The Texas Water Resources Institute, TWRI, Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the Angelina and Neches River Authority will host an in-person meeting on July 13 for anyone interested in learning about water quality impairments in the Angelina River above Sam Rayburn Reservoir.
The meeting will be at 10 a.m. at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service office in Smith County, 1517 W. Front St. #116, Tyler.
Anna Gitter, research specialist for TWRI, said portions of the river and its tributaries are currently unable to meet state water quality standards for contact recreation. The main stem of the Angelina River above Sam Rayburn Reservoir, the East Fork of the Angelina River, Mud Creek and West Mud Creek have all been identified by the state as impaired for high concentrations of bacteria, such as E. coli and have concerns for elevated total phosphorus, nitrate and ammonia.
Angelina River’s stakeholder-driven process
“E. coli is found in both human and animal waste and may indicate a health risk to people who swim or wade in the streams,” Gitter said.
She said the meeting will initiate a stakeholder-driven process to develop a plan to restore and protect the local water resources and share findings from current work on the watershed characterization report.
“Regardless of the watershed-based approach selected by stakeholders in the future, the plan will be a road map for improving water quality and will outline the measures that will be used to reduce pollution.”
Gitter said current work in these watersheds is assessing the extent and potential causes of water quality issues to support future efforts to improve water quality.
“Input and guidance from local stakeholders are a key part of developing future solutions,” she said.
The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board is supporting stakeholder engagement activities in the Angelina River above Sam Rayburn Reservoir watershed with funding provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through a Clean Water Act grant.
For more information, contact Gitter at 979 458-5962 or anna.gitter@ag.tamu.edu.
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