Lower Neches River water quality training set for Aug. 6 in Beaumont
Workshop will include discussion on watershed systems, types and sources of water pollution
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, in cooperation with the Texas Water Resources Institute, will host a Texas Watershed Steward workshop on the Lower Neches River watershed on Aug. 6 in Beaumont.
The free event, which will run from 1-5 p.m., will be held at the AgriLife Extension office for Jefferson County, 1225 Pearl St., Suite 200, and is open to anyone interested in improving the region’s water quality.
Participants must pre-register by visiting https://tx.ag/TWSBeaumont or by calling 979-321-5921. Upon registration, participants will receive additional meeting information.
“This workshop helps people learn about water resources and efforts to protect local water quality,” said Annalee Epps, AgriLife Extension program specialist with the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences and coordinator of the Texas Watershed Steward program. “Participants will be introduced to regional watershed protection and management efforts and how they can get involved.”
Helping improve water quality in the Neches River watershed
Residents are encouraged to attend and learn how they may become involved in improving and maintaining the water quality of the Lower Neches River watershed through best management practices.
The workshop will include a discussion on watershed systems, along with types and sources of water pollution. There will also 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.
Though the workshop will emphasize local water resources, the information applies to all waters throughout the region.
Light refreshments will be provided. Attendees will receive a copy of the Texas Watershed Steward Handbook and are eligible to earn a certificate of completion.
Continuing education opportunities
The Texas Watershed Steward program offers continuing education units, CEUs, for multiple professional disciplines.
Available CEUs include four hours in soil and water management for certified crop advisers, professional engineers, certified teachers, professional geoscientists and certified floodplain managers.
American Institute of Certified Planners members are eligible for four certification maintenance hours and one law hour.
Four CEUs are also offered for each of the following Texas Commission on Environmental Quality occupational licensees: wastewater system operators, public water system operators, on-site sewage facility installers and landscape irrigators.
Additionally, three general CEUs are offered for Texas Department of Agriculture private pesticide applicator license holders, and two credits are offered for nutrient management specialists.
Funding for this effort is provided through a federal Clean Water Act Section 319(h) 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, contact Epps at 979-321-5921, [email protected], or Nikki Fitzgerald, AgriLife Extension coastal and marine resources agent in Jefferson and Chambers counties, at 409-835-8461 or [email protected].
For more information on the Lower Neches watershed, contact Matt Stellbauer, Texas Water Resources Institute research specialist, at 979-314-8115 or [email protected].
