TYLER - The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research invite residents in the Prairie Creek, Mud Creek, West Mud Creek, and Neches River Above Lake Palestine watersheds to a public meeting to discuss a water quality project. The meeting will be held at the Rose Garden Center located at 420 South Rose Park Drive in Tyler. Sign-in will begin at 5:45 p.m. and the meeting will start at 6:00 p.m.
Prairie Creek, Mud Creek, West Mud Creek, and Neches River Above Lake Palestine are within the Neches River Basin within Smith County. Prairie Creek, Mud Creek, West Mud Creek, and Neches River Above Lake Palestine are on the state’s list of impaired waters for having bacteria levels that exceed water quality standards for primary contact recreation.
At this meeting, landowners and citizens will have the opportunity to learn about a new project, Recreational Use Attainability Analysis for Ten Creeks in the Red River and Neches River Basins, which focuses on assessing the level of recreational use occurring in Prairie Creek, Mud Creek, West Mud Creek, and Neches River Above Lake Palestine.
Since decisions made about these waterbodies will affect landowners, citizens, industries, and municipalities, local participation is fundamental to the success of this project. Stakeholders will be asked to provide guidance on the direction of this project.
Leah Taylor, with the Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research, will give background information on Prairie Creek, Mud Creek, West Mud Creek, and Neches River Above Lake Palestine and introduce the recreational use attainability analysis project. “Stakeholder input on survey sites and recreational use is crucial to the success of the project,” Taylor said.
This project is funded by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board through a general revenue nonpoint source grant to the Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research.
For more information about the meeting, visit the project website at http://tiaer.tarleton.edu/ruaa/index.html or contact Taylor at 254-968-0513 or ltaylor [at] tiaer [dot] tarleton [dot] edu