Texas Water Resources Insitute http://twri.tamu.edu Tue, 02 Apr 2019 16:16:16 GMT umbraco The Texas Water Resources Institute works to foster and communicate research and educational outreach programs focused on water resources science and management issues in Texas and beyond. en Institute to hold water quality meeting in Rogers http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/april/institute-to-hold-water-quality-meeting-in-rogers/ Tue, 02 Apr 2019 16:16:16 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/april/institute-to-hold-water-quality-meeting-in-rogers/ The Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) is hosting a meeting April 16 in Rogers for anyone interested in joining a partnership to improve and protect water quality in the Big Elm Creek watershed.

The meeting, free and open to the public, will be at 1 p.m. at the First Baptist Church, 5 W. Prairie Ave.

Dr. Allen Berthold, TWRI senior research scientist, said the meeting is the third in a series with local stakeholders to address water quality impairments in Big Elm Creek, a major tributary of Little River in Central Texas.

“Public involvement is key to improving water quality; everyone has something that they can bring to the table,” he said.

Ed Rhodes, TWRI research associate, said work on a strategic plan to reduce pollutants in the watershed is ongoing, and discussion will focus on reviewing draft materials and getting stakeholder input.

“Getting feedback from the local community is of great importance,” Rhodes said. “The folks that live and work here know this watershed better than anyone else.”

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is supporting stakeholder engagement activities for the Big Elm Creek watershed with funding provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through a Clean Water Act grant.

For more information, visit the project website at or contact Rhodes.

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Wurbs receives inaugural American Academy of Water Resources Engineers research award http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/april/wurbs-receives-inaugural-american-academy-of-water-resources-engineers-research-award/ Tue, 02 Apr 2019 09:59:32 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/april/wurbs-receives-inaugural-american-academy-of-water-resources-engineers-research-award/ Dr. Ralph Wurbs, a senior professor in the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University and a former associate director of engineering for Texas Water Resources Institute, was recently selected as the first American Academy of Water Resources Engineers (AAWRE) Outstanding Research and Innovation Award recipient.

Founded in 2004 in affiliation with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), AAWRE strives to advance the leadership and societal impact of water resources engineering through certification, continuing education and ethical practice. This new award, introduced in 2018, recognizes significant contributions in advancing the field of water resources engineering through innovative research and development.

Wurbs is a fellow and life member of ASCE, an AAWRE founding Diplomate (2004) and was awarded the distinction of AAWRE Honorary Diplomate in 2014. He was selected for the 2019 award for his research, creation and continuous expansion of the Water Rights Analysis Package (WRAP) Modeling System and its implementation in the Texas Water Availability Modeling System.

WRAP, an elaborate set of computer simulation tools, analyzes and assesses capabilities of river and reservoir systems in meeting water supply, hydroelectric power, environmental flow, flood control and reservoir storage needs. Since 1996, Wurbs and his graduate students have been continually expanding WRAP modeling and analysis capabilities in order to provide vital tools for the water resources management community of Texas.

In doing so, WRAP has played a fundamental role in major legislatively mandated advances in water management and planning in the state over the past 15 years. These include analytical support for administration of the water rights permit system, statewide and regional planning, integrating environmental flow standards in comprehensive water management and improved operational planning for drought management.

Read the complete Texas A&M Engineering story. For more on Wurbs and his work with WRAP, read this txH2O story and Conservation Matters article, Meet a water scientist: Ralph Wurbs.

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Riparian, stream ecosystem workshops set for April 16 in Kingsville, May 1 in Baytown http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/april/riparian-stream-ecosystem-workshop-set-for-april-16-in-kingsville/ Tue, 02 Apr 2019 09:59:18 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/april/riparian-stream-ecosystem-workshop-set-for-april-16-in-kingsville/ The Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) will host a free Texas Riparian and Stream Ecosystem Education Program workshop April 16 in Kingsville for area residents interested in land and water stewardship in Kleberg County and a workshop May 1 in Baytown for area residents interested in land and water stewardship in the Double Bayou and Cedar Bayou watershed.

Both workshops will be from 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

The April 16 morning session will be at the Recreation Hall at Dick Kleberg Park, 501 E. Escondido Road. The afternoon session will include a walk and presentations along a creek.

The May 1 workshop will have the morning session at the Eddie V. Gray Wetland Center, 1724 Market St. with an afternoon session to include a walk and presentations along a nearby creek.

Clare Entwistle, TWRI research associate, said the Kingsville workshop is co-hosted locally by the Nueces River Authority, the Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Kleberg County. The Baytown workshop is co-hosted by the Houston-Galveston Area Council, the Houston Advanced Research Center and the AgriLife Extension office in Chambers County.

Attendees to the April 16 workshop must RSVP by April 11 online or to Entwistle at 210-277-0292 ext. 205, or clare.entwistle@ag.tamu.edu. For the May 1 workshop, attendees must RSVP by April 26 online or to Entwistle.

Both programs will include a lunchtime presentation. A catered lunch is available to participants for $10 or participants may bring their own lunch.

Entwistle said the institute is able to offer the workshops without cost thanks to program funding provided through a Clean Water Act nonpoint source grant from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

For more information, contact Entwistle, visit the Texas Riparian Association website or go to its Facebook page.

For the April 16 workshop in Kingsville, read the complete AgriLife Today article.

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Urban Riparian and Stream Restoration workshops set for April 17 in Corpus Christi, April 23 in Pearland http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/april/urban-riparian-and-stream-restoration-workshop-set-for-april-17-in-corpus-christi-april-23-in-pearland/ Tue, 02 Apr 2019 09:59:05 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/april/urban-riparian-and-stream-restoration-workshop-set-for-april-17-in-corpus-christi-april-23-in-pearland/ The Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI)’s Urban Riparian and Stream Restoration Program will host two workshops in April for professionals interested in conducting stream restoration projects.

The program will host a workshop from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. April 17 in Corpus Christi. The morning session will be at the South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center, 8545 S. Staples St. The afternoon session will be outdoors along Oso Creek to learn stream surveying techniques.

Another workshop will be from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. April 23 in Pearland. The morning session will be at the John Hargrove Environmental Nature Center, 5800 Magnolia St. The afternoon session will be outdoors along Mary’s Creek to learn stream surveying techniques.

Early registration is encouraged as the workshops are limited to 40 people. The $100 cost includes all training materials, lunch and a certificate of completion at the end of the course.

Attendees must register online by April 11 for the Corpus Christi workshop and online by April 19 for the Pearland workshop. They may also contact Clare Entwistle, research associate at TWRI’s San Antonio office, at 210-277-0292 ext. 205 or clare.entwistle@ag.tamu.edu.

Dr. Fouad Jaber, AgriLife Extension program specialist for the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center in Dallas, said riparian and stream degradation is a major threat to water quality, in-stream habitat, terrestrial wildlife, aquatic species and overall stream health.” 

“Proper management, protection and restoration of these riparian areas will improve water quality, lower in-stream temperatures, improve aquatic habitat and ultimately improve macrobenthos and fish community integrity,” he said.

Jaber said the workshops’ goal is for participants to better understand urban stream functions and impacts of development on urban streams.

“Attendees will also learn to recognize healthy versus degraded stream systems, assess and classify a stream using the Bank Erosion Hazard Index and comprehend differences between natural and traditional restoration techniques,” he said.

Entwistle said the institute is able to offer the workshops at a reduced cost thanks to program funding provided through a Clean Water Act nonpoint source grant from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The workshops offer many types of continuing education units.

For more information, contact Entwistle, visit the Texas Riparian Association website or go to its Facebook page.

The urban riparian stream education program is managed by TWRI.

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Well water screening opportunities set for April in North Texas http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/april/well-water-screening-opportunities-set-for-april-in-north-texas/ Tue, 02 Apr 2019 09:58:54 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/april/well-water-screening-opportunities-set-for-april-in-north-texas/ The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will offer several Texas Well Owner Network (TWON) well water screenings in April in the North Texas area.

The Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) is partnering with AgriLife Extension and TWON on these screenings. Events are also in collaboration with various AgriLife Extension offices in North Texas.

“Private water wells should be tested annually and our Well Informed screening provides that,” said John Smith, AgriLife Extension program specialist.

Samples will be screened for contaminants, including total coliform bacteria, E. coli, nitrate-nitrogen and salinity.

He said well owners submitting samples should use only sampling bags and bottles from their respective AgriLife Extension office and follow the included instructions carefully to ensure accurate results.

A $10 per sample fee will be collected when bags and bottles are picked up by participants. Sampling items will be available at least a week before the turn-in dates and must be turned in by 10 a.m. on the day of the screening.

For a list of dates, times and locations for the screenings and follow-up meetings to explain results, read the full AgriLife Today article.  

Smith said it is extremely important for those submitting samples to be at the follow-up meeting to receive results, learn corrective measures for identified problems and to improve understanding of private well management.

To learn more about the network’s programs, publications and resources, visit its website.

Funding for the Texas Well Owner Network is through a Clean Water Act nonpoint source grant provided by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The project is managed by TWRI.

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Institute to hold two meetings in April in the Matagorda Basin watershed http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/april/institute-to-hold-two-meetings-in-april-in-the-matagorda-basin-watershed/ Tue, 02 Apr 2019 09:58:40 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/april/institute-to-hold-two-meetings-in-april-in-the-matagorda-basin-watershed/ The Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) is hosting a meeting April 5 in Victoria to discuss water quality in the Garcitas and Arenosa Creek watersheds and another meeting April 10 in Palacios to discuss implementation of the Tres Palacios Watershed Protection Plan.

The April 5 meeting will be at 1 p.m. at the Victoria County 4-H Activity Center, 259 Bachelor Drive in Victoria.

The April 10 meeting will be held at 1 p.m. at the Matagorda County Navigation District, 1602 Main St. in Palacios.

Dr. Allen Berthold, TWRI senior research scientist, said the Garcitas and Arenosa Creek meeting is the fourth in a series with local stakeholders to address water quality impairments in those watersheds.

“Bacteria concentration in Arenosa Creek currently exceeds the state water quality standard for recreation,” he said.

Berthold said TWRI, through a project it manages, is working with local landowners, agricultural producers, residents and other stakeholders to develop a plan comprised of strategies to reduce bacteria and other pollutants in local waterways.

“At the meeting, we will work with local stakeholders to identify effective and voluntary management measures for reducing bacteria loads in Arenosa Creek,” he said.

Michael Schramm, a TWRI research associate, said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently approved the Tres Palacios Watershed Protection Plan.

“We are now working with local stakeholders to assist in implementing management measures identified in the plan to reduce bacteria and nutrient loads reaching the creek,” Schramm said.

Schramm said the Tres Palacios was classified as impaired by the state of Texas due to excessive bacteria and low dissolved oxygen.

“However, local stakeholders worked extensively to develop a plan that identifies voluntary management actions that will gradually improve water quality,” he said.

For more information, read the AgriLife Today articles on the Arenosa/Garsitas meeting and the Tres Palacios meeting, or contact Schramm or Berthold.

The Tres Palacios meeting is funded by a Texas Coastal Management Program Grant approved by the Texas Land Commissioner pursuant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Award No. NA17NOS4190139.

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txH2O highlight: Texas is vulnerable to climate change http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/april/txh2o-highlight-texas-is-vulnerable-to-climate-change/ Tue, 02 Apr 2019 09:58:26 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/april/txh2o-highlight-texas-is-vulnerable-to-climate-change/ April’s txH2O highlight is about the predictions of climate change impacts in Texas. The article, Texas is vulnerable to climate change, from the winter 2008 climate change issue, mentions future challenges resulting from increased populations, hotter temperatures and high greenhouse gas emissions.

Two Texas A&M researchers were interviewed about the vulnerabilities Texas may face because of the changing climate, Dr. Bruce McCarl, Regents Professor in Texas A&M University's Department of Agricultural Economics and Dr. Gerald North, Distinguished Professor Emeritus in Texas A&M's Department of Atmospheric Sciences.

"My whole focus," McCarl explained, "has been to estimate what damages arise if the 'bulldozer' of climate change hits us and what opportunities we have for agriculture to help mitigate them."

Climate change expectations include hotter temperatures, more concentrated rain, higher soil evaporation rates, greater frequency of droughts, higher sea levels with increased hurricane intensities along with lower precipitation and diminished water supplies.

"Texas will face a number of challenges, and its main problem is water," North said. "Other things, such as increased population, the decline in the Ogallala Aquifer, and increased urbanization will combine with climate change to make it worse."

Ten years later, there is even more climate data available to back up these predictions. Read the full article, Texas is vulnerable to climate change.

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Representative from new university in India visits Texas A&M - By Kathy Wythe http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/april/representative-from-new-india-university-visits-texas-am/ Tue, 02 Apr 2019 09:58:08 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/april/representative-from-new-india-university-visits-texas-am/ Jain Irrigation Systems Limited, the largest irrigation technology company in the world, is establishing a new university in India that will address the sustainable development of agriculture, water resources and renewable energy.

