May 9 Water Quality Program to Focus on Paso del Norte Watershed

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May 9, 2012 water quality training in El Paso to focus on the Paso del Norte Watershed

Training to address issues of water quality

Galen Roberts, 979-862-8070 or groberts@ag.tamu.edu

Brian Hanson, 575-646-2642 or BHanson@nmda.nmsu.edu

EL PASO – A free Texas-New Mexico Watershed Steward Workshop on water quality issues related to the Paso del Norte watershed will be held from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. May 9 at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center, 1380 A&M Circle in El Paso.

The training is open to anyone interested in improving water quality in the Paso del Norte region, said program coordinators. Participants are encouraged to pre-register at http://tws.tamu.edu

The workshop is sponsored by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board as part of the Texas Watershed Steward program. It is being held in coordination with the New Mexico Environment Department, New Mexico Cooperative Extension, and the Paso del Norte Watershed Council.

“The workshop is designed to help watershed residents improve and protect their water resources and gain a better understanding of how water quality  in the Rio Grande is managed in Texas and New Mexico,” said Galen Roberts, AgriLife Extension program specialist and coordinator for the Texas Watershed Steward Program.

Roberts said the workshop will include an overview of water quality and watershed management in both states, but primarily will focus on water quality issues relating to the Paso del Norte watershed, including current efforts to help improve and protect this important water body.

“The Paso del Norte watershed extends from Elephant Butte Reservoir in southern New Mexico about 340 miles along the Rio Grande to Presidio, Texas,” said Dr. Conrad Keyes, Jr., Chair of the Paso del Norte Watershed Council . “The Rio Grande is a source for irrigation and municipal drinking water, as well as  wildlife habitat for many species.”

The training will include a discussion of watershed systems, types and sources of water pollution, and ways to improve and protect water quality. There also will be a group discussion on community-driven watershed protection and management.

This workshop is being held in conjunction with ongoing protection efforts in the Paso del Norte watershed. In 2006, the Paso del Norte Watershed Council, in coordination with the New Mexico Environment Department, initiated development of a watershed-based plan.
“In New Mexico, the Rio Grande from the international boundary with Mexico upstream to just above the city of Las Cruces was listed as impaired in 2004,” said Chris Canavan, Project Officer for the New Mexico Environment Department. “The plan being developed for the Paso del Norte will outline a strategy for reducing pollutant levels in the river.”

Canavan encourages stakeholders to attend the Texas-New Mexico Watershed Steward Workshop and to become more engaged in these efforts.

Along with the free training, participants receive a copy of the Texas Watershed Steward Handbook and a certificate of completion. The program also offers seven continuing education units in soil and water management for certified crop advisors, seven units for professional engineers and certified planners, and seven continuing education credits for certified teachers.

It also offers three general continuing education units for Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide license holders, seven for certified landscape architects and three for certified floodplain managers.

Pre-registration is open through the Texas Watershed Steward website, http://tws.tamu.edu.

“Participating in the Texas-New Mexico Watershed Steward training is a great opportunity to get involved and make a difference in your watershed,” Roberts said.

For more information and to pre-register, go to http://tws.tamu.edu or contact Galen Roberts at 979-862-8070, groberts@ag.tamu.edu.

For more information about the Paso del Norte watershed and the watershed restoration efforts, contact Brian Hanson at 575-646-2642, BHanson@nmda.nmsu.edu.

The Texas Watershed Steward program is funded through a Clean Water Act §319(h) nonpoint source grant from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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Here is the flier for the program:
Texas Watershed Steward Program