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Discussion to focus on identifying bacteria sources with Plum Creek stakeholders on February 12

LOCKHART - The Plum Creek Watershed Partnership (Partnership) welcomes the public to participate in the next quarterly stakeholder meeting set for February 12, 2015 in the Lockhart City Council Chambers.

The Council Chambers are located on the third floor Library Annex, 217 South Main Street, Lockhart, Texas. Sign in begins at 6:00 p.m. with food and refreshments to be provided for all meeting attendees. The meeting is free and open to the public. RSVPs are appreciated but not required.

"If you have an interest in the Plum Creek watershed and a desire to join the community of stakeholders working to restore water quality in Plum Creek, this is definitely the meeting you should attend," said Nick Dornak, Plum Creek Watershed Coordinator.

The meeting will kick off with a welcome from the City of Lockhart at 6:30 p.m. followed by a presentation from Texas A&M University Department of Soil and Crop Sciences. The presentation will detail the process known as bacterial source tracking or BST and how it could be applied to the Plum Creek watershed protection effort. BST is a set of techniques used to determine the sources of fecal indicator bacteria in the environment. Following the BST presentation, Dornak will discuss current and future projects in the watershed and will facilitate a Steering Committee roundtable discussion with topics ranging from low-impact development to wastewater management.

"We are very excited and fortunate to have one of the industry’s most respected professionals on BST at this quarter’s Partnership meeting," said Dornak. "Implementation of the Watershed Protection Plan to reduce bacteria loading in Plum Creek is now in its seventh year. We have made significant strides in many areas, but despite extensive water quality monitoring, we are still not where we need to be. An effective BST study would allow our stakeholders to better understand fecal bacteria sources and to direct resources accordingly," Dornak added.

For more information on how you can help restore and protect Plum Creek, or to obtain a copy of the Draft 2014 Update, go to http://plumcreek.tamu.edu/. You can also email Watershed Coordinator, Nick Dornak, at ndornak [at] plumcreekwatershed [dot] org. Requests by mail should be sent to 1403 Blackjack Street, Suite B, Lockhart, Texas, 78644.

Funding for the development and support of the Plum Creek Watershed Protection Plan is through a Clean Water Act grant provided by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board administers Texas’ soil and water conservation law and delivers coordinated natural resource conservation programs through the State’s 216 soil and water conservation districts. The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board is the lead agency for planning, implementing, and managing programs for preventing and abating agricultural and silvicultural nonpoint sources of water pollution. The agency also administers a water supply enhancement program to increase available surface and ground water through the targeted control of water-depleting brush; works to ensure the State’s network of 2,000 flood control dams are protecting lives and property; and facilitates the Texas Invasive Species Coordinating Committee.

"Protecting and Enhancing Natural Resources since 1939."

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