As part of the planning and outreach for the university start-up, Dr. Dilip Kulkarni, Jain’s president of sustainable agriculture and strategy, recently met with Texas A&M University administrators, faculty and staff to explore collaborations.

As he visits with Texas A&M and other U.S. university faculties, Kulkarni said he is hoping to develop collaborations in developing course curricula for the university and recruiting faculty to become visiting professors as well as discussing a student exchange program. He is also seeking Indian students who are completing their doctorate or are postdocs to become future faculty at the university.

Kulkarni said Jain’s late founder, Dr. Bhavarlal H. Jain, sought to start a university focused on four areas: water resource management, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy and rural development. According to the company, there are no educational institutes in India devoted to sustainable development, particularly in water resources management, smart and sustainable agriculture and renewable energy. 

“Most Indian university education is classroom teaching and very little of hands-on experiential learning,” Kulkarni said.

The Bhavarlal Jain University will include teaching, research and extension activities. Kulkarni said Jain believed that technological growth cannot be achieved merely by imparting theoretical knowledge but must be complemented with appropriate on-field exposure and practical training.

The university will be in a rural part of the Indian state of Maharashtra that has limited access to advanced education, technical expertise and application-oriented technologies.

Kulkarni said the university is waiting for approval from the Indian government and then plans to have its first students in September 2020, accepting students for master’s and doctorate degrees initially. He said the university is recruiting students globally, targeting students from India and Southeast Asia.

When selecting students, Kulkarni said they will not only look at their undergraduate scores, but will also test their passion toward the university’s focus areas.

“We want to produce not just degree holders, but thought leaders and best practitioners because the education will be more hands-on,” he said.

Eventually the university hopes to have 2,000 to 4,000 students and a professor and associate professor in each of the 10 specializations within the four program areas. Kulkarni estimated that 40 percent of the faculty will be permanent, 40 percent will be adjunct professors from institutions, industry and organizations in India and about 20 percent will be visiting professors from universities abroad.

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Water Daze speakers discuss statewide flood assessment efforts, transboundary aquifers - By Bianca Calderon http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/april/water-daze-speakers-discuss-statewide-flood-assessment-efforts-transboundary-aquifers/ Tue, 02 Apr 2019 09:57:48 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/april/water-daze-speakers-discuss-statewide-flood-assessment-efforts-transboundary-aquifers/ Kathleen Jackson, Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) board member, talked about statewide flood planning, and Dr. Rosario Sanchez, Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) senior research scientist, discussed transboundary aquifers between Mexico and the United States at the Water Management and Hydrologic Science (WMHS) program’s annual Water Daze event in March on the Texas A&M University campus. Winners of the poster competition were also announced.

Jackson said TWDB is currently engaged in statewide flood assessment and has a long-term goal of creating a water data hub to help with planning and prevention of floods and other natural disasters.

“Right now, if you're an emergency management official and you're trying to deal with an incident, you have to go to 13 different websites in order to gather and get the information you need,” she said.

Jackson said as part of a recent funding request for a flood program to the Texas Legislature, TWDB is hoping to generate improved and updated mapping and modeling data. 

“Everything needs to start with having that good data and that good science to make your decisions with,” she said.

Jackson said TWDB envisions having the data and science all in one place and eventually accessible in real time. These real-time simulations will allow emergency management to tell people how to get out of harm's way, before loss of life.

Jackson said the community wants to engage and understand the process.

“It’s not just enough to have the data available,” she said. “It needs to be in a format that people can readily understand to see and be a part of the decision-making process.”

This water hub will not only help with preventing loss of life and property, but it will also help city officials decide on what projects can be done to help lessen the effects floods can have on cities.

“I think a lot of times the hardest thing is not coming up with the projects; it’s coming up with the projects and convincing people who are the decision-makers that it is a good investment,” she said.

Jackson said real-time simulation will be “a very powerful tool moving forward, not only from a science standpoint but also useful from a design and an emergency management standpoint.”

Jackson also gave an overview of TWDB roles as a state agency.

“We are the data repository for all water data for Texas. Secondly, we are a bank. So we tell folks, we have money to loan right here and you won’t get better interest rates anywhere else,” she said, adding that a large part of TWDB’s purpose is to fund water infrastructure projects across the state.

TWDB is also a technical resource. “We can’t engineer the project for you,” she said, “but we have folks that have worked with communities that can offer up different options.”

In her talk, Sanchez said interest is growing on transboundary aquifers, and it is important to have more data on them as about 40 percent of the world’s population relies on transboundary groundwater resources.

“We don’t know much about them, and we don’t know what the conditions are for the potential for management of these resources,” she said.

Sanchez said at least a dozen cities along the U.S.-Mexico border depend on groundwater for their water.

Currently, only 11 transboundary aquifers are recognized by the two governments, but Sanchez said current research show there could be around 36 potential aquifers and there is no data on 12 of those aquifers.

Through her research, she has identified four priority areas to concentrate on for future water management based on what she calls “transboundariness,” which prioritizes aquifers based on economic, environmental, social, cultural and legal criteria.

Another approach to future management is identifying effective transboundary aquifer areas, or ETAAs, which consider the density and pattern of pumping wells. Six transboundary aquifers have been identified with this approach, Sanchez said.

For more information and Sanchez’s research on transboundary aquifers, read this paper and this article in Quartz, There’s a time bomb for US-Mexico relations ticking underground.

In addition to the lectures, Water Daze consists of a water poster competition opened to all Texas A&M students with prizes awarded to the best three posters. Sayantan Samanta won first prize, Azzah Al Kurdi, second, and Qiong Su, third. All three are WMHS students.

The Water Daze event was sponsored by the WMHS program, TWRI and the Texas A&M University School of Law.

Watch Jackson’s full Water Daze lecture and Sanchez’s lecture.

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International water experts outline transboundary groundwater issues at water lectures - By Sarah Richardson http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/april/international-water-experts-outline-transboundary-groundwater-issues-at-water-lectures/ Tue, 02 Apr 2019 09:57:31 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/april/international-water-experts-outline-transboundary-groundwater-issues-at-water-lectures/ Internationally renowned experts Dr. Francesco Sindico of University of Stathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland and Ambassador (retired) Ram Aviram of BIT Consultancy recently spoke on the difficulties of managing and governing groundwater resources in transboundary aquifers at the 6th Annual Water Lecture Series in Fort Worth and College Station.

A transboundary aquifer is a source of groundwater shared by more than one country. 

Sindico, an international environmental law expert, spoke on the context of water, groundwater and global water security and international law guidelines while Aviram, a diplomatic and administrative expert, discussed the diplomacy side of transboundary water.

“If we're talking about global water security, groundwater is super important,” said Sindico at the College Station lecture. “We cannot underestimate the importance of groundwater. Water is much more precious, much more important than any other natural resource.”

With 97 percent of available freshwater resources in the world stored underground, Sindico said in the future, countries will focus more on groundwater.

“Water is under stress because of climate change and increased population,” he said. “We often don't highlight that enough, and it’s incredible the amount of people there are and that will be in the world who will need water.

“Surface water is more polluted, there's less of it, there are problems and there is stress on it, whether we like it or not.

“The reality is that we now know that 592 aquifers exist in the world,” he said, and of those 592 aquifers, there are only six agreements in place between countries.

From a legal perspective, Sindico said there is an emerging international understanding that access to clean water and sanitation is a human right and that understanding has linked the human right to life to access to clean water.

Sindico explained that agreements between countries sharing transboundary aquifers start with gathering information about the aquifers, exchanging information and perhaps creating a joint authority. Few cases evolve into further regulating the amount of pumped groundwater.

Sindico said general assembly resolutions are not binding like treaties.

“It is not something like you would think in domestic law that you can enforce and go to court,” he said. “They can have a very strong political influence but from a legal perspective, they are not enforceable.

“These are complex problems,” Sindico said, about addressing transboundary aquifer agreements between countries sharing groundwater. “You cannot think that you're going to solve something so complex as aquifer science and transboundary aquifer management in a matter of days, minutes, hours, months or even years.”

When working with politicians to implement transboundary aquifer management, Sindico said the challenge comes with educating the politicians about aquifers, and then a political cycle will only last a few years. Then the newly elected politicians will have to be educated, starting the process all over to get them on board from a scientific perspective.

“I’ve seen this happen. Countries struggling to understand what the issue was from an aquifer perspective,” he said. “The law and management will require long-term strategies but then again, in the implementation, you bump into this vicious circle of politics just running on a short cycle.

“The conclusion is very much that we are in a vicious circle where science, policy and law chase each other in a way and you're really into a very, very complex maze.”

Continuing the lecture into the governance aspect of transboundary aquifer management, Aviram’s lecture included examples of the water relations between the Palestinian Authority, Jordan, Israel, Syria and Lebanon.

“I’m coming from water diplomacy, which says that we are looking for a process in which we will address the different politics around sharing water and we know that this is a very complex issue,” Aviram said.

"Water is low politics. With all the importance of water, with all the high profile publicly of water, at the end it is low politics.”

Aviram said a long list of factors within each of the countries has to be considered from the hydrology to who is in charge of the water while also addressing which basins are at risk politically.

“When we say ‘risk,’ we refer mainly to the tendency of relations there escalating into a conflictual situation or whether we can expect some sort of cooperation,” he said. Three out of the five locations, Syria, Israel and Lebanon, are at war, but all five locations are interdependent on each other because of the shared water resources.

He cited two examples of interdependence of these countries: one unsuccessful attempt between Israel and the Palestinian Authority to come to a permanent agreement about a shared aquifer and water rights and one successful example of cooperation and sharing of common water resources between Israel and Jordan.

In the Jordan/Israel agreement, Jordan will share water from a desalination plant built on the Jordan side of the Red Sea while Israel will supply Jordan with exactly the same amount of water from wells in the north.

Aviram said there are three things to determine how countries will build their relations: the overall strategic-political interests between the countries, the attitude of the leadership in the basin and technology.

“We are in the 21st century,” he said. “We offer a variety of technologies of all kinds from desalination to different precision agriculture, to different big data analytics in order to reduce leakages in municipal systems.

“So if we have these three and we use it wisely, at the end of the day, we can come to a cooperation rather than escalation.”

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Wetlands: Water’s original filter - By Sarah Richardson http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/april/wetlands-waters-original-filter/ Tue, 02 Apr 2019 09:57:10 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/april/wetlands-waters-original-filter/ Marshes, swamps, lagoons and bogs; there are many different types of wetlands, but did you know that they are capable of filtering wastewater?

Two innovative, constructed wetlands in the Dallas-Fort Worth area have the ability to divert over 180 million gallons of treated wastewater per day from the Trinity River and naturally filter it for reuse.

Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) and North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) use constructed wetlands to help maintain a sustainable water supply. The current population predictions in the North Texas region are expected to double by 2060, increasing the need for a reliable, clean water supply.  

Both water districts’ constructed wetlands were selected as 2018 Conservation Wrangler projects by Texan by Nature (TxN). The Conservation Wrangler program highlights the very best Texan-led conservation projects occurring in the state supporting them with tailored aid, resources and visibility, according to TxN program manager Taylor Keys.

Keys said constructed wetlands work like natural systems improving water quality through natural treatment mechanisms powered by sunlight, wind, plants and microbes.

“Water flows into the wetland slowly, and any solid matter in the water settles out in sedimentation basins,” she said. “The wetland vegetation then removes nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen, improving the water quality.”

From The Wetland To Your Water SupplyFrom wetland to your water supply. Credit: Texan by Nature.

According to the TxN website, constructed wetlands remove on average 95 percent of sediment and 50 percent to 80 percent of nitrogen and phosphorus. This process improves the overall quality of water leaving the wetlands.

After the treated wastewater is diverted and filtered via the wetlands, Keys said it is returned to blend with other water supplies in reservoirs and treated to drinking water standards to be delivered to consumers for use.

“If location and planning for a project like this permits, a constructed wetland is a cost-effective alternative to building a new reservoir or extending the life of current reservoirs,” she said. “Wetlands delay the need to construct additional water supply projects, have a smaller footprint than reservoirs and can be implemented in a fraction of the time. These projects are critical for maintaining a sustainable water supply for the growing population of North Texas.”

TRWD’s George W. Shannon Wetland Water Reuse Project, in partnership with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Richland Creek Wildlife Management Area (WMA), was constructed in four phases over 22 years, starting in the early 1990s.

Keys said TRWD initially implemented a pilot-scale constructed wetland for proof of concept. The 250-acre first phase eventually expanded into 20 vegetated wetland cells that cover over 2,000 wetted acres located in the WMA.

NTMWD learned from TRWD’s 22-year project, Keys said, allowing it to complete the East Fork Water Reuse Project in three phases over five years, beginning in 2004.

The reuse project diverts up to around 95 million gallons per day from the East Fork of the Trinity River into a 24-cell constructed wetland that is over 1,800 acres.

