2017 Technical Reports

Authors: L. Gregory, E. Rhodes, K. Wagner, B. Jonescu, K. Young

Conservation practices are commonly used to conserve natural resources and improve production in working lands; however, many benefits of these practices are not well defined. This project implemented water quality monitoring at various scales to document the effects of conservation practices implemented by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. The Lake O’ The Pines watershed in North East Texas was selected as an implementation area for the National Water Quality Initiative which provided additional funding for conservation activities. Through this program, conservation practices for working forest lands, grazing lands and poultry operations were implemented. Monitoring was conducted to quantify the water quality benefits of these practices compared to non-treated controls. Generally, significant differences in water quality occurred between treatment and control plots with most treated areas exhibiting better water quality.

Authors: J. Flores, K. Wagner, L. Gregory, J. A. Benavides, T. Cawthon

This document is a comprehensive update to the original Arroyo Colorado Watershed Protection Plan and was written to contain
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) nine minimum elements of watershed plans. The long-term goal of the watershed protection plan is to achieve state water quality standards in the Arroyo Colorado by lowering pollutant loadings, enhancing streamflow and aeration, and restoring aquatic and riparian habitat through voluntary measures and existing regulatory controls.

Authors: K. Wagner, N. Dictson, C. Entwistle

Watershed planning remains a high priority to address the more than 568 impaired water body segments in Texas. To ensure that watershed protection efforts are adequately planned, coordinated and implemented, proper training of watershed coordinators and water professionals is necessary. The Delivery of a Watershed Coordinator Development Program or Texas Watershed Planning Short Course (WPSC) project provides this training and is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB).

Authors: B. Jonescu, S. Muela, K. Peddicord, A. Berthold

The Little River, San Gabriel River, and Big Elm Creek watershed is a rural watershed that is impaired for E. coli within the Texas Water Quality Inventory and 303(d) List. Along with many watersheds throughout the state, data is limited and has not been assessed to determine potential sources of pollution or factors that have led to the impairment of the waterbody. To address this need, a geographic information system (GIS) inventory of the watershed was developed and integrated numerous existing information resources into a single location. GIS allows for illustration of many features in a watershed, including waterbodies, roadways, land use and permitted point-source discharges. The data from this inventory will be used in future characterizations of the water body and will be used in watershed-based plans in the future.

Authors: K. Wagner, R. Pampell, D. Harmel

The U.S. Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) initiated this project with funding from the TSSWCB to evaluate an alternative manure treatment system, a vegetated treatment area (VTA), to treat runoff and wash water from small pork production facilities. This evaluation was designed to provide the scientific basis for considering this system for inclusion as an approved practice in the WQMP Program.

The demonstration and evaluation of the VTA system was initiated at three small pork production facilities in Bell, Brazos, and Robertson Counties. Water quality monitoring stations were established at: 1) adjacent control sites, 2) below pens and barns to quantify water quality leaving the facility prior to treatment in the VTA, and 3) at the VTA outlet to quantify effectiveness of the VTA in treating runoff. Runoff volume and event mean concentrations for E. coli, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) were determined for each rainfall runoff event. Soil sampling was also conducted to assess nutrient accumulation and movement within the VTAs.

This 4-year evaluation found that VTAs reduced runoff volume by up to 29%, total N concentrations 47-76%, total P concentrations 65-88%, and E. coli concentrations 34-93%. Additionally, nutrient loads were reduced by 32-92%, and E. coli loads were reduced by 29-94%. Despite these reductions, with the exception of Robertson County, runoff from the VTAs had higher concentrations than control sites. This is attributed to alternative management of solids (i.e. solids removal) and enclosed barn pens used at the Robertson County site.

Based on evaluation results, VTAs were found to be a practical, environmentally-friendly waste management alternative for reducing nutrient and bacteria concentrations and loading from small pork production operations if proper consideration is given to design and management factors (e.g., solids management, perennial grass cover and subsequent haying and removal, and nutrient loads/VTA area).

Authors:

The demonstration and evaluation of the VTA system was initiated at three small pork production facilities in Bell, Brazos, and Robertson Counties. Water quality monitoring stations were established at: 1) adjacent control sites, 2) below pens and barns to quantify water quality leaving the facility prior to treatment in the VTA, and 3) at the VTA outlet to quantify effectiveness of the VTA in treating runoff. Runoff volume and event mean concentrations for E. coli, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) were determined for each rainfall runoff event. Soil sampling was also conducted to assess nutrient accumulation and movement within the VTAs.

