A Texas Watershed Steward program related to the Eagle Mountain Watershed will be held Nov. 7 in Decatur. (Photo courtesy Texas Watershed Steward program)
A joint event, including a Texas Watershed Steward workshop and Eagle Mountain Watershed stakeholder meeting, will be held from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Nov.7 in Decatur.
The event will be at the Decatur Conference Center, 2010 U.S. Highway 380. It will present information on water quality and watershed management in Texas and in the Eagle Mountain Lake watershed.
The workshop and professional continuing education credits are all free and open to anyone interested in protecting water quality in the region, said Michael Kuitu, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program specialist and coordinator for the Texas Watershed Steward program, College Station.
The Eagle Mountain Watershed stakeholder meeting will run from 9-11:30 a.m. and feature an update on partnerships, programs and activities related to the Eagle Mountain Lake Watershed Protection Plan.
The Texas Watershed Steward workshop will be from 12:30-4:30 p.m. and be presented by AgriLife Extension and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board in coordination with the Tarrant Regional Water District.
A free lunch will be provided for attendees who preregister by Nov. 1 or when capacity is reached.
“This workshop is designed to help watershed residents improve and protect their water resources by becoming involved in Eagle Mountain Lake water quality management activities,” Kuitu said.
Participants are encouraged to preregister at the Texas Watershed Steward website.
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 Eagle Mountain Lake.
“Lakes can be susceptible to the negative effects of nonpoint source pollution, such as runoff containing sediment, nutrients and bacteria,” said Sarah Grella, watershed coordinator for the TRWD. “To address nonpoint source pollution, a watershed protection plan for Eagle Mountain Lake, which is being updated to reflect the most current needs of the watershed and encompassing community, was developed through a stakeholder-driven process. We encourage all members of the public to register and learn about water quality management and how to become involved.”
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.
There are also four for certified landscape architects. Four continuing education credits are provided to certified floodplain managers and the following Texas Commission on Environmental Quality occupational licensees: wastewater system operators, public water system operators, on-site sewage facility installers and landscape irrigators.
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 or contact Kuitu at 979-862-4457.
For more information about watershed protection efforts for the Eagle Mountain Lake watershed, contact Grella at 817-720-4419.
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