Partners of the NTMWD water reuse project include the Rosewood Corporation and John Bunker Sands Wetland Center, which is situated on the constructed wetland and provides education and research opportunities.

NTMWD East Fork Water Reuse Project PanoramicEast Fork Wetland – A component of the North Texas Municipal Water District’s East Fork Water Reuse Project
and home to the John Bunker Sands Wetland Center. Photo credit: Julie Shaffer of Shaffer Creative
.

Both districts worked together with Alan Plummer Associates, Inc., a consulting firm that provides engineering services related to water and wastewater infrastructure.

“TxN has worked with both water districts and their partners to increase educational awareness of the benefits of constructed wetlands in regard to water supply and to promote using the wetlands as educational and recreational opportunities while also providing habitats for wildlife,” she said.

Keys said that TxN would like to see other municipalities replicate what TRWD and NTMWD have done to positively impact the communities, economies and natural resources of their cities.

“We would like to see stewardship efforts for existing wetlands to maintain their healthy ecosystems in order to sustain their environmental and economic benefits for generations to come.”

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Texas Water Journal publishes first program review in Volume 10, Number 1 http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/march/texas-water-journal-publishes-first-program-review-of-volume-10-number-1/ Wed, 06 Mar 2019 13:51:06 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/march/texas-water-journal-publishes-first-program-review-of-volume-10-number-1/ The Texas Water Journal published the first program review in the Volume 10, Number 1, 2019 issue titled “An Internet for Water: Connecting Texas Water Data” by Dr. Rudolph A. Rosen, Sam Marie Hermitte, Dr. Suzanne Pierce, Sarah Richards, Dr. Susan V. Roberts and includes an editor’s note by Dr. Robert E. Mace.

This program review is a summary of the discussion at The Connecting Texas Water Data Workshop, which brought together experts representative of Texas’ water sectors. According to the abstract, these experts identified critical water data needs and discussed the design of a data system that facilitates access to and the use of public water data in Texas. They described desires for future water data management, access practices and key attributes of a comprehensive, open access, public water data information system. Then, steps were outlined to include a subset of workshop participants meeting regularly to further define the goals of a Texas public water data hub, develop a strawman of the hub’s structure, characterize several use cases and facilitate development of pilot projects that demonstrate the value of connected public water data for improved decision-making.

The journal, an online, peer-reviewed journal published by the nonprofit The Texas Water Journal and the Texas Water Resources Institute, publishes papers as they are complete. It is devoted to the timely consideration of Texas water resources management, research and policy issues from a multidisciplinary perspective that integrates science, engineering, law, planning and other disciplines. It also provides updates on key state legislation and policy changes by Texas administrative agencies.

Subscribe to receive emails when papers are published.

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Grain sorghum irrigation water-use efficiency dependent on weather conditions http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/march/grain-sorghum-irrigation-water-use-efficiency-dependent-on-weather-conditions/ Wed, 06 Mar 2019 13:50:22 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/march/grain-sorghum-irrigation-water-use-efficiency-dependent-on-weather-conditions/ Grain sorghum production is highly susceptible to changes in climatic conditions, more so than to different irrigation regiments a producer might implement on the crop, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Research modeling study.

The results of the study, “Simulation of efficient irrigation management strategies for grain sorghum production over different climate variability classes,” were recently published in Agricultural Systems journal.

Dr. Srinivasulu Ale, an AgriLife Research geospatial hydrologist in Vernon, completed the study with Kritika Kothari, a doctoral student, and Dr. Clyde Munster, senior professor, both in the Texas A&M Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, College Station.

Other collaborators were Jim Bordovsky, AgriLife Research at Halfway; Dr. Dana Porter, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Lubbock; and Kelly Thorp, U.S. Department of Agriculture Arid Land Agricultural Research Center, Arizona.

The Ogallala Aquifer Program provided partial funding for this study.

Ale said efficient use of irrigation water is critical for the sustainability of agriculture in the Texas High Plains. Grain sorghum is one of the major crops grown in the region, and it is known for its drought tolerance and lower water requirement compared to other cereal crops.

Several irrigation management scenarios were simulated in the study to suggest optimum irrigation management decisions for grain sorghum production in the region.

The differences in grain sorghum yield and water-use efficiency were greater across climate variability classes than between irrigation scenarios, suggesting that grain sorghum production is highly susceptible to changes in climatic conditions.

Read the full AgriLife Today article

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Two Nations, One Water Conference to explore adaptive water strategies for drought http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/march/two-nations-one-water-conference-to-explore-adaptive-water-strategies-for-drought/ Wed, 06 Mar 2019 13:48:40 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/march/two-nations-one-water-conference-to-explore-adaptive-water-strategies-for-drought/ More than 40 speakers, panelists and moderators will present current information, ideas and realities that face the Rio Grande and the states and countries that share its water at a two-day conference April 23-25 in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

The conference, “Two Nations, One Water: US-Mexico Border Water Summit 2019,” will explore adaptive water strategies for managing drought at the triple point of New Mexico, Texas and Chihuahua.

Hosted by the New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute and co-hosted by the University of Texas at El Paso, New Mexico State University and Texas A&M University, the conference will be at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum, 4100 Dripping Springs Rd.

Agenda topics include:

  • Climate change and the Rio Grande
  • Understanding transboundary aquifers
  • Innovative technologies for new water supplies
  • Lessons from experiences throughout the West
  • Embracing One Water
  • Water policy to address change
  • Managing salinity

Participants can register here. Students can submit poster abstracts relating to the conference theme of adaptive water strategies for managing drought at the triple point of New Mexico, Texas and Chihuahua. Deadline to mail abstracts is April 1 and abstracts should be emailed to Catherine Ortega Klett at coklett@nmsu.edu.

For more information, visit the conference website.

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Conference to focus on sustainable water management practices for southern United States http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/march/conference-to-focus-on-sustainable-water-management-practices-for-southern-us/ Wed, 06 Mar 2019 13:48:16 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/march/conference-to-focus-on-sustainable-water-management-practices-for-southern-us/ The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is hosting the Southern Region Water Conference, “Improving Adoption of Sustainable Water Management Practices,” July 23-25 at the Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center, 177 Joe Routt Blvd. in College Station.

Dr. Drew Gholson, AgriLife Extension program specialist, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences and conference organizer, said the conference is designed to provide relevant information to farmers and ranchers, agricultural professionals, researchers, agency representatives and students about optimizing water-use efficiency and protecting water quality in the south.

“This conference will have farmers and specialists describing practices and research with direct application to agricultural enterprises,” Gholson said. “Ag producers and water resource professionals will be addressing barriers to water-use efficiency, the use of effective techniques and adoption of new practices."

The deadline for the submission of abstracts for oral presentations, poster sessions or a workshop is March 29 and can be submitted online

“This conference is intended to be practical with presentations that skip the complicated charts and use straightforward communication styles to deliver relevant information for the farmer,” Gholson said.

Early registration is $150 for general attendees, $75 for farmers and producers and $25 for students. After May 15, registration is $200 for general attendees, $100 for farmers and producers and $50 for students. Registration is available online.

Conference topics include:

  • Irrigation water management
  • Nutrient and pest control to protect water quality
  • Water considerations around the home, including:
    • Private water well management
    • Protecting drinking water supplies
    • Septic system management
    • Turf management and irrigation
    • Rainwater harvesting
  • Soil health, including:
    • Cover crops, conservation tillage, no-till
  • Watershed management, including:
    • Fish and wildlife water needs and restoring fish and aquatic habitat
    • Forest management related to water issues
  • Programs/incentives for growers, including:
    • New Farm Bill programs
    • U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service programs
    • Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) opportunities

The conference is a collaboration between SARE and:

  • AgriLife Extension
  • Prairie View A&M University Cooperative Extension Program
  • Mississippi State University Extension
  • University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment
  • North Carolina State Extension
  • University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension
  • University of Georgia Extension
  • Oklahoma Water Resources Center
  • Alabama Cooperative Extension of Alabama A&M University and Auburn University
  • Louisiana State University Ag Center
  • Texas Water Resources Institute

The conference is supported in part by Southern SARE project #LS18-288.

For more information or questions, contact Gholson at dgholson@tamu.edu or 979-845-1461. 

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New CAST paper published on impact of aquifer depletion on U.S. agriculture http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/march/new-cast-paper-published/ Wed, 06 Mar 2019 13:47:56 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/march/new-cast-paper-published/ A new Council of Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) paper, authored by a task force of university and government researchers, explores the long-term impact of aquifer depletion on U.S. agriculture, suggesting that increased competition for the use of water from aquifers may negatively affect future agricultural practices in drier regions of the United States.

The paper, “Aquifer Depletion and Potential Impacts on Long-term Irrigated Agricultural Productivity” was authored by Dr. John Tracy, Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) director and task force chair. Other members are Dr. Jennifer Johnson, Bureau of Reclamation River and Reservoir Operations; Dr. Leonard Konikow, U.S. Geological Survey (retired); Dr. Gretchen Miller, Texas A&M University Department of Civil Engineering; Dr. Dana Osborne Porter, Texas A&M Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering; Dr. Zhuping Sheng, Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center at El Paso; and Steve Sibray, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

The paper reviews the causes and consequences of groundwater depletion with a focus on the depletion’s impacts to agriculture as the largest sector of groundwater use.

Agriculture’s large-scale depletion of groundwater began in the 1950s and tripled by the 1990s with approximately 71 percent directed toward irrigating crops. As the U.S. population increases, demands for more food production and water supplies will stress valuable water resources, especially in locations sensitive to droughts.

The U.S. aquifer system with the greatest long-term groundwater storage depletion is the Ogallala Aquifer in the Great Plains region of the United States where groundwater levels have declined by more than 50 meters (150 feet) in some areas, according to the paper.

The most obvious consequences of depleting groundwater resources, according to the paper, are the loss of a long-term water supply and the increased costs of pumping groundwater as the water table declines further below the ground surface. Other consequences include reduced flow to surface water systems and ecosystems; loss of productivity of groundwater wells; subsidence of land and ground failures; and degradation of groundwater quality.

Tracy stressed the long-term consequences are apparent and must be addressed carefully to avoid abusing this water resource.

“There is no silver bullet to address groundwater depletion and its consequences,” Tracy said. “It requires a unique approach to be developed for each situation. We must be prepared to address this problem over the long haul and avoid promoting policies that focus on quick fixes that will ultimately fail.”

Paper highlights include the following:

  • An overview of groundwater and its use in the United States
  • An outline of geographical areas impacted by groundwater use
  • Consequences from depleting aquifers
  • Mitigation efforts to reverse groundwater depletion
  • A case study on the causes, consequences and mitigation of groundwater depletion

Download the Ag quickCAST summary and the full issue paper.

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Water Daze lectures, student poster competition set for March 27 at Texas A&M http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/march/water-daze-lectures-student-poster-competition-set-for-march-27-at-texas-am/ Wed, 06 Mar 2019 13:47:35 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/march/water-daze-lectures-student-poster-competition-set-for-march-27-at-texas-am/ The Water Management and Hydrological Science (WMHS) program at Texas A&M University is hosting Water Daze, a student poster competition and water lectures, March 27 on the Texas A&M campus.

The poster competition, open to any Texas A&M graduate or undergraduate student, will be in the Memorial Student Center’s 12th Man Hall from 9 a.m. to noon, with judging at 10 a.m.

Dr. Prakash Khedun, the WMHS program coordinator, said any Texas A&M graduate and undergraduate student is encouraged to prepare a poster addressing a water issue or problem with suggested solutions. Texas A&M student organizations doing outreach about water issues can also submit posters to highlight their activities, he said.

A team of faculty and other water professionals will judge the posters. First, second and third place winners will receive a monetary prize. Poster winners will be announced during the water lecture.

The poster submission deadline is Sunday, March 24 at midnight. More information on poster submission guidelines and registration is available at twri.tamu.edu/water-daze/register.

The lectures will be at 2:30 p.m. in Rudder Tower, room 401.

Kathleen Jackson, a member of the Texas Water Development Board, an internationally and nationally recognized state water planning and financing agency, will speak on “Planning for Flood Prevention, Protection and Mitigation in Texas: Current and Proposed State Plans and Programs.”

Jackson was originally appointed to the board in 2014 by Gov. Rick Perry and reappointed in 2017 by Gov. Greg Abbott. As a board member, Jackson travels the state working with agricultural, environmental, municipal and industrial interests on water conservation, development projects and conveying these interests to the Board. She has served in a leadership role on a number of local water organizations including the Lower Neches Valley River Authority, the Texas Water Conservation Association and participated on the Sabine and Neches River Environmental Flows Committee.

Dr. Rosario Sanchez, a senior research scientist at the Texas Water Resources Institute and associated graduate faculty in the WMHS program, will lecture on “Texas/Mexico Shared Aquifers: Moving Beyond Delineation to Management,” following Jackson’s lecture.

