Category: 2014
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AgriLife Research study identifies contributing factors to groundwater table declines
It’s no secret that groundwater levels have declined across the state over the past eight decades and that the primary reason was the onset of irrigation in agriculture and population growth. But a recent Texas A&M AgriLife Research study has identified other factors having an impact. The groundwater declines have been most severe in the past four…
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New League City park demonstrates ways to be ‘WaterSmart’
With help from the Texas Sea Grant Program at Texas A&M University, the city of League City has transformed a public park into a showcase for the principles of WaterSmart landscapes: water conservation, water quality and habitat for wildlife. Texas Sea Grant’s Texas Coastal Watershed Program (TCWP), a partnership between Texas Sea Grant and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension…
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New partnership effort spurs voluntary conservation for lesser prairie-chicken and agriculture
Producers partnering with the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), working through the local soil and water conservation districts, have found a workable and economically viable solution that will continue to enhance and help protect the lesser prairie-chicken habitat. The new voluntary cooperative conservation effort is making history in Texas. Rancher Clay Cooper in Lipscomb County has signed the first…
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Buck Creek Watershed Protection Plan accepted by EPA
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has accepted the Buck Creek Watershed Protection Plan as meeting the agency’s guidelines for watershed-based plans and effectively outlining a strategy to reduce nonpoint source pollution in the watershed, according to a Texas Water Resources Institute official. “This acceptance comes after years of collaboration between local watershed landowners and stakeholders, local soil and water conservation districts,…
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Meet a scientist: Ralph Wurbs
When you hear the word “scientist,” most likely the image that comes to mind is of someone in a lab coat with test tubes and beakers. While this is true of some scientists, there are many others who do not fit that image. This is especially true of natural resource scientists. To showcase the diversity…
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Texas A&M researchers devise unprecedented test to detect water contamination
Imagine being able to test water for the tiniest levels of waste contamination, even at home. A team of researchers at Texas A&M University, led by Vladislav Yakovlev, professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, has developed a method to detect a previously undetectable level of contamination in water associated with human and animal fecal matter.…
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Texas A&M researcher measures water security in the Rio Grande Valley
A Texas A&M researcher has found that segments of the population, especially along the Texas-Mexico border, exist in a “no-win waterscape,” with no easy access to clean water, no ability to pay for it and no immediate solution. Dr. Wendy Jepson, an associate professor in the College of Geosciences, said the issue is a matter of…
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From our director: The state of the institutes
At the Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources (IRNR) and the Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI), we share a complementary mission. Our role is to advance the interdisciplinary approaches required to effectively address complex natural resource challenges. Since land and water activities are intrinsically linked, the Institutes collaborate on a wide range of issues.…
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Automated meter infrastructure project: How technology can reduce water usage
If people knew it cost around $20 extra at the end of the month to leave their water hose on overnight, they might be more conscious about making sure it’s off. At least that’s the idea that Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station are testing in…
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Keeping landscapes in shape: There’s an app for that
Many tools are available for turf managers to help monitor soil or weather conditions, diagnose turf problems or even take the guesswork out of selecting the best-suited grass type for the shade environment, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Research turf expert. Dr. Ben Wherley, an assistant professor for turfgrass science/ecology with AgriLife Research and…
