Arroyo Colorado Watershed Meeting Scheduled for July 24

TSCRA Daily News Update, July 17, 2008

Arroyo Colorado watershed meeting scheduled for July 24

Public feedback is continually being sought on restoring and protecting the local water quality in the Arroyo Colorado, and more will be requested at a watershed steering committee meeting on July 24 in Weslaco.

The meeting, which is open to the public, will be from 5-7 p.m. in the Rio Red classroom at the Texas A&M University Kingsville Citrus Center, 312 N. International Blvd. A social with snacks and refreshments provided by the City of McAllen Public Works Department will begin at 4:30 p.m.

The Arroyo Colorado runs 90 miles from Mission to the Lower Laguna Madre, and is the primary source of fresh water to the Lower Laguna Madre, said Laura De La Garza, with Texas AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas Water Resources Institute.

The estuary found in the lower 25 miles of the Arroyo Colorado is an important nursery for many fish, crab and shrimp species, De La Garza said.

The Arroyo Colorado Watershed Partnership steering committee has one of the first completed Watershed Protection Plans in the state, and the implementation of the plan is well on its way, she said.

"The success of the plan relies on public input and voluntary action to reduce nutrients and bacteria loadings that negatively affect water quality of the Arroyo Colorado and Lower Laguna Madre," said De La Garza, who coordinates the Arroyo Colorado Watershed Project.

"Individuals are welcome to attend the steering committee meeting to get updates on current activities and to find out how to be involved in this vital community effort."

The protection plan, developed by the partnership, is designed to improve water quality, aquatic and riparian habitat in the watershed, she said.

The partnership is a group of more than 700 area residents and representatives of federal, state and local government and private organizations who are working to restore valuable water resources of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, De La Garza said.

Both the Arroyo Colorado and Lower Laguna Madre are on the state's impaired list of water bodies.

Administering the partnership is the Texas Water Resources Institute, an entity of Texas A&M AgriLife. Funding is provided by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

For more information on the meeting, contact De La Garza at 956/969-5607 or LDeLaGarza@ag.tamu.edu . For more information on the partnership and its work, visit the Web site at http://www.arroyocolorado.org