Sanchez is the leader of the Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program (TAAP) for the State of Texas. Sanchez published the first map of transboundary aquifers between Mexico and the United States that has been recognized by the Congressional Research Service of the U.S. Congress. She is currently leading research and cooperation efforts on binational networking of transboundary groundwater resources between Mexico and Texas.

The Water Daze lectures and student poster competition are sponsored by the WMHS program, the Texas Water Resources Institute and the Texas A&M University School of Law.

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txH2O highlight: Underground and Under Scrutiny http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/march/txh2o-highlight-underground-and-under-scrutiny/ Wed, 06 Mar 2019 13:47:12 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/march/txh2o-highlight-underground-and-under-scrutiny/ This month’s txH2O highlight was chosen with Groundwater Awareness Week (March 11-15) in mind. Underground and Under Scrutiny from the Summer 2014 groundwater issue of txH2O examines the options for keeping the growing number of residents in Texas supplied with water.

Groundwater is a major water supply source for residents in Texas, but groundwater supplies are projected to decrease because of depletion from the Ogallala Aquifer and the Gulf Coast Aquifer.

A solution to aquifer depletion that is gaining popularity among water districts is aquifer storage and recovery (ASR).

According to the article, ASR systems inject excess water into aquifers and pull it back out in times of need, storing water more efficiently than surface reservoirs by avoiding evaporation.

Some other topics discussed in this article include desalinating brackish groundwater, groundwater management and ownership, factors influencing groundwater recharge and the impact of more frequent and intense climate extremes.

Read more about these topics in the full article, Underground and Under Scrutiny.

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Kentucky water director reflects on 40 years of modeling at seminar - By Kathy Wythe http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/march/kentucky-water-director-seminar/ Wed, 06 Mar 2019 13:46:28 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/march/kentucky-water-director-seminar/ Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute Director and modeler Dr. Lindell Ormsbee cautioned researchers to strive to develop useful but not too complex models at a recent seminar at the Texas Water Resources Institute in College Station.

“We can make models to be so complex but not useful,” Ormsbee said. “All models are approximations. Our objective of modeling is to develop a useful model: a tool that helps obtain a better solution to an actual problem.”

Ormsbee presented his seminar, “Reflections on 40 Years of Mathematical Modeling of Water Resource Systems: What Makes a Useful Model?” as part of his Texas A&M University campus visit in February.

He examined the applied, theoretical and academic motivations for mathematical models for water resource systems along with specific examples from each category. 

He presented general questions for use in evaluating model usefulness expressed as a balance between model accuracy and model complexity, along with some general rules for model development and application in each category. 

In addition to questioning the usefulness of the model, Ormsbee said researchers should question whether they have fallen into the trap of believing the approximated model is reality.

Citing a model used in a Kentucky watershed, he said the model had incorrect data and consequently lost all validity with the stakeholders in the area. He cautioned that researchers should make sure the model is consistent with the scientific theory applicable to the problem and understand the limitations or assumptions of the model.

Ormsbee said when working with models researchers should ask: Have I identified the real problem? He cited another case study where the modelers were looking at incorrect data. That project was “a cautionary tale about always double-checking your data, making sure of what you are modeling and making sure you understand the problem,” he said.

He said researchers should also ask the question: Does my model lead to a change in the original problem definition? “Sometimes models can be used to define or identify the problem as opposed to solving them,” he said. “Make sure you verify the problem to be solved before embarking on building a model.”

He said researchers should always start with the problem and then select the model, not the other way around.

Additional questions that Ormsbee said are essential when working with models include: Do the errors or uncertainty in my model exceed the relative improvement obtained by optimization? Have I verified my model against a robust data set? Is my model too complex? Am I comparing my model’s performance against the simplest available useful model?

Ormsbee is the Raymond-Blythe Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Kentucky. He also currently serves as the executive director of the Tracy Farmer Institute for Sustainability and the Environment and the associate director of the University of Kentucky Superfund Research Center.

As director of the Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, he has been involved in a water infrastructure program, providing technical support and modeling for small water utilities; a watershed management program, helping develop total maximum daily loads and watershed management plans; and a water sustainability program.

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Meet the Scientist: Rebecca Grubbs-Bowling - By Bianca Calderon http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/march/meet-a-scientist-rebecca-grubbs-bowling/ Wed, 06 Mar 2019 09:44:05 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/march/meet-a-scientist-rebecca-grubbs-bowling/ From Lubbock to Athens, and now College Station, Dr. Rebecca Grubbs-Bowling, Texas A&M University assistant professor and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service turfgrass specialist in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, helps Texans better understand their turfgrass.

Grubbs-Bowling began her educational journey at Texas Tech University where she gained both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in horticulture. She later received her doctorate in crop and soil sciences at the University of Georgia (UGA) where she researched environmental turfgrass science including precision turfgrass management and improved resource-use efficiency.

Her UGA research also had a social component in which she worked directly with homeowners to better understand the priorities that drove their lawn care decisions.

Since starting at Texas A&M last April, Grubbs-Bowling has worked on various projects that provide research-based education and outreach for homeowners as well as professional turfgrass managers and producers.

AgriLife Extension education and outreach projects include the program “Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters,” geared particularly toward homeowners.

The program provides educational workshops and outreach tools needed for homeowners to use the best management practices for residential landscapes. It focuses on protecting water quality by reducing runoff through rainwater capture and providing information on ecologically appropriate quantities and timing of inputs to residential lawns in the watersheds.

Grubbs-Bowling also coordinates the Texas A&M Turfgrass Ecology and Management Short Course, a professional development tool for turfgrass managers throughout the state. She said the four-day short course allows an in-depth understanding of turfgrass systems, with the course’s main goal being to improve resource-use efficiency.

Resource-use efficiency is research or outreach designed to improve how efficiently resources are being used in management, Grubbs-Bowling said. It can refer to any resource inputs: water, nutrients, fossil fuels and more.

“Our objective is to empower turfgrass managers to make confident, well-informed decisions through a combination of applied and theoretical knowledge,” she said. “There’s a desire on our end as turfgrass researchers throughout the country to not only improve the management practices that are being done but also improve the quality of the grasses as a whole so that fewer inputs can go into them."

With the turf industry contributing about $6 billion annually to Texas’ economy, Grubbs-Bowling said everyone is involved in some way or another with turfgrass, whether it is a homeowner or golf course superintendent.

She said it is important to communicate to landscapers, homebuilders and communities that the key to a more water-conscious landscape is to focus on growing a healthy, vigorous root system. Deep, well-developed turfgrass roots are known to offer a number of water-related benefits including improved water infiltration and stress response. With a healthy root system, turfgrass will often be able to better withstand drought or flooding.

“No matter how small your little piece of Texas is, you have the power to have an impact on our resources and environment,” she said. 

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Texas Water Journal publishes first article and commentary of Volume 10, Number 1 http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/february/texas-water-journal-publishes-first-article-of-volume-10-number-1/ Thu, 31 Jan 2019 13:45:48 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/february/texas-water-journal-publishes-first-article-of-volume-10-number-1/ The Texas Water Journal published the first papers for the Volume 10, Number 1, 2019 issue: an article titled “A Refined Hydrogeologic Framework Model for Gaines, Terry, and Yoakum Counties, Texas” by Jonathan V. Thomas, Andrew P. Teeple, Jason D. Payne, and Scott J. Ikard, and a commentary titled "Water Fuels our Future" by Charles Perry, Senator, Texas Senate; Chairman, Senate Committee on Water and Rural Affairs.

The article examines the declining groundwater levels in Gaines, Yoakum, and Terry counties in the Southern High Plains. It focuses on concerns about the amount of available groundwater and the potential for water-quality changes resulting from dewatering and increased vertical groundwater movement between adjacent water-bearing hydrogeologic units, according to the abstract. More than 11,500 well records containing pertinent data were compiled, including data delineating the vertical extents of wells penetrating one or more of the units. Additional geophysical data were collected to improve the spatial coverage of available data across the study area and to reduce uncertainty regarding hydrogeologic unit extents. Read more about the changes in groundwater levels in the Southern High Plains by clicking the title link above.

The commentary outlines water and flooding legislation Senator Perry has filed in the 86th Texas Legislature.

The journal, an online, peer-reviewed journal published by the nonprofit The Texas Water Journal and the Texas Water Resources Institute, publishes papers as they are complete. It is devoted to the timely consideration of Texas water resources management, research and policy issues from a multidisciplinary perspective that integrates science, engineering, law, planning and other disciplines. It also provides updates on key state legislation and policy changes by Texas administrative agencies.

Subscribe to receive emails when papers are published.

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AgriLife Research joins partnership to promote food, water security and international development http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/february/agrilife-research-joins-partnership-to-promote-food-water-security-and-international-development/ Thu, 31 Jan 2019 13:45:36 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/february/agrilife-research-joins-partnership-to-promote-food-water-security-and-international-development/ Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Australia’s Department of Agriculture and Water Resources have entered into a cooperative research initiative to promote food, water security and international development.

The agreement will promote mutual cooperation in the areas of agricultural teaching, research and extension. The activities will promote food, water security and international development and strengthen education and research in agriculture, food, water and life sciences.

Joint research and meetings related to education and outreach, along with developing publications and other information for educational outreach, will be among the proposed collaborative activities.

Read the full AgriLife Today story.

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Riparian, stream ecosystem workshop set for March 6 in Bandera http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/february/riparian-stream-ecosystem-workshop-set-for-march-6-in-bandera/ Thu, 31 Jan 2019 13:45:19 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/february/riparian-stream-ecosystem-workshop-set-for-march-6-in-bandera/ The Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) will host a free Texas Riparian and Stream Ecosystem Education Program workshop from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. March 6 in Bandera for area residents interested in land and water stewardship in Bandera County.

The morning session will be at the Recreation Hall at Mansfield Park, 355 W. A Mansfield Road. The afternoon session will include a walk and presentations along the Medina River.

Clare Entwistle, TWRI research associate, San Antonio, said the workshop is co-hosted locally by the Bandera County River Authority and Groundwater District (BCRAGD) and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Bandera County.

Attendees must RSVP by March 1 online, to Entwistle at 210-277-0292 ext. 205, or clare.entwistle@ag.tamu.edu.

The program will include a lunchtime presentation. The BCRAGD is sponsoring a catered lunch or participants may bring their own lunch.

Corrina Fox, BCRAGD education and outreach coordinator, said the BCRAGD is actively involved in the Clean Rivers Program in the Medina and Sabinal River basins. The district also maintains in-house surface water quality programs for Bandera County, focusing on recreational sites in the county, including Medina Lake.

Fox said BCRAGD along with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department collaborate with county landowners to remove and control Arundo donax. The district also operates an illegal dumping litter abatement program to protect local streams as well as groundwater resources.

Entwistle said proper management, protection and restoration of these areas directly influences water quality and quantity, plus stabilizes stream banks and improves fish and aquatic habitats and communities.

“The goal of the workshop is for participants to better understand riparian and watershed processes, the benefits of healthy riparian areas and what resources are available to prevent degradation while improving water quality,” she said.

Entwistle said the institute is able to offer the workshop without cost thanks to program funding provided through a Clean Water Act nonpoint source grant from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Michael Haynes, AgriLife Extension agent for Bandera County, said participants will receive a certificate of completion and appropriate continuing education unit certificates at the conclusion of the training.

The workshop offers many types of continuing education units, including three units—two general and one integrated pest management—for Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide license holders. It offers one unit from the TWRI, seven credits from Texas Floodplain Management Association, seven hours for Certified Crop Advisors, seven hours from the Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying and six hours for Texas Nutrient Management Planning specialists. The program may also be used for continuing education units for professional engineers.

The riparian education program is managed by TWRI.

For more information, visit the Bandera training page, contact Entwistle or visit http://texasriparian.org or go to Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TexasRiparianAssociation.

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International scientists to speak on cross-border water issues, March 25-27 in Fort Worth, College Station - By Kathy Wythe http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/february/international-scientists-to-speak-on-cross-border-water-issues-march-25-27-in-fort-worth-college-station/ Thu, 31 Jan 2019 13:45:04 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/february/international-scientists-to-speak-on-cross-border-water-issues-march-25-27-in-fort-worth-college-station/ The Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI), Texas A&M University School of Law and Texas A&M University Water Management and Hydrological Science program are hosting the 6th annual Water Lecture Series, March 25-27.

Ambassador (Ret) Ram Aviram, lead consultant for BIT Consultancy of Israel, and Dr. Francesco Sindico of the University of Stathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, will speak March 25 at the School of Law, Fort Worth, and March 26 at Texas A&M University, College Station.

The March 25 lecture will be at 4-6 p.m. in the School of Law’s Conference Center, 1515 Commerce Street. Registration and more information is available here.

Aviram and Sindico will speak at 2 p.m. March 26 in Texas A&M’s Memorial Student Center with a Global Water Faculty panel discussion following from 4-5:30 p.m. The room and time are currently being confirmed. More information and confirmed times and room will be available on the TWRI website or by contacting Dr. Rosario Sanchez or Nathan Glavy of TWRI.

