Progress 10/01/19 to 09/30/20
Outputs
Target Audience:Water resources managers; policy makers; university and research administrators; graduate students; county extension personnel; law firms; water conservation districts; engineering firms; governmental agencies; conservation groups; irrigation districts; municipalities; elected officials; agricultural commodity organizations; stakeholders/general public. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?OUTPUTS: To facilitate outreach/education, TWRI hosted, co-hosted or presented at key project meetings, workshops and educational activities through three events, having a total attendance of 206 for our watershed trainings. Due to ongoing COVID-19 meeting restrictions, some of our watershed trainings events were postponed or transitioned to an online format delivery. Workshops and trainings consisted of one week-long Applied Environmental Statistics workshop held in College Station, TX, one half-day Texas Watershed Coordinator Roundtable held online, and one day-long Introduction to Watershed Modeling workshop held online. TWRI successfully closed out the fourth iteration its watershed training program in January 2020, and secured project funding continuation for another three years to host more of these watershed training programs. Six Urban Stream Restoration Trainings were held - four in person in New Braunfels, Waco, Corpus Christi, and San Benito with 107 participants. Due to travel and meeting restrictions surrounding COVID-19, the two spring Urban Stream Restoration Trainings were held online and had a total of 103 participants (Total participants 210 between in person and online). We also secured project funding continuation for another 3 years to host more of these types of programs. In addition, five Riparian and Stream Ecosystem Trainings were held in watersheds across Texas including: Lockhart, Junction, Bishop, Temple and Edna with 171 participants who own or manage over 31,843 acres of land. Over the spring and summer, instructors for the Riparian & Stream Ecosystem Training created a free online training program to offer folks while in person trainings were on hold. The online program offers CEUs and includes powerpoint presentations and videos to replace the field portion of the training. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results and information are disseminated through news releases, newsletters, websites, direct messaging, letters of invitation, social media, technical reports, educational materials, presentations and various other means as appropriate or needed. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue to pursue projects addressing state water-related challenges of water quantity and quality, and continue to disseminate results and information to our target audience while collaborating with other agencies and universities.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Efforts at TWRI focus on addressing water quality issues in Texas, improving water conservation, delivering training programs and conducting outreach. To help address water quality impairments, TWRI is assisting state agencies and local stakeholders in the development of total maximum daily load (TMDLs), TMDL-implementation plans and watershed protection plans in more than 10 waterbodies across Texas in addition to efforts and programs held in various other watersheds. Other water quality projects research and assess pollutant fate and transport and best management practices to address pollution runoff. With competition for water resources increasing due to recurring droughts, a growing population and increased awareness of environmental water needs, water conservation is a priority for both urban and agricultural areas. Projects administered by TWRI are working to improve agricultural water conservation through improved understanding of real time crop water demand, and increased irrigation efficiency. TWRI is working in collaboration with New Mexico State University and agricultural producers in the Rio Grande Basin to increase the value of water used to irrigate crops. In addition, TWRI is working in collaboration with USDA and university researchers to understand the impact that agricultural water conservation has on crop production in the critically-important Ogallala Aquifer region. TWRI also strives to educate all Texan's about the importance of water quality and conservation, the issues that affect it and the impact people have on it. We communicate this importance through our training programs as well as our communications materials. We have hosted 14 watershed and riparian training programs during this reporting period for a total of 587 attendees and more than 4,390 contact hours. Through our communications materials -- txH2O magazine, Conservation Matters e-letter, Texas Water Journal online journal and social media -- we are able to translate the technical research into understandable, interesting stories for other researchers and the public to read. The magazine and e-letter has a combined circulation of more than 7,580 readers. Objective 1: TWRI has continued to work with faculty, students and unit heads to identify funding sources and grant opportunities, obtaining 26 new project awards during this reporting period totaling more than $4.1 million. An additional 9 proposals have been submitted and are still pending selection/rejection with sponsors. Within its projects/proposals, TWRI is partnering with more than 10 agencies, 15 centers / institutes, 6 departments, 15 universities, 3 cities, 8 river authorities / water districts, as well as 6 other groups or individuals. Objective 2: TWRI continues to monitor request for proposal releases for water-related research and outreach. This information is then shared with researchers, stakeholders and the public, as appropriate through the institute's website, Conservation Matters e-newsletter, Twitter, Facebook and