The Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI), the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB) are hosting two public meetings Dec. 8 for anyone interested in improving and protecting water quality in the Navasota River and its watershed downstream of Lake Limestone.
Meeting times and locations are:
- 10 a.m.-noon, Carters Creek Wastewater Treatment Facility Training Room, 2200 N. Forest Parkway, College Station. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m.
- 6:30-8:30 p.m., Pridgeon Community Center’s Franklin Room, 351 Cooks Lane, Franklin. Registration begins at 6 p.m.
Landowners, homeowners, business owners, concerned citizens and city and county officials are invited to attend either meeting, said Dr. Lucas Gregory, TWRI research scientist.
“At the meetings, an overview of the draft Navasota River Watershed Protection Plan will be provided and we will discuss its contents,” Gregory said.
“The watershed protection plan was developed using feedback from watershed stakeholders regarding current bacteria loads, their sources and the necessary amount of bacteria reduction to meet water quality standards,” he said. “Management measures were developed using stakeholder feedback, and this meeting provides a chance for stakeholders to make further comments on the plan.”
TSSWCB has funded the Navasota River Watershed Protection Plan through a state nonpoint source grant.
“This is yet another opportunity for local landowner involvement in the watershed protection planning process,” said Dusty Tittle, AgriLife Extension agent for Brazos County. “This plan belongs to watershed stakeholders, and stakeholders should take the time to ensure that it says what they want it to.”
Edward Schneider, AgriLife Extension agent for Robertson County, said development of this watershed protection plan reflects the local initiative to voluntarily take care of local natural resources through effectively planned stewardship.
“These meetings provide a great opportunity to see the locally developed strategies to improve watershed health and water quality included in the draft watershed protection plan and provide comments on its contents,” he said.
Public comments on the draft Navasota Watershed Protection Plan will be received through Dec. 16. Interested individuals can download a copy of the draft plan at navasota.tamu.edu or request a hard copy by contacting Gregory at 979.845.7869 or LFGregory@ag.tamu.edu.
For more information, go to navasota.tamu.edu.
