RUSK - The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research invite residents in the Mud Creek and West Mud Creek watersheds to a public meeting to discuss a water quality project. The meeting will be held at the Cherokee County Electric Cooperative Association located at 29880 US Hwy 69 N in Rusk. Sign-in will begin at 5:45 p.m. and the meeting will start at 6:00 p.m.
Mud Creek extends from the confluence with Angelina River at the Cherokee and Nacogdoches county line south of the City of Reklaw. West Mud Creek extends from the confluence with Mud Creek upstream to the confluence with an unnamed tributary that north of the City of Tyler. Mud Creek and West Mud Creek 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 Mud Creek and West Mud Creek.
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 Mud Creek, West Mud Creek, 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