e-mail listservs. We offer assistance in coordinating/leading proposals and partner with other entities as requested. Objective 3: TWRI's Communications Team publicizes TWRI projects, research results, resource materials and water resources news to the public through various vehicles, as appropriate for the particular content. Our txH2O magazine is published twice a year with (2701 online subscribers, 1906 non-TAMU print subscribers, and 273 TAMU print subscribers, for a total of) 4880 subscribers. Conservation Matters is a monthly e-mail newsletter with 2,530 subscribers. Texas Water Journal is an online peer-reviewed journal we have co-published since 2010 and has 1,126 registered users on its website and 1,014 subscribers to its email announcements. As of March 2018, we began jointly publishing Texas+Water with two other organizations, with a subscriber list of 7,223. Between October 2019 and the end of September 2020, 13 technical reports have been published, 2 educational materials, 52 news releases and 59 media mentions. Other information is pushed out through Facebook (2,402 followers), Twitter (4212 followers), Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn and our institute website as well as more than 40 project-related webpages the institute hosts. Objective 4: The Institute is committed to training the next generation of water resources scientists and engineers. We have two water research scholarship programs, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Graduate Research Program and Mills Scholars Program, which provide $5,000 scholarships for graduate students to assist in conducting high priority water resources research in Texas. Participating students are not only awarded financially but gain experience in proposal writing and gain exposure through their proposals, reports and posters being posted on our website and their projects being featured in Conservation Matters, our electronic newsletter. Objective 5: TWRI has established relationships and coordinated with other water resources institutes and universities in Texas and other states to facilitate collaborative projects and enhance funding opportunities. In particular during this reporting period, we have continued funding for research on the Ogallala Aquifer Program, funded by the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS). The Initiative provides permanent funding for several research projects on water conservation for the Ogallala Aquifer through a consortium between USDA-ARS, Kansas State University, Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University and West Texas A&M University. The relationship continues between TWRI and Colorado State University on the USDA-NIFA CAP project along with Kansas State University, Texas Tech University, New Mexico State University, Oklahoma State University and the University of Nebraska to compliment and build upon the Ogallala Aquifer Program. TWRI also received funding through the NIFA - AFRI Water for Agriculture program to initiate a CAP grant focused on increasing the resilience of water supplies to sustain agriculture and rural communities in the Rio Grande Valley with New Mexico State University as a partner. In addition, TWRI has worked with the Water Institutes in New Mexico and Arizona, as well as the USGS Water Science Centers to advance our understanding of Transboundary Groundwater Resources through a grant provided by the USGS Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program. TWRI also received funding support from USDA NIFA as a team member of the "SmartPath: Grower-directed convergence of nanotechnology and smart decision analytics for irrigation water quality management related to pathogens" team. This project will develop tools for edible produce growers to allow them to explore water treatment options and select tools that will address their water treatment needs. Finally, TWRI works extensively with Texas state water agencies (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board) to develop watershed assessment and watershed protection plans for impaired watersheds across Texas. We stay in contact with other water resources institutes as well as the USGS program leader.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Entwistle, Clare and Nikki Dictson. (2019). Texas Riparian and Stream Ecosystem Training Booklet. EM 128. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Glavy, Nathan, Stephanie deVilleneuve, Allen Berthold. (2019). Coordinating Implementation of the Tres Palacios Watershed Protection Plan Final Report. TR-516. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Schramm, Michael and Achla Jha. (2019). Technical Support Document for One Total Maximum Daily Load for Indicator Bacteria in Hillebrandt Bayou. TCEQ Technical Support Document. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Glavy, Nathan, Stephanie deVilleneuve, Allen Berthold. (2019). Septic System Maintenance & Inspection Pocket Guide. TWRI EM-126. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
deVilleneuve, Stephanie and Nathan Glavy. (2019). Mission and Aransas Rivers TMDL I-Plan Implementation Final Report. TWRI TR-515. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Schramm, Michael and Achla Jha. (2020). Technical Support Document for Two Total Maximum Daily Loads for Indicator Bacteria in Sandy Creek and Wolf Creek. TCEQ Technical Support Document. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
deVilleneuve, Stephanie, Jacqueline Rambo, Luna Yang, Michael Schramm, Allen Berthold. (2020). Characterization of Middle Yegua, Davidson and Deer Creeks Watersheds. TWRI TR-523. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
