The Texas Water Resources Institute, TWRI, is hosting a meeting for anyone interested in becoming involved in a partnership to improve and protect the Lower Medina River watershed. The meeting will be on Oct. 19 at 2 p.m. at the St. Louis Braden Keller Community Center, 1410 Amelia St., in Castroville.
Jason Gerlich, TWRI research specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Research in College Station, said the meeting is the first in a series of meetings with watershed stakeholders on developing strategies needed to address water quality impairments in the watershed.
Impairment in the Lower Medina River
“The state currently designates the Lower Medina River as impaired because of elevated bacteria concentrations,” he said. “There are also nutrient concerns present in the watershed as well. The watershed plan can begin to address both the impairment and concerns.”
TWRI is part of AgriLife Research, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University.
Gerlich said the initial meeting will provide an introduction to the stakeholder process and an overview of the watershed planning process. There will be presentations of current water quality data, as well as an overview of point and non-point pollution sources for the different impairments.
“We will explain the watershed-based planning process to address these water quality concerns and the proposed timeline for developing a plan,” he said.
Stakeholder engagement spurs change
Gerlich said interested stakeholders should become part of the planning process.
“We’re encouraging citizens of the region to attend this meeting. Their input is essential for identifying land and water issues. It also helps ensure that appropriate and desirable management measures are included in the watershed-based plan,” he said.
The institute is coordinating this project along with the San Antonio River Authority, with the goal of collaborating with local stakeholders to develop a plan to address the water quality issues. Funding for this effort is provided through a federal Clean Water Act Section 319(h) grant, administered by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, from the U.S Environmental Protection Agency.
For more information, contact Gerlich at jason.gerlich@ag.tamu.edu or Patricia Carvajal with San Antonio River Authority at pmcarvajal@sara-tx.org. Read more about the watershed at medina.twri.tamu.edu.
