San Marcos Will Host Texas Water Symposium

“We are constantly amazed by the enthusiasm and dedication local residents contribute to maintain the health of their neighborhood rivers and creeks,” said Meredith Miller, watershed services program coordinator for The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment.

The third Texas Water Symposium of the 2016-2017 season has been set for 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 23^rd at Texas State University Student Center LBJ Teaching Theater in San Marcos, Texas.

The Texas Water Symposium is free and open to the public.

With the population of Central Texas expected to double in the next thirty years and many Hill Country communities already growing at incredible rates, we see an increasing threat to the health of our water resources.

Local communities across the region and the state are taking action to protect the creeks, springs and rivers we rely on for drinking water, recreation, habitat and economic stability.

Watershed protection plans are a tool to bring landowners together to protect those critical water resources and offer opportunities to leverage local resources with state and national dollars toward conservation solutions.

Millions of dollars have been invested in watershed protection plans for Hill Country rivers and creeks, funding best management practices, restoration, and low impact development.

“We are constantly amazed by the enthusiasm and dedication local residents contribute to maintain the health of their neighborhood rivers and creeks,” said Meredith Miller, watershed services program coordinator for The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment. “Without leadership from community members in identifying threats to river health and ways to overcome them, these plans would not be nearly as successful.”

Miller will be joined by representatives from the City of Austin, the US Environmental Protection Agency, the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, the San Marcos River Foundation and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for a panel discussion.

Dr. Andrew Sansom, Executive Director of The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, will moderate the panel of expert practitioners in a detailed conversation about the benefits of watershed protection efforts that focus on local participation and leadership.

Join The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, Texas State University Department of Geography, Texas Public Radio, and the Hill Country Alliance as we gather diverse perspectives on the challenges and benefits of Watershed Protection Programs in Texas and abroad–and the future of Texas water resources.

The Symposium is a partnership project of Schreiner University, Texas Tech University, Texas Public Radio and the Hill Country Alliance.

For more information, visit the Texas Water Symposium, and listen to past shows online. To stay informed about future programs, subscribe at www.hillcountryalliance.org.

The Hill Country Alliance is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to raise public awareness and build community support around the need to preserve the natural resources and heritage of the Central Texas Hill Country. Visit us at www.hillcountryalliance.org.