Groups to present watershed improvement plan

LA MARQUE — A plan to clean up Highland Bayou watershed is in the works. Starting at 8 a.m. Wednesday, the Texas AgriLife Extension Service will host a workshop on water quality in the bayou.

Highland Bayou watershed, near the cities of La Marque and Hitchcock, has high levels of bacteria and low dissolved oxygen content, said Galen Roberts, coordinator for the Texas Watershed Steward Program.

E. coli is used as an indicator for bacteria levels. E. coli itself is not bad necessarily but it indicates the presence of fecal matter in the water, Roberts said. That fecal matter can come from wildlife, livestock and human septic systems.

“When you find traces of that fecal matter in water, it’s the pathogens that are associated with it that are of concern,” he said.

The watershed also suffers from low dissolved oxygen content, which is detrimental to wildlife and can be the cause of large fish kills, Roberts said.

The Texas Sea Grant, Galveston Bay Estuary Program and the Texas Coastal Watershed Program are collaborating on a watershed protection plan.

The workshop, Roberts said, is a way for anyone, from residents in the area to professionals, to get involved in the process.

“Highland Bayou is a critical water resource for the area,” said Steven Mikulencak, Highland Bayou program coordinator with the Texas Coastal Watershed Program, in a news release.

The bayou feeds into Galveston Bay and helps support oyster production, recreational activities, commercial fishing and other economic activities, he said.

The extension office hosts these types of meetings all across the state. This will be the 38th since 2007, Roberts said.

And while it takes time, there have been positive results, he said. One of the first workshops was held in the Texas Panhandle to discuss the Buck Creek Watershed. That watershed was taken off the impaired list in 2010, he said.

The workshop runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mikulencak will speak on the protection plan, and County Commissioner Ken Clark will talk about water issues from the county’s perspective as well, Roberts said.

The workshop is free and, Roberts said he hopes it will give local residents “a better understanding of how their watershed functions and what they can do, as an individual, to make some changes on a personal level and become involved in some of these management efforts.”

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At A Glance

WHAT: Texas Watershed Steward workshop addressing water quality issues at Highland Bayou Watershed

WHEN: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday

WHERE: Texas AgriLife Extension Service’s Galveston County Office located at 4102-B Main St., in La Marque.