Institute to hold meeting on improving Carancahua Bay water quality

Contacts: Dr. Allen Berthold, 979-845-2028, taberthold@ag.tamu.edu

Michael Schramm, 979-458-9191, michael.schramm@ag.tamu.edu

LOLITA – The Texas Water Resources Institute, or TWRI, will host a meeting June 7 in Lolita for anyone interested in becoming involved in a partnership to improve and protect water quality in Carancahua Bay.

The free meeting will be at 1:30 p.m. at Lolita United Methodist Church, 94 College St..

TWRI is a unit of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M. The institute collaborates with all Texas A&M System units engaged in water resources research and outreach.

Michael Schramm, TWRI research associate in College Station, said local residents and stakeholders have been meeting  since August of last year to develop a watershed protection plan and total maximum daily load implementation plan to address water quality in Carancahua Bay.

“The final plan will identify the voluntary management measures local stakeholders can implement to reduce bacteria and nutrient runoff reaching Carancahua Bay,” he said.

Dr. Allen Berthold, TWRI research scientist in College Station, said recent meetings have identified the types of management measures local stakeholders are likely to use and how many are needed to reduce pollutant loads to meet water quality standards.

The two said the upcoming meeting will provide a brief review from previous meetings and focus on identifying the financial and technical resources needed to implement the plan.

“We’re encouraging all interested individuals to attend this meeting as their input is essential for identifying appropriate and desirable plans of action that will improve water quality in the region,” Schramm said.

For more information, visit the project website at http://matagordabasin.tamu.edu/carancahua-bay/ or contact Schramm at michael.schramm@ag.tamu.edu.