SHERMAN - The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research invite residents in the Choctaw and Iron Ore watersheds to a public meeting to discuss a water quality project. The meeting will be held at the Grayson County Courthouse located at 100 W Houston St in Sherman. Sign-in will begin at 5:45 p.m. and the meeting will start at 6:00 p.m.
Choctaw Creek and Iron Ore Creek are within the Red River Basin within Fannin County. Choctaw Creek extends from the confluence with the Red River upstream to the confluence of Post Oak Creek. Iron Ore Creek extends from the confluence with Choctaw Creek upstream to the headwaters near FM 120 west of the city of Denison. Choctaw Creek and Iron Ore 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 among Choctaw Creek and Iron Ore 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.
Stakeholders will be given an opportunity to review historical land use data and discuss how this effort will create an updated recreational use classification for the Choctaw Creek and Iron Ore Creek watersheds.
Nikki Jackson, with the Texas Institute for Applied for Environmental Research, will give background information on Choctaw Creek and Iron Ore 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," Jackson 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 Jackson at 254-968-1902 or njackson [at] tiaer [dot] tarleton [dot] edu