Water quality training for East Fork of the San Jacinto River set for June 11 in Cleveland
Attendees can learn about East Fork watershed, improvement basics
A free Texas Watershed Steward workshop on the East Fork of the San Jacinto River will be held on June 11 in Cleveland.
The training will be held from 1-5 p.m. at the Cleveland Civic Center, 210 Peach Ave. Participants must preregister by visiting https://tx.ag/TWSClevelandWorkshop or by calling 979-321-5935.
The event will be presented by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board in cooperation with the Houston-Galveston Area Council.
“This workshop is designed to help watershed residents learn about their water resources and how they may become involved in local watershed protection and management activities,” said Michael Kuitu, AgriLife Extension program specialist and coordinator for the Texas Watershed Steward program, Bryan-College Station.
Improving water quality of the East Fork watershed
The workshop will include talks on watershed systems and water pollution types and sources. There will be group discussion on community-driven watershed protection and management as well as an overview of water quality as it relates to watershed management at the local level.
The public is encouraged to attend and learn not only about water quality management, but also on how they can be involved in improving and maintaining the water quality through best management practices.
Although the workshop will provide an emphasis on local water resources, the information remains applicable to all waters throughout the region, Kuitu said.
Light refreshments will be provided, and participants 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 for multiple professional disciplines. However, the quantity may vary for select disciplines.
Four hours of continuing education units, CEUs, will be available in the following professional disciplines: soil and water management for certified crop advisers, professional engineers, certified teachers, professional geoscientists and certified floodplain managers. American Institute of Certified Planners are eligible for four certification maintenance and one law hours. 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.
Three Texas Department of Agriculture general CEUs will be offered to private pesticide applicator license holders and two credits will be offered for nutrient management specialists. Contact Kuitu for questions regarding CEU opportunities.
Funding for this effort is provided through a federal Clean Water Act Section nonpoint source grant administered by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
For more information on Texas Watershed Steward, contact Kuitu at 979-321-5935, [email protected], or Roy Flora at 936-334-3230 or [email protected].
For more information on the San Jacinto River’s East Fork, contact Rachel Windham at 713-993-2497 or [email protected].