deVilleneuve, Stephanie. (2020). Characterizing the Middle Yegua, Davidson Creek and Deer Creek Watersheds Final Report. TWRI TR-524. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Schramm, Michael, Achla Jha. (2020). Technical Support Document for Four Total Maximum Daily Loads for Indicator Bacteria in Neches River Tidal. TCEQ Technical Support Document. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Gitter, Anna, Mohneesh Nayal, Jacqueline Rambo, Luna Yang, Lucas Gregory. (2020). Watershed Characterization of the Thompsons Creek Watershed. TWRI TR-526. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Gitter, Anna, Luna Yang, Lucas Gregory. (2019). Watershed Characterization of the Tributaries of the Neches River below Lake Palestine: Cedar, Hurricane, Biloxi and Jack Creeks. TWRI TR-518. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Glavy, Nathan, Lucas Gregory, Clare Escamilla, Isabella Garrone, and Nikki Dictson. (2020) Delivery of a Watershed Coordinator Development Program Final Report 2020. TWRI TR-519. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Monroe, Emily, Lucas Gregory, Jeremiah Poling, Ken Awtrey. (2020). Attoyac Bayou Watershed Protection Plan On-site Sewage Facility Remediation. TWRI TR-522. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Boellstorff, Diane, John W. Smith, Emily Monroe, Rebecca Bowling, Reagan Hejl, Joel Pigg. (2020). Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters Education Program. TWRI TR-525. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Schramm, Michael, Clare Entwistle, Allen Berthold. (2019). Implementation Plan for Two TMDLs for Indicator Bacteria in Lavaca River Above Tidal and Rocky Creek. TCEQ Technical Support Document. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Entwistle, Clare, Nathan Glavy, Fouad Jaber. (2019). Urban Stream Processes and Restoration Program (training book). TWRI EM-127. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
|
Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19
Outputs
Target Audience:Water resources managers; policy makers; university and research administrators; graduate students; county extension personnel; law firms; water conservation districts; engineering firms; governmental agencies; conservation groups; irrigation districts; municipalities; elected officials; agricultural commodity organizations; stakeholders/general public. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?OUTPUTS: To facilitate outreach/education, TWRI hosted, co-hosted or presented at key project meetings, workshops and educational activities through six events, having a total attendance of 233 water resources. Workshops and trainings consisted of two Texas Watershed Coordinators Roundtables held in Waco and Dallas, TX, one Implementing Watershed Based Plans training in College Station, TX, one Agricultural Best Management Practices Workshop in Riesel, TX, one Urban Best Management Practices Workshop in Dallas, TX, and one Texas Watershed Planning Short Course in Bandera, TX. We totaled 2,111 contact hours from these six events during this period. We also secured project funding continuation for another 3 years to host more of these types of programs. Four Urban Stream Restoration Trainings were held in College Station, San Antonio, Belton and Pearland with 69 participants. The educational program and demonstration sites were also presented at the Urban Riparian Symposium in Grapevine, which had over 130 natural resource professionals across Texas. In addition, six Riparian and Stream Ecosystem Trainings were held in watersheds across Texas including: Corsicana, San Antonio, Lampasas, Bandera, Kingsville, and Bay City with 233 participants who own or manage over 56,989 acres of land. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results and information are disseminated through news releases, newsletters, websites, direct messaging, letters of invitation, social media, technical reports, educational materials, presentations and various other means as appropriate or needed. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue to pursue projects addressing state water-related challenges of water quantity and quality, and continue to disseminate results and information to our target audience while collaborating with other agencies and universities.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Efforts at TWRI focus on addressing water quality issues in Texas, improving water conservation, delivering training programs and conducting outreach. To help address water quality impairments, TWRI is assisting state agencies and local stakeholders in the development of total maximum daily load (TMDLs), TMDL-implementation plans and watershed protection plans in more than 10 waterbodies across Texas in addition to efforts and programs held in various other watersheds. Other water quality projects research and assess pollutant fate and transport and best management practices to address pollution runoff. With competition for water resources increasing due to recurring droughts, a growing population and increased awareness of environmental water needs, , water conservation is a priority for both urban and agricultural areas. Projects administered by TWRI are working to improve agricultural water conservation through improved understanding of real time crop water demand, and increased irrigation efficiency. TWRI is working in collaboration with New Mexico State University and agricultural producers in the Rio Grande Basin to increase the value of water used to irrigate crops. In addition, TWRI is working in collaboration with USDA and university researchers to understand the impact that agricultural water conservation has on crop production in the critically-important Ogallala Aquifer region. TWRI also strives to educate all Texan's about the importance of water quality and conservation, the issues that affect it and the impact people have on it. We communicate this importance through our training programs as well as our communications materials. We have hosted 16 watershed and riparian training programs during this reporting period for a total of 665 attendees and more than 