The Texas Water Resources Institute, TWRI, will host an introductory meeting for anyone interested in becoming involved in the watershed protection planning process for the La Nana Bayou Watershed in Nacogdoches.
The TWRI is part of Texas A&M AgriLife and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University.
The kickoff meeting will be held at 1 p.m. on Aug. 11 at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service office for Nacogdoches County, 203 W. Main St.
La Nana Bayou is a 32-mile freshwater stream. It runs from the confluence of the Angelina River south of Nacogdoches to the upstream perennial portion of the stream north of Nacogdoches.
Protecting the La Nana Bayou
Routine water quality monitoring began in 1996. It led to the inclusion of La Nana Bayou on the Texas 303(d) List in 2000 as being impaired for bacteria. It remains impaired for not meeting its primary contact recreation standard. Concerns for elevated ammonia-nitrogen, nitrate-nitrogen and total phosphorous exist in the downstream portion of the bayou.
The meeting is the first in a series with watershed stakeholders to develop strategies to address water quality impairments. It will introduce the stakeholder process and give an overview of the watershed planning process.
Current water quality data will be presented, as well as an introduction to point and non-point pollution sources for the different impairments. The watershed planning process will be discussed, as well as how it will address stakeholder’s water quality concerns, and a timeline for developing the plan will be proposed.
Stakeholder input is essential for accurately defining the land and water issues in the area and ensuring that the plan’s main goal of meeting water quality standards is achievable.
TWRI coordinates this project with the Angelina and Neches River Authority and Stephen F. Austin State University. It is funded through a Clean Water Act Section 319(h) Nonpoint Source Grant from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, TCEQ, through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to lead local watershed stakeholders through the planning process.
For more information, contact Emily Monroe, AgriLife Extension program specialist with TWRI, by email at Emily.Monroe@ag.tamu.edu.
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