A free Texas Watershed Steward Workshop on water quality and availability is 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 23 at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center, 7887 U.S. Highway 87, north of San Angelo.
The training is free and open to anyone interested in improving water quality in the Concho River, coordinators say. Even though the workshop is free, to help plan for the attendance, participants are encouraged to preregister online at http://tws.tamu.edu.
The workshop is presented by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board in coordination with the Upper Colorado River Authority.
WATER IT. A free Texas Watershed Steward workshop is March 23 in San Angelo.
"The workshop is designed to help watershed residents improve and protect their water resources by becoming involved in local watershed protection and management activities," says Steve Sturtz, Texas AgriLife Extension Service agent for agriculture and natural resources in Tom Green County, San Angelo.
Sturtz says the workshop will include an overview of water quality and watershed management in Texas, and primarily will focus on water quality issues relating to the Concho River, including current efforts to help improve and protect this important water source. There also will be discussion of watershed systems, types and sources of water pollution, and ways to improve and protect water quality, as well as discussion on community-driven watershed protection and management.
"Surface water in the Concho River is a critical source of water in the area," says Dr. Christy Youker, with the Upper Colorado River Authority. "The river's tributaries supply Twin Buttes and OC Fisher lakes, both sources of drinking water for San Angelo residents."
Youker says the Concho River has been on the state list of impaired waters since 2008 for elevated levels of bacterial and low dissolved oxygen concentrations. More information on water quality issues and efforts can be found online by going to http://ucra.tx.org. For more information on the program you can call Galen Roberts at 979-862-8070 or Sturtz at 325-659-6524.