Project Goals/Objectives: The overall objective of this project is to educate agricultural producers on how to better produce and manage their acreage while reducing the potential for nonpoint source (NPS) pollution. Secondly, the project will support and promote associated programs implementing best management practices related to water quality protection.
The Arroyo Colorado, an ancient channel of the Rio Grande, drains approximately 700 square miles as it extends eastward from near the City of Mission to the City of Harlingen, eventually discharging into the Laguna Madre. Almost 300,000 acres in the Arroyo Colorado Watershed are irrigated for cotton, citrus, vegetables, grain sorghum, corn, and sugarcane production. Thus, much of the watershed is sustained by runoff and return flows from these areas. Use of the water in the Arroyo Colorado for municipal, industrial or irrigation purposes is severely limited because of poor quality conditions. Thus, the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB) provided funds to the Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) and Texas AgriLife Extension Service to provide agricultural producers with education on better production and management practices, thereby, reducing the potential for NPS pollution. In addition, the project supports and promotes associated programs implementing best management practices (BMPs) related to water quality protection. In the first year, a total of 1,808 watershed stakeholders participated in project educational activities.
Project Location: Arroyo Colorado Watershed, Segment 2201 and 2202
Project Costs: Federal ($119,737); Non-Federal Match ($78,407); Total Project ($198,144)
Project Participant(s): TSSWCB, Texas Water Resources Institute, Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas AgriLife Research, area SWCDs, and Natural Resource Conservation Service
Website: http://arroyocolorado.org
Project Workplan: 05-10
Project Final Report: 05-10