Clear Creek water quality training set April 5 in Pearland

Texas Watershed Steward event will cover watershed protection, management

A Texas Watershed Steward workshop on water quality related to Clear Creek will be held from 1-5 p.m. on April 5. The workshop is free and open to anyone interested in improving water quality in the region.

The event will be presented by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board in cooperation with the Houston-Galveston Area Council, H-GAC. It will be held at the Delores Fenwick Nature Center at the John Hargrove Environmental Complex, located at 5750 Magnolia Parkway in Pearland.

A virtual attendance option is available for those unable to attend in person. To attend in person or virtually, participants must preregister at https://tx.ag/TWSCCApril22 or by calling 979-862-4457. Once registered, additional meeting information will be provided.

“This workshop is designed to help watershed residents learn about their water resources and how they may become involved in local watershed protection and management activities,” said Michael Kuitu, AgriLife Extension program specialist and coordinator for the Texas Watershed Steward program, Bryan-College Station.

Light refreshments will be provided. Attendees of the workshop will receive a copy of the Texas Watershed Steward Handbook and are eligible to earn a certificate of completion.

Helping improve water quality in the Clear Creek watershed

The workshop will include a discussion on watershed systems along with types and sources of water pollution. There also will be a group discussion on community-driven watershed protection and management, and an overview of water quality as it relates to watershed management at the local level.

Clear Creek, located in parts of Harris, Galveston, Brazoria and Fort Bend counties, is approximately 45 miles in length, a portion of which has had bacteria levels in excess of state standards. This workshop is being held in support of ongoing efforts within the basin to protect water quality.

Continuing education opportunities

The Texas Watershed Steward program offers continuing education units for multiple professional disciplines. However, the quantity of continuing education offered may vary for select disciplines, depending on whether one attends in person or virtually.

For those who attend in person, four hours of continuing education is offered for the following professional disciplines: soil and water management for certified crop advisers, professional engineers, certified teachers, professional geoscientists, certified landscape architects and certified floodplain managers. American Institute of Certified Planners professional planners are eligible for four certification maintenance hours and one law hour.

Four hours of continuing education is available for the following Texas Commission on Environmental Quality occupational licensees: wastewater system operators, public water system operators, on-site sewage facility installers and landscape irrigators. In addition, three general CEUs are offered for Texas Department of Agriculture private pesticide applicator license holders, and two credits are offered for nutrient management specialists.

For information on professional continuing education units for virtual attendees, contact Kuitu at michael.kuitu@ag.tamu.edu or by calling 979-862-4457.

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, go to the website or contact Kuitu or Jessica Chase, AgriLife Extension agent for Brazoria County, at 979-864-1558, jessica.chase@ag.tamu.edu.

For more information on the Clear Creek watershed, contact H-GAC senior planner Justin Bower at 713-499-6653, justin.bower@h-gac.com.  

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