Middle Yegua Creek Watershed Plan stakeholder meeting set for March 31 in Giddings

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, recently reviewed and accepted the Middle Yegua Creek Watershed Protection Plan. Watershed residents and anyone interested in improving water quality in the watershed are invited to the next Middle Yegua Creek stakeholder meeting on March 31. 

The meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service office in Lee County, 310 S. Grimes St.

Acceptance is a major accomplishment for the coalition of local stakeholders and state officials who collaboratively created the science-based plan, led by the Texas Water Resources Institute, TWRI.

The plan outlines a strategy to implement management measures to reduce nonpoint source pollution into the creek. Plan acceptance is dependent on meeting EPA’s guidelines.

The plan is available for download at middleyegua.twri.tamu.edu/resources.

Leaders and residents work to improve water quality

Middle Yegua Creek above Lake Somerville is a tributary in the Brazos River Basin. Water samples collected by the Brazos River Authority and TWRI confirmed the presence of bacteria concentrations in Middle Yegua Creek that were above the applicable standard and led to the creek’s impaired status. 

The applicable standard refers to the one set by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for recreational activities that may involve ingesting water, such as swimming, diving and wading.

The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, in partnership with TWRI, worked to engage local stakeholders and lead them in the process to develop the voluntary watershed protection plan through informational meetings, educational programs and focused discussions regarding the current state of water quality, their concerns for future water resource issues, and what could be done to mitigate these issues. 

For more information, contact Sarah Stannard, TWRI program specialist, at [email protected].