Aviram has extensive diplomatic and administrative experience in the water sector. He served in Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 25 years, including as chief of staff for H.E. Shimon Peres, ambassador to Greece, director of Israel's Multilateral Water Negotiation Team, and founder and first director of the Water and Environment Department, which initiated and established significant regional water projects, such as the Middle East Desalination Research Center in Muscat, Oman. Since his retirement from foreign service, he has been active on various water-related projects, including the Red-Dead canal, rehabilitation of the Lower Jordan River and the water utility of Thessaloniki.

Sindico is a reader in international environmental law at the University of Strathclyde Glasgow, School of Law and co-directs the Strathclyde Centre for Environmental Law and Governance. He is also an honorary lecturer in international law at the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy of the University of Dundee, Scotland, and a visiting lecturer in climate change law and policy at the Institute for Environment of Brunel University, London, United Kingdom. Sindico’s expertise encompasses international environmental law and international trade law, and he is particularly known for his work on the international law of transboundary aquifers. He has served as a legal advisor to governments and nongovernmental organizations and has secured extensive funded research projects on various global and regional environmental and water issues.

The annual Water Daze event, a student competition and lecture, is set for March 27 on the Texas A&M campus. The poster competition will be from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. followed by a lecture on Texas and Mexico water issues. Speakers, place and time for Water Daze are still being confirmed. As more information becomes available, it will be posted on the TWRI website.

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Water well owner training set for Feb. 22 in Marlin http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/february/water-well-owner-training-set-for-feb-22-in-marlin/ Thu, 31 Jan 2019 13:44:30 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/february/water-well-owner-training-set-for-feb-22-in-marlin/ A Texas Well Owner Network (TWON) training has been scheduled for 1-5 p.m. Feb. 22 at the Falls County Courthouse, 125 Bridge St., County Court Room 110 in Marlin.

The “Well Educated” training is free and open to the public.

Dr. Drew Gholson, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program specialist and TWON coordinator, College Station, said the TWON program is for Texas residents who depend on household wells for their water needs.

“The program was established to help well owners become familiar with Texas groundwater resources, septic system maintenance, well maintenance and construction, and water quality and treatment,” he said. “It allows them to learn more about how to improve and protect their community water resources.”

He said participants may bring well-water samples to the training for screening at a cost of $10 per sample, due when samples are turned in.

“Water samples will be screened for nitrates, total dissolved solids and bacteria,” Gholson said.

Well owners who would like to have their well water sampled can pick up two sample containers from the AgriLife Extension office in Falls County, 125 Bridge St. #101 and the AgriLife Extension office in Robertson County, 2458 N. Farm-to-Market 46.

Gholson said bringing water samples to the training is not required, but those wanting to have water samples analyzed must attend.

Attendees can register at http://twon.tamu.edu/training or by calling 979-845-1461.

“The training is one of several being conducted statewide through the TWON project.” Gholson said. “The core content is the same as other trainings, but the information is tailored to local water quality issues and aquifers.”

Gholson said more than a million private water wells in Texas provide water to citizens in rural areas and increasingly to those living on small acreages at the growing rural-urban interface. Private well owners are independently responsible for monitoring the quality of their wells.

“They are responsible for all aspects of ensuring their drinking water system is safe – testing, inspecting, maintaining it,” Gholson said. “This training will help private well owners to understand and care for their wells.”

Funding for TWON is through a Clean Water Act nonpoint source grant provided by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The project is managed by the Texas Water Resources Institute.

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Institute to hold water quality meeting in Rogers http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/february/institute-to-hold-water-quality-meeting-in-rogers/ Thu, 31 Jan 2019 13:44:15 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/february/institute-to-hold-water-quality-meeting-in-rogers/ The Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) is hosting a meeting Feb. 19 in Rogers for anyone interested in joining a partnership to improve and protect water quality in the Big Elm Creek watershed.

The meeting, free and open to the public, will be at 1 p.m. at the First Baptist Church, 5 W. Prairie Ave.

Dr. Allen Berthold, TWRI senior research scientist, said the meeting is the second in a series with local stakeholders to address water quality impairments in Big Elm Creek, a major tributary of Little River in Central Texas.

“Bacteria concentrations in Big Elm Creek currently exceed the state water quality standard for recreation,” he said.

Ed Rhodes, TWRI research associate, College Station, said TWRI will work with local landowners, agricultural producers, residents, governmental entities and other stakeholders to develop a strategic plan to reduce these pollutants in the watershed.

“The first step to improving water quality is to get local feedback and participation in designing a voluntary work plan that addresses possible sources of bacteria,” he said. “The local stakeholders in the partnership will develop and implement that plan to improve water quality and reduce bacteria levels in the creek.”

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is supporting stakeholder engagement activities for the Big Elm Creek watershed with funding provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through a Clean Water Act grant.

For more information, visit the project website or contact Rhodes at edward.rhodes@ag.tamu.edu.

Read the AgriLife Today article.

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txH2O highlight: Breaking Barriers http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/february/txh2o-highlight-breaking-barriers/ Thu, 31 Jan 2019 13:43:32 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/february/txh2o-highlight-breaking-barriers/ This month’s txH2O highlight focuses on a Texas wetland restoration project. The saltwater marsh, known as Magic Ridge Marsh in Magnolia Beach, Texas, covers roughly 14 square miles, stretching from Magnolia Beach to Indianola in Calhoun County.

These wetlands connect to Matagorda Bay, but blocked tidal flow caused steady degradation to Magic Ridge Marsh, leading to large vegetative and ecosystem losses over time.

The northern and southern inlets to the marsh were being blocked by manmade barriers—remnants of berms and roads built by immigrants who landed on Magnolia Beach and migrated to Central Texas in the early 1800s, according to Dr. Rusty Feagin, coastal scientist in Texas A&M University’s Department of Ecosystem Science and Management.

The additional buildup of oysters growing and dying on the structures further obstructed the inlets, and the barriers acted like small dams, Feagin said, preventing water from flowing into the marsh.

“The water leaves, but the salt stays, and it just gets more and more salty,” Feagin said. “Even if you bring more tidal water in and you block it up again, over time you’re just making it hypersaline.”

Over the years, blocked channels and stagnant, salty waters caused the marsh to degrade.

Read more about the return of the tide and successful restoration of Magic Ridge Marsh in the full article, Breaking Barriers.

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Feb. 19 program to focus on managing drought in the middle Rio Grande Basin http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/february/feb-19-program-to-focus-on-managing-drought-in-the-middle-rio-grande-basin/ Thu, 31 Jan 2019 13:43:16 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/february/feb-19-program-to-focus-on-managing-drought-in-the-middle-rio-grande-basin/ An educational program called “Managing Under Drought: Water Management Information for Growers in the Middle Rio Grande” will be offered Feb. 19 in El Paso.

The program is free and will be from 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center in El Paso, 1380 A&M Circle.

The Texas Water Resources Institute, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Center for Environmental Resource Management at the University of Texas at El Paso will host the program.

Dr. Askarali Karimov of Texas A&M University’s Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, said speakers will present research results of two Rio Grande-related projects. The projects address salinity, alternative crops, marketing and economics, and the impact of drought on future water availability in the middle section of the basin.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) project, “Diversifying the Water Portfolio for Agriculture in the Rio Grande Basin,” is led by TWRI director Dr. John Tracy. The USDA-funded project, “Sustainable water resources for irrigated agriculture in a desert river basin facing drought and competing demands,” is led by Dr. Bill Hargrove, director of the University of Texas at El Paso Center for Environmental Resource Management.

Program topics and speakers will be:

  • Salinity issues on the Rio Grande, Dr. Zhuping Sheng, professor and resident director, El Paso center 
  • Salinity modeling, Dr. Suarav Kumar, research assistant professor, University of Texas at El Paso
  • Salt tolerant, alternative crops, Dr. Girisha Ganjegunte, associate professor, El Paso center
  • Marketing and economics on salinity, salt tolerant and alternative crops, Dr. Samuel Zapata, AgriLife Extension specialist, Weslaco, and Dr. Gregory Torell, assistant professor, El Paso center.
  • Drought and climate projection modeling results for the Rio Grande, Dr. Caiti Steele, USDA Agricultural Research Service Climate Hub, Las Cruces, New Mexico

Jesus Reyes, El Paso County Water Improvement District No.1 general manager, will give district updates during a catered lunch.

Orlando Flores, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent in El Paso County, will conclude the program with Extension program updates.

For more information, contact Karimov at 979-412-9919 or Flores at 915-771-2354.

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Deadline for USGS 104G Water Resources National Competitive Grant pre-proposals Feb. 15 http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/february/deadline-for-usgs-104g-water-resources-national-competitive-grant-pre-proposals-feb-15/ Thu, 31 Jan 2019 13:43:03 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/february/deadline-for-usgs-104g-water-resources-national-competitive-grant-pre-proposals-feb-15/ The deadline for the pre-proposals for the FY 2019 National Competitive Grant Program by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the National Institutes for Water Resources is due by Feb. 15.

Pre-proposals in PDF format must be emailed to the TWRI Director Dr. John Tracy at John.Tracy@ag.tamu.edu by 4 p.m. (Central Time), Feb. 15.

A copy of the draft RFP is available. Additional information about research priorities, proposal content, format and review process are available in the RFP. Visit this page for more information.

Questions regarding this grant program can be directed to Dr. Tracy at John.Tracy@ag.tamu.edu or 979.842.7221.

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Playas: Refilling the Ogallala Aquifer? - By Sarah Richardson http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/february/playas-refilling-the-ogallala-aquifer/ Thu, 31 Jan 2019 13:42:42 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/february/playas-refilling-the-ogallala-aquifer/ We recharge our phones and electronics every day, but did you know that there are ways to recharge the amount of water stored in the ground?

Recharging the Ogallala Aquifer is the goal for the Texas Playa Conservation Initiative (TxPCI), a partnership of six organizations including Texas Parks and Wildlife, Playa Lakes Joint Venture, U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ducks Unlimited and Texan by Nature (TxN).

TxN is a nonprofit whose mission is to bring business and conservation together to amplify Texan-led, science-based projects that benefit the people, prosperity and natural resources of the state.

“The goal of TxPCI is to restore playas and increase awareness among the public of the important role playas play in their daily lives,” said Jenny Burden, TxN’s program manager for TxCPI. “Many people may not be aware of where their water comes from or that water supplies are not infinite. By spreading that message, TxPCI hopes to create an ethos of water conservation among citizens that benefits not only the playas, but also water usage and aquifer health as a whole.

“Currently, usage rates on the Ogallala Aquifer outpace its ability to recharge,” Burden said. “This issue is amplified by damage done to playa lakes. In their natural state, playas act as natural filters that not only provide water sources for wildlife on the surface but also recharge the aquifer as the water filters through cracks in the playas’ clay lining back into the aquifer.”

But what is a playa?

Burden explained that playa wetlands are temporary, clay-lined depressions ranging from a few acres to a couple hundred acres in size. “Their accumulation is solely dependent on runoff from heavy rain, and while some are dry for months at a time, when it does rain, they fill up and create temporary wetlands,” she said.

When it rains, water filters through the cracks and enters the aquifer. As the clay lining gets wet, these cracks swell and seal, cutting off access to the aquifer and allowing the shallow playas to remain temporarily full. When the water evaporates and drains, the cracks in the clay re-open and the cycle will repeat with the next rainfall.

Playa Illustration Of Aquifer RechargeCourtesy of Playa Lakes Joint Venture.

“Playas play a critical role in recharging the aquifer,” Burden said. Of the more than 80,000 playa wetlands found in North America, roughly 23,000 are found in northwest Texas. “These temporary wetlands, which can be very small all the way up to a couple hundred acres, are absolutely key to maintaining a sustainable water table.”

According to TxPCI’s website, wet playas attract thousands of ducks, geese and a variety of shorebirds during migrations, providing local hunting and birdwatching opportunities. Playas can also provide a living laboratory where students can learn about wetlands, geology and the history of the region.

In addition to these benefits, the water recharging through playas today will be available for use by the next generation.

Playas are very beneficial, providing up to 95 percent of an aquifer’s recharge, according to a TxN video about TxPCI. Burden said the water that recharges in Texas, stays in Texas as the flow rate in the aquifer is very slow. “Therefore, water saved by Texans is used by Texans.”

Burden said a playa has the potential of recharging over 80,000 gallons of water per acre per year.

“TxPCI has restored over 500 playa-acres of land in Texas so far, adding a potential 40 million gallons of water for recharge, depending on rainfall,” she said. “Considering the average person can use nearly 40,000 gallons of water per year on their own, these restored playas can help offset the impact of over 1,000 people. The more healthy playas available, the better the balance is between usage and recharge.

