Lone Star Healthy Streams Flyer

A Lone Star Healthy Streams workshop is planned for November 9th at the Bleiblerville VFD in Bellville, Texas.

The Lone Star Healthy Streams program aims to educate Texas livestock producers and landowners on how to best protect Texas waterways from bacterial contamination associated with livestock production and feral hogs, said Leanne Wiley, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Program Specialist, College Station.

The program will be from 1 p.m.-5 p.m. on November 9th and is offered virtually and in person at the Bleiblerville VFD at 3912 FM 2505 RD Bellville, Texas

Pre-register for the workshop at austin.agrilife.org/event-registrations/ or call the Austin County Extension office at 979-865-2072.

Three Texas Department of Agriculture general Continuing Education Credits will be provided for certified pesticide applicators.

Funding for this project is provided through a Clean Water Act Section 319 Nonpoint Source Grant from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the U.S Environmental Protection Agency.

“Bacteria are the leading cause of water pollution in the state of Texas,” said Dr. Larry Redmon, Professor and Associate Department Head of Soil and Crop Science. “When found in rivers, streams, lakes, ponds and other water bodies, fecal bacteria serve as indicator species for the presence of pathogenic bacteria, viruses or parasites, which can cause waterborne illnesses, including typhoid fever, dysentery and cholera.”

Currently, about 300 Texas water bodies do not comply with state water quality standards established for E. coli bacteria, Wiley said.  By participating in this workshop, livestock producers and landowners will learn specific conservation practices that can be implemented to help minimize bacterial contamination in Texas water bodies.

For more information on the Lone Star Healthy Streams program, please visit lshs.tamu.edu/

The workshop will focus specifically on issues within the Mill Creek watershed. A watershed protection plan is a coordinated framework for implementing prioritized and integrated water quality protection and restoration strategies driven by environmental objectives.

For more information on the Mill Creek Watershed and its Watershed Protection Plan please visit Mill Creek Watershed Partnership