5,500 contact hours. Through our communications materials -- txH2O magazine, Conservation Matters e-letter, Texas Water Journal online journal and social media -- we are able to translate the technical research into understandable, interesting stories for other researchers and the public to read. The magazine and e-letter has a combined circulation of more than 7,300 readers. Objective 1: TWRI has continued to work with faculty, students and unit heads to identify funding sources and grant opportunities, obtaining 16 new project awards during this reporting period totaling more than $4.5 million. An additional 20 proposals have been submitted and are still pending selection/rejection with sponsors. Within its projects/proposals, TWRI is partnering with more than 8 agencies, 15 centers / institutes, 6 departments, 13 universities, 3 cities, 7 river authorities / water districts, as well as 6 other groups or individuals. Objective 2: TWRI continues to monitor request for proposal releases for water-related research and outreach. This information is then shared with researchers, stakeholders and the public, as appropriate through the institute's website, Conservation Matters e-newsletter, Twitter, Facebook and e-mail listservs. We offer assistance in coordinating/leading proposals and partner with other entities as requested. Objective 3: TWRI's Communications Team publicizes TWRI projects, research results, resource materials and water resources news to the public through various vehicles, as appropriate for the particular content. Our txH2O magazine is published twice a year with 4,813 subscribers. Conservation Matters is a monthly e-mail newsletter with 2,547 subscribers. Texas Water Journal is an online peer-reviewed journal we have co-published since 2010 and has 1,053 registered users and 825 subscribers to its email announcements. As of March 2018, we began jointly publishing Texas+Water with two other organizations, with a subscriber list of 7,326. Between October 2018 and the end of September 2019, 12 technical reports have been published, 2 educational materials, 60 news releases and 67 media mentions. Other information is pushed out through Facebook (1,771 likes), Twitter (3,820 followers), Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn and our institute website as well as more than 40 project-related webpages the institute hosts. Objective 4: The Institute is committed to training the next generation of water resources scientists and engineers. We have two water research scholarship programs, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Graduate Research Program and Mills Scholars Program, which provide $5,000 scholarships for graduate students to assist in conducting high priority water resources research in Texas. Participating students are not only awarded financially but gain experience in proposal writing and gain exposure through their proposals, reports and posters being posted on our website and their projects being featured in Conservation Matters, our electronic newsletter. Objective 5: TWRI has established relationships and coordinated with other water resources institutes and universities in Texas and other states to facilitate collaborative projects and enhance funding opportunities. In particular during this reporting period, we have continued funding for research on the Ogallala Aquifer Program, funded by the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS). The Initiative provides permanent funding for several research projects on water conservation for the Ogallala Aquifer through a consortium between USDA-ARS, Kansas State University, Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University and West Texas A&M University. The relationship continues between TWRI and Colorado State University on the USDA-NIFA CAP project along with Kansas State University, Texas Tech University, New Mexico State University, Oklahoma State University and the University of Nebraska to compliment and build upon the Ogallala Aquifer Program. TWRI also received funding through the NIFA - AFRI Water for Agriculture program to initiate a CAP grant focused on increasing the resilience of water supplies to sustain agriculture and rural communities in the Rio Grande Valley with New Mexico State University as a partner. In addition, TWRI has worked with the Water Institutes in New Mexico and Arizona, as well as the USGS Water Science Centers to advance our understanding of Transboundary Groundwater Resources through a grant provided by the USGS Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program. Finally, TWRI works extensively with Texas state water agencies (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board) to develop watershed assessment and watershed protection plans for impaired watersheds across Texas. We stay in contact with other water resources institutes as well as the USGS program leader.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
K. Wagner, N. Dictson, C. Entwistle. (2018). Texas Watershed Planning Training Project Final Report 2017. TR-503. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Boellstorff, Diane, Drew Gholson, Danielle Kalisek, John Smith, Ryan Gerlich, Amy Truong, Allen Berthold and Anish Jantrania. (2018). Continued Statewide Delivery of the Texas Well Owner Network (TWON). TR-506. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Gregory, Lucas, Terry J. Gentry, Maitreyee Mukherjee, Roverto Rodriguez, Elizabeth A. Casarea, Joy A. Truesdale. (2018). Texas Bacterial Source Tracking Program Application, Expansion and Marker Evaluation (FY16FY17). TR-508. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Broad, Tyson, Tom Arsuffi, Michael Schramm. (2018). Coordinating Implementation of the Upper Llano River Watershed Protection Plan. TR-509. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Dictson, Nikki, Clare Entwistle, Nathan Glavy, Destiny Russell, Hughes Simpson. (2018). Texas Riparian & Stream Ecosystem Education Program Final Report 2018. TR-510. