Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service’s Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters Program will host a residential rainwater harvesting and turf management training May 4 for Bell, Burnet, Coryell, Hamilton, Lampasas, Mills and Williamson counties.
The free event will be held in person from 1-5 p.m. at the AgriLife Extension office for Burnet County, 607 North Vandeveer, Suite 100, Burnet.
Registration is required and can be completed at https://tx.ag/BurnetMay4. Contact John Smith, AgriLife Extension program specialist, Bryan-College Station, at john.smith@ag.tamu.edu or 979-204-0573 with any questions. Attendees who RSVP to the event will receive updates and materials related to the training via email.
The training is offered in collaboration with the Lampasas River Watershed Partnership.
“The Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters Program aims to improve and protect surface water quality by enhancing awareness and knowledge of best management practices for residential landscapes,” Smith said.
On the agenda
Attendees will learn about the design and installation of residential rainwater harvesting systems as well as appropriate turf management and landscape species based on local conditions and other practices.
“Management practices such as using irrigation delivery equipment, interpreting soil test results and understanding nutrient applications can help reduce runoff and efficiently use applied landscape irrigation water,” Smith said.
Dean Minchillo, AgriLife Extension program specialist in Dallas, said proper fertilizer application and efficient water irrigation can protect and improve water quality in area creeks, and collecting rainwater for lawn and landscape needs reduces stormwater runoff.
Lisa Prcin, watershed coordinator for the Lampasas River Watershed, will also discuss updates on the Lampasas River Watershed Protection Plan activities to improve and protect water quality in this watershed during the event.
Soil testing
Participants can have their soil tested as part of the training. The soil sample bag and analysis are free to Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters Program participants.
Residents can pick up a soil sample bag with sampling instructions and the Urban and Homeowner Soil Sample Information Form from the AgriLife Extension offices in:
- Burnet County, 607 N. Vandeveer, Suite 100, Burnet.
- Bell County, 1605 N. Main St., Suite 102, Belton.
- Coryell County, 303 Veterans Memorial Loop, Gatesville.
- Hamilton County, 101 E. Henry, Hamilton.
- Lampasas County, 409 South Pecan St., Suite 102, Lampasas.
- Mills County, 1011 4th St., Goldthwaite.
- Williamson County, 100 Wilco Way, Suite AG 201, Georgetown.
Bags containing residents’ soil samples should be returned to the location where they were obtained prior to or by one week after the training. Soil samples may also be brought to the training, where soil bags will be provided to transfer the sample.
Do not mail the soil samples to the lab. Samples will be grouped into one submission and sent to the AgriLife Extension Soil, Water and Forage Testing Lab in College Station for routine analysis, including micronutrients, pH, conductivity, nitrate-nitrogen and other parameters.
The training will include information on how to understand soil test results and nutrient recommendations so residents can interpret results once the analysis is mailed to them.
Funding for the Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters Program is provided in part by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality through a Clean Water Act grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The project is managed by the Texas Water Resources Institute, part of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, AgriLife Extension and the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
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