Project Goals/Objectives: This project consists of the Kaufmann-Van Zandt Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB), United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS), Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Urban Solutions Center at Dallas, Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas Water Resource Institute (TWRI), and Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) working together to implement agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) and education programs in the Kaufmann-Van Zandt SWCD as recommended by the Cedar Creek Reservoir Watershed Protection Plan. The effectiveness of these programs is being evaluated by Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Urban Solutions Center at Dallas.
To promote the implementation of BMPs, technical assistance is provided by the Kaufmann-Van Zandt SWCD and the TSSWCB Mount Pleasant Regional Office to landowners within the Cedar Creek Reservoir Watershed drainage area to develop and implement Water Quality Management Plans (WQMPs) within the watershed. The Texas AgriLife Extension Service Education Program provides landowners with accurate, technically sound information on how to better manage their property and in doing so reduce the potential for nonpoint source pollution caused by current land management practices.
Texas AgriLife Extension Service is working to communicate the value of a good conservation ethic, demonstrate BMPs landowners can utilize on their property, and encourage participation in SWCD BMPs implementation programs. Additionally, Texas AgriLife Extension Service Agents and Specialists are conducting educational events to improve landowner knowledge and understanding of BMPs for nutrient management and erosion control. The Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Urban Solutions Center at Dallas continues to construct and collect data from runoff plots in an effort to analyze the effectiveness of the Watershed Protection Plan (WPP) recommended BMPs for agricultural and rural lands in the Cedar Creek Watershed. The results of these analyses will be used to determine the load reductions resulting from the BMPs implemented through this project.
Project Location: Cedar Creek Watershed of North Central Texas
Project Costs: Federal: ($736,619) Non-Federal Match: ($483,147) Total: ($1,219,766)
Project Participant(s): Kaufman-Van Zandt Soil and Water Conservation District and Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Urban Solutions Center at Dallas
Project Workplan: 07-14