Stakeholders’ input needed for La Nana Bayou water quality
Nov. 2 meeting to address watershed protection planning process
The Texas Water Resources Institute, TWRI, will host a second meeting for those interested in the watershed protection planning process for the La Nana Bayou Watershed in Nacogdoches. The first meeting was held on Aug. 11.
The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Nov. 2 at the Stephen F. Austin State University College of Forestry and Agriculture Building, 419 East College St., Room 117. Parking is available behind the building off Raguet Street.
The meeting will discuss water quality in the La Nana Bayou and potential pollutant sources. Stakeholders will be asked to provide input on these topics. They will also be asked to review and provide feedback over the first chapters of the watershed protection plan that will be available on the website prior to the meeting.
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. Meeting coordinators said those who were unable to attend the first meeting are still welcome to attend this meeting and participate.
About the La Nana Bayou
La Nana Bayou is a 32-mile freshwater stream that extends from the confluence of the Angelina River south of Nacogdoches to the upstream perennial portion of the stream north of the city.
This meeting is the second in a series of meetings with watershed stakeholders about developing strategies to address water quality impairments in the watershed. Routine water quality monitoring began in 1996 and led to the inclusion of La Nana Bayou on the state’s list of water bodies impaired for bacteria in 2000. 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.
TWRI is part of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University. The institute coordinates this project with the Angelina and Neches River Authority and Stephen F. Austin State University. It is funded through a Clean Water Act nonpoint source grant from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the purpose of leading local watershed stakeholders through the watershed protection planning process.
For more information, contact Lucas Gregory, Ph.D., assistant director of TWRI, at [email protected] and sign up for the stakeholder e-mail list at tx.ag/LaNana.
