The Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) is hosting a meeting April 5 in Victoria to discuss water quality in the Garcitas and Arenosa Creek watersheds and another meeting April 10 in Palacios to discuss implementation of the Tres Palacios Watershed Protection Plan.
The April 5 meeting will be at 1 p.m. at the Victoria County 4-H Activity Center, 259 Bachelor Drive in Victoria.
The April 10 meeting will be held at 1 p.m. at the Matagorda County Navigation District, 1602 Main St. in Palacios.
Dr. Allen Berthold, TWRI senior research scientist, said the Garcitas and Arenosa Creek meeting is the fourth in a series with local stakeholders to address water quality impairments in those watersheds.
“Bacteria concentration in Arenosa Creek currently exceeds the state water quality standard for recreation,” he said.
Berthold said TWRI, through a project it manages, is working with local landowners, agricultural producers, residents and other stakeholders to develop a plan comprised of strategies to reduce bacteria and other pollutants in local waterways.
“At the meeting, we will work with local stakeholders to identify effective and voluntary management measures for reducing bacteria loads in Arenosa Creek,” he said.
Michael Schramm, a TWRI research associate, said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently approved the Tres Palacios Watershed Protection Plan.
“We are now working with local stakeholders to assist in implementing management measures identified in the plan to reduce bacteria and nutrient loads reaching the creek,” Schramm said.
Schramm said the Tres Palacios was classified as impaired by the state of Texas due to excessive bacteria and low dissolved oxygen.
“However, local stakeholders worked extensively to develop a plan that identifies voluntary management actions that will gradually improve water quality,” he said.
For more information, read the AgriLife Today articles on the Arenosa/Garsitas meeting and the Tres Palacios meeting, or contact Schramm or Berthold.
The Tres Palacios meeting is funded by a Texas Coastal Management Program Grant approved by the Texas Land Commissioner pursuant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Award No. NA17NOS4190139.