“Not only do cities use the aquifer for urban populations, but ranchers and farmers punch wells and pull from the water table to irrigate crops and water livestock,” Burden said. “That usage currently out-paces the ability of water to get back in the playa, making the water table more and more shallow. If water could recharge, that supply would be able to regenerate. 

“As populations increase in the area, so will demand for water,” she said. “Healthy playas ensure that water will be there to meet those needs.”

To help increase recharge rates to the aquifer and ensure a sustainable water source for the Panhandle, TxPCI works directly with landowners to restore playas to their natural condition. According to the video, many factors contributed to the decline in playa water levels and quality including over-grazing, older irrigation methods, silt deposit and erosion. These issues create pits and trenches within the playas, making them dysfunctional.

Texas Playa With BirdstpwdTexas playas are recharge points for the Ogallala Aquifer and provide important wildlife habitat.
Photo courtesy of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Burden said that playa restoration is available for any landowner or producer who believes they have a playa on their property. After contacting TxPCI, a biologist will assist the landowner with mapping and analysis of the playa to determine if it needs restoring. If restoration is necessary, TxPCI arranges for contractors to fill the pits and trenches in the playas, pays them and pays the landowner a per-acre incentive payment for their participation.

“Pushing dirt back in a pit is a simple, cost-effective solution that restores playa hydrology, allowing the playa to begin working again,” she said. “There is no work necessary on the landowners’ part, making it a very landowner-friendly program.”

TxN’s goal is to gain 20 percent of playa landowner participation in the next five years resulting in an estimated 969 million gallons of clean water annually restored to the aquifer.

“TxN got involved with TxPCI through their selection as a Conservation Wrangler project,” said Burden. “Conservation Wrangler projects amplify and accelerate existing conservation work in Texas.”

Each year, TxN chooses Conservation Wrangler projects based on metric-driven applications that showcases both the current and potential impact of an effort by a business or conservation group. Once chosen as a Conservation Wrangler project, TxN assisted TxPCI with community outreach through web content creation, social media and personal advocacy at public events.

Burden said that TxN’s unique position as a trusted organization among businesses in Texas allows it to open doors to projects and help them think bigger and more creatively about reaching its goals.

To learn more about the Ogallala Aquifer’s decline, read Texas Water Resources Institute’s Ogallala Aquifer-themed issue of txH2O magazine.

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TWJ publishes paper on surface water-groundwater interaction issues in Texas http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/january/twj-publishes-paper-on-surface-water-groundwater-interaction-issues-in-texas/ Tue, 08 Jan 2019 14:32:35 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/january/twj-publishes-paper-on-surface-water-groundwater-interaction-issues-in-texas/ The Texas Water Journal published the final paper for its Volume 9, Number 1, 2018 titled “Surface water-groundwater interaction issues in Texas” by Dr. Steven C. Young, Dr. Robert E. Mace and Carlos Rubinstein. The paper examines the interaction between the management of surface water rights by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and groundwater use permitted by groundwater conservation districts, where they exist in Texas.

This paper focuses on the complexity of both systems that are designed to manage water resources differently with specific emphasis on where surface water and groundwater interact, according to the abstract. Surface water-groundwater interactions have contributed to disputes over the actual ownership and right to water. The available science and the limitations of the models currently used to make water availability and permitting determinations are discussed, as are the investments in field data gathering and interpretation and model enhancements that can lead to better assessments of surface water-groundwater interactions and impacts.

The journal, an online, peer-reviewed journal published by the nonprofit The Texas Water Journal and the Texas Water Resources Institute, publishes papers as they are complete. It is devoted to the timely consideration of Texas water resources management, research and policy issues from a multidisciplinary perspective that integrates science, engineering, law, planning and other disciplines. It also provides updates on key state legislation and policy changes by Texas administrative agencies.

Subscribe to receive emails when papers are published.

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Harvey flooding continues to inspire disaster planning - By Kathy Wythe http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/january/harvey-flooding-continues-to-inspire-disaster-planning/ Tue, 08 Jan 2019 14:32:15 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/january/harvey-flooding-continues-to-inspire-disaster-planning/ Almost a year and a half after Hurricane Harvey and its torrential rains wreaked havoc on parts of Texas, the infamous hurricane and its ramifications are still in the news. Several reports relating to the hurricane or to flooding have recently been published and the 86th Texas Legislature Session, which opened Jan. 8, could possibly deal with related issues. 

In 2017, then Texas House Speaker Joe Strauss and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick charged House and Senate committees respectively to examine issues related to Harvey. The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Water & Rural Affairs recently issued its Interim Report: 2017 Hurricane Harvey Response to the 86th Legislature and the House Committee on Natural Resources published its Interim Report to the 86th Texas Legislature, which addresses flooding among other water issues.

In December 2018, the Governor’s Commission to Rebuild Texas, a commission formed by Gov. Greg Abbott to study the aftermaths of Hurricane Harvey, issued its report, “Eye of the Storm.” The commission’s role was to “oversee the response and relief effort between the state and local governments to ensure victims of the storm get everything they need as quickly as possible” and to be “involved in the rebuilding process, focusing on restoring roads, bridges, schools and government buildings in impacted communities.”

The report gives “wide-ranging recommendations to help Texas better prepare for future catastrophic storms in the wake of Hurricane Harvey,” according to the Governor’s office news release. A few recommendations are:

  • Form an ongoing recovery task force made up of county extension agents as well as staff from appropriate state agencies and nonprofit organizations;
  • Predesignate a group of experts ready to assemble immediately for large-scale disasters to help response and early recovery efforts function more efficiently;
  • Maintain a single, well-publicized state website for post-disaster information as well as investigate better use of 911, social media and mobile apps to communicate with the public and local officials;
  • Develop catastrophic debris management procedures, encouraging local jurisdictions to adopt debris management plans as well as establishing a contracting template to protect against unscrupulous contractors;
  • Expand the role of the Texas Department of Transportation in debris removal, a first during Harvey recovery, after future catastrophic storms; and
  • Create a case management program at the state level to replace the federal version to speed up the response to individual needs.

Also in December, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) released its State Flood Assessment, a report to the Texas Legislature that includes TWDB’s recommendation for statewide flood mitigation efforts. TWDB conducted online surveys and held workshops throughout the state to gather information and priorities from stakeholders.

According to its news release, TWDB recommends developing a foundation of flood risk management policies and goals, including improved flood mapping and modeling; coordinated watershed-based planning; and mitigation efforts, such as policy changes, increased technical assistance and financial assistance.

In November 2018 and coinciding with the aftermath of Harvey and its widespread flooding was a report issued by the Center for Texas Beaches and Shores at Texas A&M University, Galveston Campus and the Center for Disaster Resilience at the University of Maryland on the growing threat of urban flooding. Started in 2016, the study examined “the extent and consequences of urban flooding in the United States” and explored “what actions might be taken to mitigate this flooding in the future,” according to the report.

The report found that “flooding caused by an increasing number of intense storms is a national challenge and significant source of economic loss, social disruption and housing inequality across the United States,” according to a Texas A&M Today article.

The report made nine recommendations, including calling on the administration and Congress to bring together representatives from state, municipal and tribal governments, nongovernmental organizations and the public to define responsibilities and implement a variety of actions at the local level.

Texas A&M authors of the report include Dr. Sam Brody, Galveston and College Station campuses, Dr. Wesley Highfield, Galveston; Dr. Joshua Gunn, Galveston; Jayton Rainey, College Station; and Sherry Parker, Galveston.

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Texas Water Resources Institute to host watershed roundtable Jan. 31 in Waco http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/january/texas-water-resources-institute-to-host-watershed-roundtable-jan-31-in-waco/ Tue, 08 Jan 2019 14:29:23 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/january/texas-water-resources-institute-to-host-watershed-roundtable-jan-31-in-waco/ The Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) will host a Texas watershed coordinator roundtable Jan. 31 in Waco for water and natural resource professionals.

The free event will be from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at the Texas Farm Bureau Conference and Training Center, 7410 Fish Pond Road. 

Coordinators said the training is part of TWRI’s Texas Watershed Planning Program, designed for individuals interested in or responsible for watershed protection and restoration. The roundtable will include updates from representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and Texas A&M Forest Service as well as presentations on watershed protection planning, implementation and outreach.  

“These roundtables provide a forum for watershed coordinators where they can develop interactive solutions to common watershed issues faced throughout the state and receive program updates on a variety of issues,” said Nathan Glavy, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension program specialist for the institute.

A catered lunch is available for $10 or attendees may bring their own lunch. RSVP is required and participants may register online.

More information can be found at the Texas Watershed Planning website or by contacting Glavy.

This program is managed by TWRI and is funded through a Clean Water Act Section 319(h) nonpoint source grant provided by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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Screening of private water wells helps ensure water quality, human health after flooding http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/january/screening-of-private-water-wells-helps-ensure-water-quality-human-health-after-flooding/ Tue, 08 Jan 2019 14:29:03 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/january/screening-of-private-water-wells-helps-ensure-water-quality-human-health-after-flooding/ Results from Texas well water screenings in areas affected by flooding over the past few years show the importance of those screenings in helping ensure water quality and human health, said Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service personnel supporting the agency’s Texas Well Owner Network (TWON).

“Private water well owners whose wells have been flooded should assume their well water is contaminated until tested,” said Dr. Diane Boellstorff, AgriLife Extension water resource specialist in the department of soil and crop sciences, College Station. “You should not use water from a flooded well for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing your teeth or even bathing until you are satisfied it is not contaminated.”

Floodwater may contain substances from upstream, such as manure, sewage from flooded septic systems or other contaminants. There is no regulation or oversight for private wells, so well owners are independently responsible for monitoring their water quality, she said.

“A septic system near a well also can cause contamination when the well is flooded,” Boellstorff noted. “Well owners need to be concerned with E. coli because its presence indicates well water has been in contact with fecal waste from humans or other warm-blooded animals.”

John Smith, AgriLife Extension program specialist, College Station, said water contaminated with E. coli is more likely to have pathogens present that can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea or other symptoms in humans.

Since its inception in 2010, TWON has screened water samples from more than 10,000 wells throughout the state.

“As part of our outreach, each year the network offers many well water screenings and educational programs for private well owners throughout Texas,” said Dr. Drew Gholson, AgriLife Extension program specialist and TWON coordinator, College Station. “These are typically done in collaboration with the local AgriLife Extension office and, in some instances, emergency management personnel. With the amount and extent of flooding we’ve seen in the state over the past few years, we felt it was important and necessary to offer additional screenings in affected areas.”

For example, Gholson said, after Hurricane Harvey, the network responded and set up additional screenings in 24 counties that had experienced flooding. In all, samples from more 1,500 private water wells within the affected area were screened.

“We typically find 3-5 percent of well samples tested in our regular screenings are positive for E. coli,” he said. “But about 20 percent of the samples collected and screened from counties affected by flooding from Hurricane Harvey had E. coli. This means the likelihood of E. coli contamination in private water wells affected by flooding can be anywhere from four to seven times greater than under normal conditions.”

Gholson said such results, as well as those from recent screenings in the Texas Hill Country after that region experienced severe flooding, demonstrate the importance of having well water tested post-flooding.

“From the 18 well water samples from Burnet County we screened, one showed E. coli contamination,” he said. “Of the 77 samples from Llano County, 11 had E. coli contamination, and three of the 30 samples from Mason County were positive for E. coli. In San Saba County, five of 13 samples, or 38.5 percent, showed E. coli contamination. All together, these four counties had 138 well water samples screened, with 20 of them, or 14.5 percent, having E. coli.”

Read the entire AgriLife Today story.

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TWRI announces USGS 104G Water Resources National Competitive Grant http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/january/twri-announces-usgs-104g-water-resources-national-competitive-grant/ Tue, 08 Jan 2019 14:28:43 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/january/twri-announces-usgs-104g-water-resources-national-competitive-grant/ The Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) announces the release of the draft Request for Pre-proposals (RFP) for the FY 2019 National Competitive Grant Program by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the National Institutes for Water Resources. Pre-proposals are requested on the topics of improving and enhancing the nation’s water supply and availability. Any investigator at an institution of higher learning is eligible to apply. Projects will only be awarded if funds are appropriated to the USGS to support the program.

Pre-proposals may be for projects of 1 to 3 years in duration and may request up to $250,000 in federal funds and require a 1:1 match. Pre-proposals in PDF format must be emailed to the TWRI Director Dr. John Tracy at John.Tracy@ag.tamu.edu by 4 p.m., Feb. 15. Only pre-proposals filed by that time will be transmitted to the National Grants Competition Pre-Proposal Peer Review Panel. After pre-proposals from all states are reviewed, 30 pre-proposals will be invited to submit a full proposal to the National Grants Competition.

Additional information about research priorities, proposal content, format and review process are available in the RFP on the TWRI website. Questions regarding this grant program can be directed to Dr. Tracy at John.Tracy@ag.tamu.edu or 979.842.7221.

