality monitoring results and conditions within the Medina River below Diversion Lake watershed.
Kaitlin O’Brien-Friesenhahn, conservation easement program manager for The Nature Conservancy, will share updates on ongoing conservation initiatives and partnership efforts within the watershed.
In addition to project updates, stakeholders will participate in an interactive discussion focused on watershed priorities, ongoing activities and emerging concerns. During the meeting, participants will also have an opportunity to vote on the new Medina River Watershed Partnership logo, helping establish a visual identity for the partnership and its watershed protection efforts.
The meeting will conclude with a “For the Good of the Group” discussion, allowing stakeholders to share accomplishments, upcoming projects, concerns and other information relevant to the Medina River watershed.
“Our progress depends on strong partnerships and active community participation,” Zahed said. “Whether you’ve been involved since the beginning or are joining us for the first time, your input helps ensure we continue implementing locally supported solutions that protect the Medina River and its water resources.”
What is a watershed?
A common question is what a watershed is, Zahed said. A watershed is an area of land that drains or “sheds” water into a specific waterbody. All bodies of water have a watershed, and every person lives in a watershed.
Residents in the region can visit medina.twri.tamu.edu and use the watershed boundary map to find out if they live in the Medina River Below Diversion Lake Watershed. Even if they live outside the boundary, anyone interested in supporting the health and water quality of the Medina River is considered a stakeholder and is welcome to participate.
Funding for this effort is provided through a federal Clean Water Act Section 319(h) grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, administered by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board.
TWRI is a unit of Texas A&M AgriLife Research that brings together expertise from across The Texas A&M University System.
For more information, contact Zahed at mary.lipfordzahed@ag.tamu.edu or 979-314-8092.
