Meeting slated to implement Arroyo Colorado improvement plan

TSCRA Daily News Update, Oct. 23, 2008

Meeting slated to implement Arroyo Colorado improvement plan

The steering committee of the Arroyo Colorado Watershed Partnership will meet Oct. 23 in Weslaco to continue its efforts to implement a watershed protection plan, one of the first completed plans in the state.

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-Kingsville Citrus Center, 312 N. International Blvd.

At the meeting, the committee will welcome its new watershed coordinator, Jaime Flores, an employee of Texas AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas Water Resources Institute, said Cecilia Wagner. Wagner manages five water quality projects in the Arroyo Colorado for the Texas Water Resources Institute.

"As our new watershed coordinator, Mr. Flores will coordinate the steering committee and facilitate and track implementation measures described in the completed watershed protection plan for the Arroyo Colorado," she said.

The Arroyo Colorado runs 90 miles from Mission to the Lower Laguna Madre adjacent to the Gulf Coast, and is the primary source of fresh water to the Lower Laguna Madre. The estuary found in the lower 25 miles of the Arroyo Colorado isan important nursery for many fish, crab and shrimp species, she added.

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

"Watershed protection plans are fairly new to Texas as a way to preserve or restore watersheds that might have problems with pollution such as bacteria, nutrients and others," Wagner said.

"Our plan is one of the first in the state to be completed, thanks to the tireless efforts of many, including the Arroyo Colorado Watershed Partnership, some 700 area citizens and individuals representing federal, state and private organizations who provided input into the plan and were involved in writing it," she said.

The partnership is now working to implement the different recommendations put forth in the plan.

Wagner said Flores will work with steering committee members to publicize and build public awareness for the watershed improvement efforts, provide extensive outreach and education, and seek additional funding for implementation activities.

The Texas Water Resources Institute, an entity of Texas A&M AgriLife, administers the partnership with funding provided by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

For more information on the partnership and its work, visit the Web site at http://www.arroyocolorado.org.

For information on the meeting, contact Flores at 956/968-5582, or email- JJFlores@ag.tamu.edu .