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Tracy named ISTPP Fellow in Bush School http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/january/tracy-named-istpp-fellow-in-bush-school/ Tue, 08 Jan 2019 14:28:17 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/january/tracy-named-istpp-fellow-in-bush-school/ Dr. John Tracy, Texas Water Resources Institute director, was recently selected as a fellow for the Institute for Science, Technology and Public Policy (ISTPP). He was one of 12 faculty members, 10 from Texas A&M University and two from other universities, chosen in January 2019 as part of the ISTPP Fellows Program.

The ISTPP is a nonpartisan interdisciplinary public policy research institute of the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M.

Fellows are chosen for a three-year term and are selected based on their involvement and collaborative working relationships with the ISTPP on interdisciplinary proposals, funded projects and publications as well as distinguished accomplishments within the individual's discipline.

According to Dr. Kent Portney, ISTPP director, Tracy was selected because of collaborative work on several projects coordinated by ISTPP. One of these projects, the United States–Mexico Transboundary Water Governance Initiative, focused on how water policy and management decisions are made on both sides of the border. 

“Our collaborations on water governance and transboundary water protection opens important and interesting avenues of research for the institute,” Portney said, adding that he looks forward to building on these efforts.

Read more about the ISTPP Fellows.

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A look back: txH<sub>2</sub>O Highlights http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/january/a-look-back-txh2o-highlights/ Tue, 08 Jan 2019 14:28:01 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/january/a-look-back-txh2o-highlights/ txH2O, a biannual magazine publication of the Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) since 2005, features stories on current water resources research and outreach programs and priority water issues facing Texas. This month, Conservation Matters is beginning a new series, txH2O Highlights, that looks back at some of the previous articles that are still relevant today.

Our first txH2O Highlight is an explainer about groundwater: Groundwater 101. This article, from the Summer 2014 issue, outlines groundwater terms, groundwater administration in Texas and the state agencies involved in groundwater.

For example, do you know the difference between a confined and unconfined aquifer? Or what a GAM is? And just how the Railroad Commission of Texas is involved in groundwater?

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter Conservation Matters to receive more txH2O Highlights!

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TWRI’s Year in Review: 2018 - By Sarah Richardson http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/january/twris-year-in-review-2018/ Tue, 08 Jan 2019 14:27:36 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2019/january/twris-year-in-review-2018/ For the Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI), 2018 marked another successful year of addressing Texas water resource issues.

The institute, under the direction of Dr. John Tracy, continued achieving its programmatic missions in research, outreach and education. TWRI serves as the lead unit in the Texas A&M University System (TAMUS), including Texas A&M AgriLife, to plan, facilitate and conduct research that aids in the resolution of regional, state, national and international water issues.

“We work with Texas A&M units to promote technology transfer, dissemination of research findings and aiding in the implementation of improved technology and management practices,” Tracy said.

Through experience-based learning and continuing education, TWRI provided training to water resource professionals and stakeholders.

Throughout the year the TWRI water team participated in numerous conferences including the Texas A&M College of Law’s annual Water Law Seminar, the American Water Resources Association (AWRA)’s Transboundary Groundwater Science and Management Conference, Two Nations One Water: U.S.-Mexico Border Water Summit, the Ogallala Water Coordinated Agricultural Project (CAP)’s Ogallala Water Summit and the Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts’ Texas Groundwater Summit.

In 2018, TWRI received $12,852,219 in grant funding to advance research in TAMUS water programs.

2018 Highlights

  • Served as lead or sub, for the fourth consecutive year, on a successful U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Water for Ag CAP grant; regions covered are the Rio Grande, Ogallala Aquifer and Gulf Coast
  • Published the Fall 2018 issue of txH2O, focused on enhanced water management across the Ogallala Aquifer
  • Organized, with the AWRA, the first Transboundary Groundwater Science and Management Conference in the United States in July 2018 in Ft. Worth
  • Partnered on successful X-Grant Proposal with Texas A&M Colleges: Geosciences, Engineering, Law and Bush School of Government and Public Service.

In 2019, Tracy said TWRI will focus on advancing signature research programs in the areas of global water management led by Dr. Rosario Sanchez, water and health initiative led by Dr. Lucas Gregory and the Southern Plains agricultural systems led by Dr. Allen Berthold.

Within these programs, Tracy said TWRI hopes to increase engagement across Texas A&M developing joint initiatives with: the Bush School for science and policy focused on global water governance; the College of Geosciences by forwarding initiatives on socio-technological analysis and design approaches that enhance water security (X-Grant) and by increasing collaboration with the SeaGrant Program; and with the Texas A&M School of Public Health and Texas A&M Health Science Center to advance initiatives focused on the intersection of water and health.

“It’s been an exciting year for water in Texas and TWRI is looking forward to collaborating with everyone in the New Year and moving forward,” Tracy said.

For more on TWRI’s and partner's recent work, read some of the top Conservation Matters stories from 2018:

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Institute to host training on implementing watershed plans Dec. 17 http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2018/december/institute-to-host-training-on-implementing-watershed-plans-dec-17/ Mon, 03 Dec 2018 15:11:13 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2018/december/institute-to-host-training-on-implementing-watershed-plans-dec-17/ The Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) will host an Implementing Watershed Plans Training Dec. 17 in College Station for watershed coordinators and water and natural resource professionals.

The training is set for 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Texas A&M Forest Service, 200 Technology Way.

Nathan Glavy, TWRI’s Extension program specialist, said the training costs $50 and includes all materials, a catered lunch and a certificate of completion at the end of the course.

Registration is required by Dec. 13. Participants can register online or by email to nathan.glavy@ag.tamu.edu.

Glavy said the training includes an overview and case studies on implementation strategies, sources of funding, keeping stakeholders engaged, outreach programs, tracking implementation and evaluating progress.

“This training is the next step for those that have attended the Watershed Planning Short Course in the last several years,” Glavy said. “If you are working on watershed planning, this training would be great for you.”

Instructors for this course will include experts with watershed planning experience in different watersheds throughout Texas.

More information can be found at the watershed planning website or by contacting Glavy at nathan.glavy@ag.tamu.edu.

The training is part of TWRI’s Texas Watershed Planning Program funded through a Clean Water Act Section 319(h) nonpoint source grant provided by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The training program is designed for individuals interested in or responsible for watershed protection and restoration including employees and volunteers with federal, state, county and local agencies; soil and water conservation districts; universities; consulting firms; nongovernmental organizations; and watershed groups.

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Master Irrigator program: From demonstration to adoption http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/txh2o/fall-2018/master-irrigator-program-from-demonstration-to-adoption/ Mon, 03 Dec 2018 13:27:31 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/txh2o/fall-2018/master-irrigator-program-from-demonstration-to-adoption/ By Alexandra Hoskins

Agricultural water conservation is extremely important, especially in the Ogallala Aquifer region. Targeting the agricultural water users in the North Texas area, a program began in 2016 that focuses on conserving irrigation: the Master Irrigator program.

While Master Gardeners or Master Naturalists may be familiar programs, the Master Irrigator program is a bit different. Master Gardeners and Naturalists focus on horticulture and the environment. The Master Irrigator program focuses solely on irrigation management.

“The Master Irrigator program is an extension of our ongoing demonstration programs,” said Steve Walthour, general manager of the North Plains Groundwater Conservation District (NPGCD). “It is designed to take the process to the next step by facilitating the adoption of proven best management practices by significantly reducing the learning curve for producers.” 

For the past three years, NPGCD has been training producers to become Master Irrigators. This year, it won the Texas Environmental Excellence Award in agriculture from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for the program. 

Master Irrigator participants learn how to manage irrigation using conservation irrigation practices. The program was founded on several principles, according to the website. First, the tools, strategies and practices used in the program are accessible immediately for producers, making the solutions practical and accessible. Second, lectures, problem solving and in-field, hands-on applications are used during teaching. Third, the length of the program is designed to give participants time to reflect on what they learn and build a network amongst themselves to rely on when implementing best practices in their operations.

Walthour spoke about the Master Irrigator program at the Ogallala Water Summit that took place in April 2018.

“If you want to change what farmers do, you have to put out commercially viable stuff for them to use. Provide farmers with tools that work and have been tested, and show them how to use them – this is the key,” Walthour said.

To train students in current available irrigation technology, four topical sessions are required to become a Master Irrigator and attendance at all sessions is mandatory. Topics range from agronomics to irrigation scheduling and system management.

In 2019, the dates and topics for the sessions are:

  • March 20, Agronomics
  • March 27, Irrigation Scheduling
  • April 3, Systems
  • April 10, Systems & Special Topics

The 65 participants who have become Master Irrigators to date control almost 200,000 acres of irrigated land, or close to 20 percent of the irrigated acres, in the district. Program graduates have access to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, which is financial assistance funding used on approved conservation practices. This funding is provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. Attendance at all program sessions is required to qualify for the funding. Participants have received over $1 million in conservation equipment.

To learn more about the Master Irrigator program, visit the NPGCD website.

For the 2017 program slides and other information, visit here.

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TWRI water team publishes reports, newsletters, fact sheets http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2018/december/twri-water-team-publishes-reports-newsletters-fact-sheets/ Mon, 03 Dec 2018 08:55:22 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2018/december/twri-water-team-publishes-reports-newsletters-fact-sheets/ Throughout the year, Texas Water Resources Institute's water team publishes technical reports as projects are wrapped up or have new publications related to activity on the project. The team also publishes fact sheets, newsletters and other outreach publications to help keep our stakeholders informed of activities. All are posted to our website.

Here are the most recently published technical reports for projects the team is working on:

TR-511: Escherichia coli and Dissolved Oxygen Trends in the Upper Llano River Watershed, Texas (2001-2016)

TR-509: Coordinating Implementation of the Upper Llano River Watershed Protection Plan

TR-508: Texas Bacterial Source Tracking Program Application, Expansion and Marker Evaluation (FY16–FY17)

TR-507: Lavaca River Watershed Protection Plan

TR-506: Continued Statewide Delivery of the Texas Well Owner Network (TWON)

TR-505: Implementation of Intensive Water Quality Monitoring and Evaluation to Support the Lake O’ the Pines National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI) – Phase I Final Report

TR-503: Texas Watershed Planning Training Project Final Report 2017

TR-500: Tres Palacios Creek Watershed Protection Plan

We even have technical reports going back all the way to 1964! Here is the first one we published:

TR-1: A Study to Determine the Feasibility of Diverting a Portion of the Red River into the Trinity, Neches and Sabine River Basins

The Tres Palacios Watershed recently published a newsletter, a WPP Factsheet and a Healthy Livestock fact sheet for its stakeholders and the Arroyo Colorado Watershed Partnership recently published its Fall 2018 newsletter for stakeholders.

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TWJ publishes paper on water workforce readiness http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2018/december/twj-publishes-paper-on-water-workforce-readiness/ Mon, 03 Dec 2018 08:55:00 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2018/december/twj-publishes-paper-on-water-workforce-readiness/ The Texas Water Journal recently published a paper titled “Water security for Texas: a post-secondary education pathway for water workforce readiness” by Rudolph A. Rosen, Luis A. Cifuentes, James Fischer, Howard Marquise and John C. Tracy. The paper examines concern within the water and wastewater industries over high rates of retirement eligibility and difficulties finding and attracting workers ready to fill job openings.

According to the abstract, concern over existing education of workers in water and demographic information projecting future workforce readiness are commonly cited in a report released by the U.S. Government Accountability Office as signaling a coming crisis for the water industry. An alignment of post-secondary training and industry needs is recommended to meet coming workforce employment requirements for Texas and the nation.

The journal, an online, peer-reviewed journal published by the nonprofit The Texas Water Journal and the Texas Water Resources Institute, publishes papers as they are complete. It is devoted to the timely consideration of Texas water resources management, research and policy issues from a multidisciplinary perspective that integrates science, engineering, law, planning and other disciplines. It also provides updates on key state legislation and policy changes by Texas administrative agencies.

Subscribe to receive emails when papers are published.

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Homeowner Septic System Workshops Dec. 6-7 in Palacios, Bay City http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2018/december/homeowner-septic-system-workshops-dec-6-7-in-palacios-bay-city/ Mon, 03 Dec 2018 08:54:41 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2018/december/homeowner-septic-system-workshops-dec-6-7-in-palacios-bay-city/ The Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are offering two free educational events on the maintenance of septic systems in December for Matagorda County homeowners.

The first program is from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Palacios Educational Pavilion, 693 S. Bay Blvd. in Palacios. The second is from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Dec. 7 at the Matagorda County Fairgrounds Multi-Purpose Room, 2604 Nichols Ave. in Bay City.

Workshop presenters will provide a basic understanding of the operational and maintenance activities of a septic system and explain how activities within the home impact septic systems. Presentations will cover the treatment processes, health and safety considerations, how to inspect, care for and feed the system, and general maintenance procedures.  

The septic systems trainings are part of the implementation of the Tres Palacios Watershed Protection Plan, which was developed by TWRI and local stakeholders.

