The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Mill Creek Watershed Partnership are hosting a Mill Creek Watershed update meeting on Dec. 8 in Bellville.
The meeting is free and open to the public. It will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the AgriLife Extension office for Austin County, 800 E. Wendt St.
Those planning on attending are asked to preregister by calling 979-865-2072.
Mill Creek is among the 322 stream segments listed as impaired due to contamination with bacteria in the 2022 Texas Integrated Report for Clean Water Act.
Bacterial source tracking on the agenda
The agenda will feature an informational lecture on the purpose, application and potential value of bacterial source tracking, BST, to the Mill Creek Watershed.
BST is a tool that can evaluate the source of the bacteria in streams, be it from cattle/livestock, wild bird species, wild mammal species, dogs, etc.
“How BST works, what its potential limitations are, how it might benefit the Mill Creek Partnership and how the partnership can pursue funding for BST will all be part of the informational lecture and discussion for the evening,” said Jake Mowrer, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension soil nutrient and water resource management specialist and associate professor in the Texas A&M Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Bryan-College Station.
Also on the agenda are updates on the watershed partnership project and a discussion on the formation of a volunteer program area committee to facilitate and support ancillary activities of the partnership, he said.
Watershed protection plan
The Mill Creek Watershed Protection Plan was developed by local stakeholders to address the elevated levels of E. coli bacteria in Mill Creek. Since its acceptance by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2015, this plan has guided public outreach and education to restore and protect water quality in Mill Creek.
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