Partnership announces watershed protection plan comment period

March 22, 2012

By: Paul Schattenberg, 210-467-6575, paschattenberg@ag.tamu.edu

SEGUIN/NEW BRAUNFELS — The Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority and Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board have announced the opening of the formal comment period for the draft Geronimo and Alligator Creeks Watershed Protection Plan.

Public comment on the draft plan will be April 1-30, said partnership participants.

To facilitate comment, project representative Ward Ling, an AgriLife Extension program specialist, will be available from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. on April 23 at the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority Annex, 905 Nolan Street in Seguin.

Ling also will be available during the same time period on April 24 at Landa Haus, located inside Landa Park in New Braunfels.

“People may stop by either of these locations and ask questions or provide comment to me during these times,” Ling said. “Otherwise, comments may be emailed to me during the month of April at wling@ag.tamu.edu.”

Ling said public comments during this period may also be mailed to: 2474 TAMU, Texas A&M University, 370 Olsen Blvd., 354C Heep Center, College Station, Texas 77843-2474.

Geronimo Creek and its tributary, Alligator Creek, which flow through Comal and Guadalupe counties, were identified for watershed protection plan development due to concerns about high levels of nitrogen and elevated levels of bacteria, as reported in the Texas Water Quality Inventory, published by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

“Thanks to the partnership’s participation and the involvement of area residents and other stakeholders, we now have a draft watershed protection plan for these important watersheds,” Ling said. A copy of the draft plan is available for download from the project Web page at http://www.geronimocreek.org/Plan.aspx, along with other project-specific information.

“We want to allow stakeholders the opportunity to comment on the plan so we can ensure that it accurately reflects their ideas and vision for improving and protecting water quality in the creeks,” said Debbie Magin, director of water quality services at the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority. “Once this is accomplished, we will move forward with its implementation.”

Magin said as development and population growth in the region surrounding Geronimo and Alligator creeks continues and urban land use increases, the need for improved water quality is also increasing.

A Clean Water Act nonpoint source grant was provided to the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to facilitate the development of the watershed protection plan.

Other key area partners supporting watershed protection efforts include Comal and Guadalupe counties, the cities of Seguin and New Braunfels, New Braunfels Utilities and the Comal-Guadalupe Soil and Water Conservation District.

For more information on the meeting, contact Ling at 979-845-6980 or wling@ag.tamu.edu or Magin at 830-379-5822 or dmagin@gbra.org.

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