Rainwater harvesting, turf management training set for Aug. 28 in Brenham
Attendees will learn about design, installation of residential rainwater harvesting systems
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service’s Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters program will host a residential rainwater harvesting and turf management training on Aug. 28 for Washington County.
The free event will be held at the Washington County Expo Event Center, 1305 E. Blue Bell Road, Brenham, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The training is offered in collaboration with the Mill Creek Watershed Partnership.
Registration is available online at https://tx.ag/HLHWWashingtonCounty or by calling John Smith, AgriLife Extension program specialist, Texas A&M Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Bryan-College Station, at 979-204-0573 or [email protected].
Attendees who RSVP will receive updates and materials related to the training via email.
“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 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 make efficient use of applied landscape irrigation water,” Smith said.
Dean Minchillo, Texas Water Resources Institute program specialist, Dallas, added that “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.”
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 at the AgriLife Extension office for Washington County, 1305 E. Blue Bell Road, Suite 104, Brenham.
Residents should return the bags containing their soil samples to the location where they obtained them, prior to or by one week after the training. They may also bring their soil samples to the training.
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 the 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 § 319(h) grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The project is managed by the Texas Water Resources Institute, a unit of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, AgriLife Extension that brings together expertise from across The Texas A&M University System.
