Water quality training May 24 in Ennis to focus on Richland-Chambers Reservoir watershed

Contacts: Michael Kuitu, 979-862-4457, mkuitu@tamu.edu    

Mark Arnold, 972-825-5175, wmarnold@ag.tamu.edu

Morgan Buob, 817-720-4419, morgan.buob@trwd.com

ENNIS – A Texas Watershed Steward workshop on water quality and management related to the Richland-Chambers Reservoir watershed will be from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. May 24.

The workshop will be at the Cowboy Church of Ennis, 429 N. Freeway Service Road,  Ennis. It will be presented by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board in coordination with the Tarrant Regional Water District.

Immediately following the workshop, a free lunch will be open to attendees who preregister by 5 p.m. May 22. All workshop attendees are also invited to participate in a stakeholder meeting after lunch.

“This workshop is designed to help watershed residents improve and protect their water resources by becoming involved in Richland-Chambers Reservoir water quality management activities,” said Michael Kuitu, AgriLife Extension program specialist and coordinator for the Texas Watershed Steward program, College Station.

Participants are encouraged to preregister at the Texas Watershed Steward website at http://tws.tamu.edu.

A discussion on watershed systems, types and sources of water pollution, and ways to improve and protect water quality will be included in the program. There also will be a group discussion on community-driven watershed protection and management.

“The workshop will include an overview of water quality and watershed management in Texas but will focus primarily on local water quality initiatives, including current efforts to help improve and protect Richland-Chambers Reservoir,” said Mark Arnold, AgriLife Extension agent for Ellis County. “It will address local water resources but will be applicable to all waters in the region.”

“Lakes can be susceptible to the negative effects of nonpoint source pollution, such as runoff containing sediment, nutrients, and bacteria,” said Morgan Buob, education and outreach coordinator for the TRWD. “To address nonpoint source pollution, a watershed protection plan for Richland-Chambers Reservoir will be developed through a stakeholder-driven process.”

Attendees will receive a copy of the Texas Watershed Steward Handbook and a certificate of completion. The Texas Watershed Steward program offers four continuing education units in soil and water management for certified crop advisers, four units for professional engineers and certified planners, four credits for certified teachers and two credits for nutrient management specialists. A total of four professional development hours are available for professional geoscientists.

In addition, three general continuing education units are offered for Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide license holders, and four for certified landscape architects. Four continuing education credits are provided to certified floodplain managers. Four continuing education credits are also offered for each of the following Texas Commission on Environmental Quality occupational licensees: wastewater system operators, public water system operators, on-site sewage facility installers and landscape irrigators.

“Participating in the Texas Watershed Steward program is a great opportunity to get involved and make a difference in your watershed,” Arnold said.

The Texas Watershed Steward program is funded through a Clean Water Act nonpoint source grant from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

For more information on the Texas Watershed Steward program and to preregister, go to the TWS website or contact Kuitu at 979-862-4457, mkuitu@tamu.edu; or Arnold at 972-825-5175, wmarnold@ag.tamu.edu.  

For information on the Richland-Chambers Reservoir watershed protection plan, go to https://goo.gl/5ztTp3 or contact Buob at 817-720-4419, morgan.buob@trwd.com.

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