DENTON – A Texas Watershed Steward workshop on water quality related to the Hickory Creek watershed will be from 1-5 p.m. March 8 at the Denton County Elections Administration Building, 701 Kimberly Dr. in Denton.
The workshop is presented by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board in cooperation with the city of Denton. Light refreshments will be provided.
Kuitu said the workshop is free and open to anyone interested in improving water quality in the region. Participants are encouraged to preregister at the Texas Watershed Steward website at http://tws.tamu.edu.
The workshop will include a discussion of watershed systems, types and sources of water pollution, and ways to improve and protect water quality. There also will be a group discussion on community-driven watershed protection and management.
“Hickory Creek’s watershed, located entirely in Denton County, is an important water resource and tributary of Lake Lewisville,” said David Hunter, watershed protection and industrial pretreatment manager for the city of Denton. “Because of Hickory Creek’s importance, a watershed protection plan was created to preserve and enhance the quality of its waters. We encourage local residents and other stakeholders to attend the workshop to gain information about water resources, water quality improvement and protection.”
David Annis, AgriLife Extension agent for Denton County, said the workshop will include an overview of water quality and watershed management in Texas, but will emphasize area water quality, including current efforts to improve and protect Hickory Creek.
“The workshop will address issues related to local water resources but will be applicable to all waters in the region,” Annis said.
Attendees of the workshop will receive a copy of the Texas Watershed Steward Handbook and certificate of completion. The Texas Watershed Steward program offers four continuing education units in soil and water management for certified crop advisers, four units for professional engineers and certified planners, four credits for certified teachers and two credits for nutrient management specialists. A total of four professional development hours are available for geoscientists.
In addition, three general continuing education units are offered for Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide license holders, four for certified landscape architects and three for certified floodplain managers. Four continuing education credits are 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.
“Participating in the Texas Watershed Steward program is a great opportunity to get involved and make a difference in your watershed,” Annis said.
The Texas Watershed Steward program is funded through a Clean Water Act nonpoint source grant from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
For more information on the Texas Watershed Steward program and to preregister, go to the Texas watershed Steward website or contact Kuitu at 979-862-4457, mkuitu@tamu.edu; or Annis at 940-349-2894, david.annis@ag.tamu.edu.
For information on the watershed protection efforts for the Hickory Creek watershed, contact Hunter at 940-349-7123, david.hunter@cityofdenton.com.