VERNON - The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research (TIAER) invite residents in the Paradise Creek watershed to a public meeting to discuss the findings from the Recreational Use Attainability Analysis (RUAA) project conducted on Paradise Creek. The meeting will be held June 9, 2014 at the Wilbarger County Arena Exhibit Hall located at 2215 Harold Street in Vernon. Sign-in will begin at 5:45 p.m. and the meeting will start at 6:00 p.m.
Paradise Creek flows approximately 45 miles from the confluence with the Pease River, east of Vernon, to the upstream perennial portion near Thalia in Foard County. Paradise Creek is on the state’s list of impaired waters for having bacteria levels that exceed water quality standards and has been identified as having a concern for bacteria.
At this meeting, landowners and citizens will be updated on the findings from the RUAA and discuss the path forward. The draft report entitled Recreational Use Attainability Analysis for Buffalo Creek (0214B), Paradise Creek (0230A), and Sweetwater Creek (0299A) in the Red River Basin will open for a 30-day public comment period immediately following the meeting.
Leah Taylor, with TIAER said, "We need stakeholder input on the draft report to ensure we have adequately represented current and historical uses of Paradise Creek."
This project is funded by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board through a state nonpoint source grant to the Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research.
For more information about the meeting, visit the project website at http://www.tsswcb.texas.gov/managementprogram/ruaaparadise or contact Taylor at 254-968-0513 or ltaylor [at] tiaer [dot] tarleton [dot] edu.