The Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) is hosting a Jan. 18 meeting for anyone interested in becoming involved in a partnership to improve and protect the mid and lower Cibolo Creek watershed.
The meeting will be at 6 p.m. at the Grace Bible Church, 390 Farm-to-Market 1346 S. in La Vernia.
Clare Entwistle, a TWRI research associate in San Antonio, said the meeting is one in a series of meetings with stakeholders on developing strategies needed to address water quality impairments in the watershed.
“Portions of the mid and lower Cibolo Creek are currently designated by the state as impaired because of elevated bacteria concentrations and low dissolved oxygen concentrations,” she said.
TWRI is coordinating a project with the San Antonio River Authority to work with local stakeholders to develop a plan to address the water quality issues.
Entwistle said the meeting will focus on discussing outcomes from the October workgroup meetings and presenting water quality models performed to assess potential sources of pollution.
“The models were generated based on stakeholder input collected at our three topical workgroups: agriculture and wildlife, urban and stormwater, and centralized wastewater,” she said.
Entwistle said current water quality data and any new watershed characterization developments will also be presented.
Entwistle encourages interested stakeholders to attend the general meetings and to become part of the planning process.
“Even if someone was not able to attend the previous meetings, we are still urging citizens in the region to attend this meeting as their input is essential for identifying land and water issues and ensuring that appropriate and desirable management measures are included in the watershed-based plan,” she said.
This effort is funded through a nonpoint source grant from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board.
For more information, please visit the project website or contact Entwistle or Patricia Carvajal with the San Antonio River Authority.