Authors: A. James, B. Hays, K. Wagner

A watershed protection plan (WPP) for the Leon River below Proctor Lake and above Belton Lake was completed in 2011 and received final approval from the EPA in 2015. A full-time watershed coordinator position was considered critical in initiating and carrying out the implementation process by the watershed steering committee. The watershed coordinator has provided technical assistance to stakeholders, acquired additional funding for implementation strategies, coordinated outreach and education efforts, and assessed the most up to date water quality data to identify if implementation efforts have been successful. Over the last two years the watershed coordinator has acquired $137,500 in grant funds and submitted proposals for an additional $723,174 that could be awarded in the next few months directly related to implementation efforts of the Leon River WPP. Education and Outreach efforts over the last two years included 24 workshops, field days, and presentations that reached more than 1,500 individuals. Implementation efforts have proven successful with four stream segments, including the South Leon, being delisted in the latest integrated report published by TCEQ.

Authors: D. Boellstorff, D. Gholson, D. Kalisek, J.W. Smith, R. Gerlich, K. Wagner A. Jantrania, T. Miller

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service (AgriLife Extension), through the Departments of Soil and Crop Sciences (SCSC) and Biological and Agricultural Engineering (BAEN) and the Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI), conducted 30 well owner trainings and 25 well owner screenings throughout the state of Texas through the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB) project 13-08 “Statewide Delivery of the Texas Well Owner Network” funded through a Clean Water Act 319(h) nonpoint source grant from the TSSWCB and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Private well owners are independently responsible for monitoring the quality of their well water, and they are frequently at greater risk for exposure to compromised water quality. Since management and protection of private, domestic and irrigation water sources are under the control of the landowner, they depend primarily on education rather than regulation to protect their well water.

To help educate landowners about well water quality testing, protection and management, TWRI, SCSC and BAEN, parts of AgriLife Extension at Texas A&M University, developed the Texas Well Owner Network (TWON) with funding and support from TSSWCB and EPA. TWON was designed to deliver science-based, community-responsive education curriculum and focused on protecting groundwater quality and aquifer integrity.

TWON trained Texans regarding water quality and best management practices for protecting wells and surface waters, which will avert off-site transport of contaminants (bacteria and nutrients) to surface waters, prevent contamination of underlying aquifers and safeguard the water quality and health of landowners and their families.

TWON is also an effective tool used in support of watershed protection planning and total maximum daily load implementation efforts where investigations indicate bacterial and nutrient contributions.

This was achieved by (1) delivery of TWON educational materials and trainings; and (2) evaluation and assessment of the program so needed modifications and improvements could be made.This project continued the work originally conducted under the Preventing Water Quality Contamination through the Texas Well Owner Network project #10-04.

Authors: L. Gregory, K. Lazar, A. Gitter

The Navasota River watershed is located in East-Central Texas in the Brazos River basin. Lake Limestone impounds the River causing a hydrological divide in the watershed. The majority of the watershed is rural and urbanization is largely confined to the Bryan/College Station area in Brazos County. Land use/land cover in the watershed is dominated by hay/pasture land and hardwood forests. Watershed characteristics and good land management yield a productive watershed that supports abundant livestock and wildlife.

The Navasota River and several tributaries were first listed as impaired on the 2002Texas Integrated Report (Texas 303(d) List)for elevated E. coli concentrations. Low dissolved oxygen (DO) in Duck Creek also resulted in a water quality impairment. Additionally, concerns for elevated nutrients and chlorophyll-a, and depressed DO also exist in several locations. These impairments and concerns signify the need to improve water quality and protect the resource for future uses and users.

To address this need, watershed stakeholders were organized to development the Navasota River Below Lake Limestone Watershed Protection Plan. Through this process, impairment causes and sources were identified and evaluated allowing stakeholders to make informed decisions regarding management recommendations to mitigate source contributions in a cost-effective manner. E. coli comes from numerous sources in the watershed; however, stakeholders recommended management strategies for five sources that can be feasibly managed. These include feral hogs, humans, livestock, pets, and stormwater.

Recommended management measures focus on preventing E. coli from entering waterbodies by retaining it on the landscape or removing it from the watershed. For livestock, this includes practices to modify where cattle are located in the watershed such as cross fencing to improve grazing management, providing alternative water sources, and prescribed grazing. For feral hogs, this includes reducing food supplies and physically removing hogs from the watershed. Pet focused management relies on proper disposal of pet waste. Human E. coli loading in watershed comes from failing on-site sewage facilities (OSSFs) and malfunctions in wastewater conveyance systems. To address these issues, replacing failing OSSFs and routine wastewater line inspections were recommended. Education outreach and delivery to raise awareness about water quality and how local actions affect the watershed is also recommended.

This plan outlines recommended strategies that will reduce potential pollutant loading to the Navasota River and its tributaries when implemented. However, watershed conditions change over time. To account for this, the WPP is a living document that will evolve as needed through an adaptive management process. Ultimately, the Navasota River Watershed Protection Plan sets forth an approach to improve watershed resource stewardship that allows watershed stakeholders to continue relying on the watershed as their livelihood while also helping to restore the quality of its water resources.