SEGUIN — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced its acceptance of the Geronimo and Alligator Creeks Watershed Protection Plan, indicating the plan’s compliance with EPA guidance and likely effectiveness in addressing nonpoint source pollution in that watershed.
“We want to send out a special thanks to the area residents and stakeholders for their participation and involvement in developing a sound and workable plan,” said Debbie Magin, director of water quality services at the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority, Seguin.
Stakeholder partnership and public involvement led to the development of a “comprehensive, sustainable, voluntary and locally driven watershed protection plan,” said Ward Ling, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program specialist. “The goal is to improve and protect water quality in the creeks. To do that, we have been encouraging and will continue to encourage local residents to participate and get involved in the project.”
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.
The protection plan and other project materials can be found at http://www.geronimocreek.org/.
A Clean Water Act grant was provided to the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and EPA to facilitate the development of this watershed protection plan.
Other key area partners supporting Geronimo and Alligator creeks’ 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 plan, 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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