To register, interested individuals should contact Aaron Sumrall, AgriLife Extension agent for agriculture and natural resources in Matagorda County, at 979-245-4100 or sasumrall@ag.tamu.edu.

For more information about the program, contact Ryan Gerlich, AgriLife Extension program specialist, College Station, at 979-458-4185 or visit http://ossf.tamu.edu/.

These events are made possible by funding in part by a Texas Coastal Management Program grant by the Texas Land Commissioner pursuant to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Award Award No. NA17NOS4190139 and by a Clean Water Act nonpoint source grant from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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#ICYMI: TWRI’s Sanchez interviewed by Yale University’s Climate Connections http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2018/december/icymi-twris-sanchez-interviewed-by-yale-universitys-climate-connections/ Mon, 03 Dec 2018 08:54:20 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2018/december/icymi-twris-sanchez-interviewed-by-yale-universitys-climate-connections/ Dr. Rosario Sanchez of the Texas Water Resources Institute was recently interviewed by Yale University’s Climate Connections about the possibility that groundwater could become a source of conflict between U.S. and Mexico.

The interview focuses on the increased use of groundwater with the depletion of the Rio Grande. “Bi-nationally there is no treaty on groundwater between Mexico and the United States. But that doesn’t mean groundwater’s not being used! It’s used, and it’s getting used more every day,” Sanchez said in the interview.

She said that as the climate warms, groundwater in the region could become a source of conflict between the U.S. and Mexico. But to regulate aquifers that cross the border, both countries need to learn more about them.

So Sanchez is gathering data from both sides of the border about the aquifers’ location and use. In the end, she will create transboundary maps the U.S. and Mexico can use to determine how best to manage these increasingly valuable sources of water.

Listen to the full interview.

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FY2019 USGS 104G Water Resources National Competitive Grant announced - By Danielle Kalisek http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2018/december/fy2019-usgs-104g-water-resources-national-competitive-grant-announced/ Mon, 03 Dec 2018 08:53:44 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2018/december/fy2019-usgs-104g-water-resources-national-competitive-grant-announced/ The Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) announces the release of the draft Request for Pre-proposals for the FY 2019 National Competitive Grant Program by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the National Institutes for Water Resources.

Pre-proposals are requested on the topics of improving and enhancing the nation’s water supply and availability. Any investigator at an institution of higher learning is eligible to apply. Projects will only be awarded if funds are appropriated to the USGS to support the program.

Pre-proposals may be for one to three-year projects and may request up to $250,000 in federal funds and require a 1:1 match. Pre-proposals in PDF format must be emailed to the TWRI Director Dr. John Tracy at John.Tracy@ag.tamu.edu by 4 p.m, Feb. 15, 2019. After pre-proposals from all states are reviewed, 30 pre-proposals will be invited to submit a full proposal to the National Grants Competition.

A copy of the RFP is available on the TWRI website. Additional information about research priorities, proposal content, format and review process are available in the RFP.

Questions regarding this grant program can be directed to Tracy at John.Tracy@ag.tamu.edu or 979.842.7221.

 

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Climate impacts on agricultural, ecological systems highlighted at conference http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2018/november/climate-impacts-on-agricultural-and-ecological-systems-highlighted-at-conference/ Mon, 05 Nov 2018 14:16:49 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2018/november/climate-impacts-on-agricultural-and-ecological-systems-highlighted-at-conference/ The climate and its impacts on agricultural and ecological systems were highlighted in a recent symposium held at the Texas A&M AgriLife Center on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station.

The conference was part of the Texas A&M University Grand Challenge initiative funded by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. A variety of scholars from around the world presented research on the evolving climate and associated issues affecting both agriculture and ecological systems.

The symposium was organized and planned by Texas A&M professors Drs. David Briske, ecosystems and science management; Thomas Lacher Jr., wildlife and fisheries science; Bruce McCarl, agricultural economics; and Ramalingam Saravanan, atmospheric sciences.

Discussions initially focused on what has happened in terms of past climate trends and future prospects. They then turned to the vulnerability of ecological systems and agriculture in Texas as well as other semi-arid regions. Participants focused on the capacity to foresee future vulnerability and how to limit disruptive climate impacts through land and wildlife management.

Speakers shared various perspectives on climate change, ecological and agricultural research findings and U.S. Department of Agriculture international agency programs to address the challenge.

Symposium organizers say the event will serve as a starting point to promote future collaboration among academic disciplines to develop research programs that will enable Texas to effectively cope with future climate conditions.

Read the full AgriLife Today story.

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Texas Water Journal publishes new article http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2018/november/texas-water-journal-publishes-new-article/ Fri, 02 Nov 2018 12:08:40 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2018/november/texas-water-journal-publishes-new-article/ The Texas Water Journal has published a new article titled “Texas’ water quality challenge and the need for better communication in an era of increasing water quality contamination events” authored by Sapna Mulki, Carlos Rubinstein and Julianne Saletta.

As Texas cities experience an increase in incidents associated with water quality contamination, the need for public education and engagement increases. The discussion in this paper identifies, based on publicly available data, three of the most common incidents in Texas related to drinking water and environmental contamination: boil water notices, sanitary sewer overflows and lead in drinking water.

According to the abstract, the increased frequency of incidents that threaten water quality often erodes public trust in the city and utility, thus making it more difficult in the long term to get public support for increased investment in water and wastewater infrastructure. The recommendations in this study focus on how to manage communications when events associated with water quality create a public relations challenge for city and utility leaders.

The journal, an online, peer-reviewed journal published by the nonprofit, the Texas Water Journal, and the Texas Water Resources Institute, publishes papers as they are complete. It is devoted to the timely consideration of Texas water resources management, research and policy issues from a multidisciplinary perspective that integrates science, engineering, law, planning and other disciplines. It also provides updates on key state legislation and policy changes by Texas administrative agencies.

Subscribe to receive emails when papers are published.

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Norman Borlaug Institute receives five-year extension, funding http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2018/november/norman-borlaug-institute-receives-five-year-extension-funding/ Fri, 02 Nov 2018 12:07:17 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2018/november/norman-borlaug-institute-receives-five-year-extension-funding/ The Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, part of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, has received an additional $12.5 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for the Innovation Laboratory for Small Scale Irrigation (ILSSI), one of 24 innovation labs within Feed the Future, the U.S. government’s global hunger and food security initiative.

The Borlaug Institute is completing the fifth year of the competitively awarded cooperative agreement with USAID. The initial phase of the agreement was funded at $12.5 million for five years.

The extension provides a ceiling allowing optional funding of an additional $10 million from other sources such as the USAID Missions. The long-term partnership between Texas A&M and USAID was extended to 10 years with a potential total funding of $35 million, according to program coordinators.

The Feed the Future's ILSSI is conducting small-scale irrigation research in Ethiopia, Tanzania and Ghana.

Texas A&M partners with three Centers in the Consultative Group for International Research – the International Water Management Institute, International Livestock Research Institute and International Food Policy Research Institute. It also partners with multiple national universities and other institutions.

Research is conducted to evaluate small-scale irrigation strategies in farmers’ fields. Household surveys are conducted in the areas surrounding field studies to evaluate economic, nutrition and gender related impacts of small-scale irrigation. Also, an integrated decision support system, also known as IDSS, is used to assess the production, environmental and economic consequences of small-scale irrigation farming systems.

Results of field studies are extended to national levels and used to plan and evaluate regional and national introduction of small-scale irrigation schemes. With the ILSSI extension, it is considering expanding the agreement to other countries in Africa and Asia.

Dr. Neville Clarke, director of ILSSI, said smallholder farm families in the countries where ILSSI works typically grow grain crops in the rainy season and store them to be consumed in the dry season.

“The introduction of irrigation for these families is providing year-round access to fresh vegetables and fruit,” Clarke said. “Irrigation is improving both the quantity and diversity of diet for participating farm families as well as increased income. New methods of water lifting from wells, such as solar-powered pumps, are increasing the availability of water for irrigation and reducing the labor costs, especially for women.”

He said the ILSSI’s studies in Africa seek the best combination of production, environmental and economic consequences of new irrigation practices.

Read the complete AgriLife Today story.

For more information about the ILSSI project, view this article in Texas Water Resources Institute’s txH2O magazine: Feeding the Future.

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LRGV producers learn about management approaches used in Mississippi Delta - By Kathy Wythe http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2018/november/lrgv-producers-learn-about-management-approaches-used-in-mississippi-delta/ Fri, 02 Nov 2018 12:07:04 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2018/november/lrgv-producers-learn-about-management-approaches-used-in-mississippi-delta/ Dr. Jason Krutz, director of the Mississippi Water Resources Research Institute, recently spoke to more than 30 producers from the Lower Rio Grande Valley about how a combination of technology and management approaches being applied in the Mississippi Delta could be used in the Valley to help reduce water use in furrow-irrigated fields while maintaining or increasing yield.  

Krutz was part of the “Improving Cotton and Row Crop Yields with Efficient Irrigation” workshop, held Oct. 16 at the Texas A&M University-Kingsville Citrus Center in Weslaco. The workshop was sponsored by the Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI), Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Texas Water Development Board (TWDB).

Krutz recommended Valley producers use three irrigation tools — computerized hole selection for polypipe tubing, surge valves and soil moisture sensors — in their farming practices.

Krutz said costs for producers who used these three tools in Mississippi was $8.20 per acre with increased yield and profits while saving water. For example, he said, using these tools for corn yielded a seven bushel average yield increase, used 50 percent less water and resulted in a $40 per acre increase in profits compared to the typical irrigation approach.

After Krutz’ presentation, Ray Prewett, ag issues consultant, led a cotton producer panel on potential solutions to improve furrow irrigation.

Mac Young, AgriLife Extension program specialist at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Corpus Christi, highlighted ways to improve yields and economics through irrigation management.

Dr. Askar Karimov, research associate in Texas A&M University’s biological and agricultural engineering department, gave an overview of the Rio Grande Water project, managed by TWRI. The project is evaluating how the use of available water resources within the basin can be optimized to provide the greatest societal return to help sustain agricultural production while promoting economic development, increasing water use efficiency and improving valuable ecosystem services.

Agency personnel gave updates on various water conservation technical and financial assistance programs.

The workshop was part of TWRI’s Lower Rio Grande Valley Irrigation Education and Outreach project, funded by TWDB. The project promotes water conservation strategies among growers and irrigation district boards and managers. It also promotes the benefits and advantages of water conservation and water use efficiency of various on-farm irrigation and irrigation district water management practices, especially when compared to conventional practices.

Project partners include AgriLife Extension, AgriLife Research, Texas A&M University-Kingsville Citrus Center, Harlingen Irrigation District, WaterPR and commodity group leaders in the Valley.

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TWRI to offer urban riparian training Nov. 29 in Belton http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2018/november/twri-to-offer-urban-riparian-training-nov-29-in-belton/ Fri, 02 Nov 2018 12:06:50 GMT http://twri.tamu.edu/publications/conservation-matters/2018/november/twri-to-offer-urban-riparian-training-nov-29-in-belton/ The Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI)’s Urban Riparian and Stream Restoration Program will host an Urban Stream Processes and Restoration workshop from 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Nov. 29 in Belton.

The workshop is for professionals interested in conducting stream restoration projects around the Lampasas River watershed. It will be at the AgriLife Extension office in Bell County, 1605 N. Main, in Belton. It is being co-hosted by the Lampasas River Watershed Partnership, the AgriLife Extension Office in Bell County, Texas A&M Natural Resource Institute, Texas A&M AgriLife, TWRI and Texas Institute of Applied Environmental Research – Tarleton State University.

Attendees must register by Nov. 24 to Clare Entwistle, research associate at the institute’s San Antonio office, at 210-277-0292 ext. 205 or clare.entwistle@ag.tamu.edu or online at Texas A&M Marketplace.

Attendees are encouraged to register early as the workshop is limited to 40 people. Registration cost is $100 and includes all training materials, lunch and a certificate of completion at the end of the course.

“Riparian and stream degradation is a major threat to water quality, in-stream habitat, terrestrial wildlife, aquatic species and overall stream health,” said Dr. Fouad Jaber, AgriLife Extension program specialist for the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center in Dallas.

“Proper management, protection and restoration of these riparian areas will improve water quality, lower in-stream temperatures, improve aquatic habitat and ultimately improve macrobenthos and fish community integrity,” he said.

“The goal of the workshop is for participants to better understand urban stream functions, impacts of development on urban streams, recognize healthy versus degraded stream systems, assess and classify a stream using the Bank Erosion Hazard Index and comprehend differences between natural and traditional restoration techniques,” Jaber said.

Entwistle said the institute is able to offer the workshop at a reduced cost thanks to program funding provided through a Clean Water Act nonpoint source grant from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

For more information, contact Entwistle, visit the Texas Riparian Association website or its Facebook page

The Urban Riparian and Stream Restoration Program is managed by TWRI.

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