Water quality training May 21 in Jasper will focus on lower Neches River

JASPER – A Texas Watershed Steward workshop on water quality related to the Neches River will be held from 1-5 p.m. May 21 in Jasper.

The workshop will be held at the Jasper County Courthouse Annex, 271 E. Lamar St. It will be presented by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board in cooperation with the Texas Water Resources Institute.

The workshop is free and open to anyone interested in improving water quality in the region.

“This workshop is designed to help watershed residents improve and protect their water resources by becoming involved in local watershed protection and 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 https://tws.tamu.edu.

“Various segments and tributaries of the Neches River are on the state list of impaired waters,” said Michael Schramm, TWRI research associate, College Station. “Therefore, we are inviting the public to not only learn about water quality management, but also how they may become involved, including implementing science-based best management practices in their homes and at their jobs.”

The workshop will include a discussion on watershed systems, types and sources of water pollution, and ways to improve and protect water quality. There also will be a group discussion on community-driven watershed protection and management.

“The workshop will provide an overview of water quality and watershed management in Texas with an emphasis on area water quality,” said Brock Fry, AgriLife Extension agent for Jasper County. “It will address issues related to local water resources but will be applicable to all waters in the region.”

Attendees of the workshop 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 advisors, professional engineers and certified planners, and certified teachers, as well as two credits for nutrient management specialists. Four professional development hours are also 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 as well as 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 local watershed,” Fry said.

Funding for this effort is provided through a federal Clean Water Act nonpoint source grant administered by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

For more information on the Texas Watershed Steward program and to preregister, go to the website or contact Kuitu at 979-862-4457, mkuitu@tamu.edu; or Fry at 409-384-3721, bafry@ag.tamu.edu.

For information on watershed protection efforts for the Neches River watershed, contact Schramm at 979-458-9191, michael.schramm@ag.tamu.edu.

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Contacts: Brock Fry, 409-384-3721, bafry@ag.tamu.edu

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

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