Mill Creek Partnership announces meeting to finalize watershed protection plan
BLEIBLERVILLE — The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will hold a meeting of the Mill Creek Watershed Partnership on Feb. 29 to finalize the Mill Creek Watershed Protection Plan, coordinators said.
The meeting, which is open to the public, will be held at the Bleiblerville Volunteer Fire Department, 3342 Farm-to-Market Road 2502, Bleiblerville.
Registration and refreshments will start at 5:30 p.m., with presentations from 6-8 p.m.
The agenda includes discussion on proposed changes to the plan aimed at meeting Environmental Protection Agency guidelines as well as an update on the status of implementation efforts. A facilitated group discussion regarding these topics will be held to gather stakeholder input and affirm proposed edits to the plan.
The Mill Creek watershed protection project has been funded through a state nonpoint source grant from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, said Galen Roberts, AgriLife Extension water quality program specialist, College Station.
“EPA has completed their review of the Mill Creek Watershed Protection Plan and requested several changes to the document that, if made, will result in its acceptance of the plan,” Roberts said. “Acceptance by EPA will make the plan eligible for federal Clean Water Act grant funds, which will be used to support the implementation activities identified by local stakeholders during the plan’s development.”
He said the plan developed for Mill Creek is non-regulatory and will use best management practices to restore and protect the creek.
Development of the Mill Creek Watershed Protection Plan is a result of analysis conducted by Texas A&M AgriLife in conjunction with stakeholder input collected at a series of partnership meetings during 2015.
“We’ve reached this point thanks to the dedication of stakeholders who participated in the partnership meetings and provided us with valuable input,” Roberts said. “I believe we have developed a plan that reflects the wishes of local stakeholders and has the best chance of restoring and protecting Mill Creek for future generations.”
Roberts said plan implementation is slated to begin soon after the proposed changes are approved by the partnership and the EPA accepts the revised plan.
For more information, go to http://millcreek.tamu.edu/ or contact Travis Gonzales, AgriLife Extension agent for Austin County, at 979-865-2072 or [email protected], or Kara Matheney, AgriLife Extension agent for Washington County, at 979-277-6212 or [email protected].