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Schramm, Michael, Tyson Broad, Tom Arsuffi. (2018). Escherichia coli and Dissolved Oxygen Trends in the Upper Llano River Watershed, Texas (2001-2016). TR-511. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Wurbs, Ralph A. (2019). Water Rights Analysis Package (WRAP) Modeling System Reference Manual. TR-255 12th Edition. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Wurbs, Ralph A. (2019). Water Rights Analysis Package (WRAP) Modeling System Users Manual. TR-256 12th Edition. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Wurbs, Ralph A. (2019). Fundamentals of Water Availability Modeling with WRAP. TR-283 9th Edition. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Wurbs, Ralph A. and Richard Hoffpauir. (2019). Water Rights Analysis Package (WRAP) Daily Modeling System. TR-430 3rd Edition. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Wurbs, Ralph A. (2019). Water Rights Analysis Package (WRAP) River System Hydrology. TR-431 3rd Edition. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Wurbs, Ralph A. (2019). Daily Water Availability Model for the Brazos River Basin and Brazos-San Jacinto Coastal Basin. TR-513. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
deVilleneuve, Stephanie and Nathan Glavy. (2019). Maintenance Tips for a Longer Lasting Septic System. EM-124. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
deVilleneuve, Stephanie and Nathan Glavy. (2019). Is Your Septic System Failing?. EM-125. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station.
|
Progress 04/16/18 to 09/30/18
Outputs
Target Audience:Water resources managers; policy makers; university and research administrators; graduate students; county extension personnel; law firms; water conservation districts; engineering firms; governmental agencies; conservation groups; irrigation districts; municipalities; elected officials; agricultural commodity organizations; stakeholders/general public. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?OUTPUTS: To facilitate outreach/education, TWRI hosted, co-hosted or presented at key project meetings, conferences and educational activities through 52 events with 75 presentations reaching more than 4,621 stakeholders, agency personnel and academia. Of these trainings, five were our Texas Stream and Riparian Ecosystem Workshop in the Conroe, Marion, Goliad, Bay City and Corsicana; Advances in Vegetable Irrigation in Mission; five Urban Riparian and Stream Restoration Training; and 3 were part of our Texas Watershed Coordinator Development Program including one Texas Watershed Coordinator Roundtable. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results and information are disseminated through news releases, newsletters, websites, direct messaging, letters of invitation, social media, technical reports, educational materials, presentations and various other means as appropriate or needed. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue to pursue projects addressing state water-related challenges of water quantity and quality, and continue to disseminate results and information to our target audience while collaborating with other agencies and universities.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Efforts at TWRI focus on addressing water quality issues in Texas, improving water conservation, delivering training programs and conducting outreach. To help address water quality impairments, TWRI is assisting state agencies and local stakeholders in the development of total maximum daily load (TMDLs), TMDL-implementation plans and watershed protection plans in more than 10 waterbodies across Texas in addition to efforts and programs held in various other watersheds. Other water quality projects research and assess pollutant fate and transport and best management practices to address pollution runoff. With competition for water resources increasing due to recurring droughts, a growing population and increased emphasis on sustaining riparian ecosystems, water conservation is a priority for both urban and agricultural areas. Projects supported by TWRI are working to improve residential water conservation through providing improved information on their hourly water usage, anticipating in-home water users will better understand and potentially reduce their water use. Additionally, TWRI is working in collaboration with USDA and university researchers on agricultural water conservation in the critically-important Ogallala Aquifer region. TWRI also strives to educate all Texan's about the importance of water quality and conservation, the issues that affect it and the impact people have on it. We communicate this importance through our training programs as well as our communications materials. We have hosted 14 watershed and riparian training programs during this reporting period for a total of 511 attendees and 3,366 contact hours. Through our communications materials -- txH2O magazine, Conservation Matters e-letter, Texas Water Journal online journal and social media -- we are able to translate the technical research into understandable, interesting stories for other researchers and the public to read. The magazine and e-letter has a combined circulation of more than 7,300 readers. Objective 1: TWRI has continued to work with faculty, students and unit heads to identify funding sources and grant opportunities, obtaining 19 new project awards during this reporting period totaling more than $3.7 million. An additional 13 proposals have been submitted and are still pending selection/rejection with sponsors. Within its projects/proposals, TWRI is partnering with more than 8 agencies, 15 centers / institutes, 6 departments, 13 universities, 3 cities, 7 river authorities / water districts, as well as 6 other groups or individuals. Objective 2: TWRI continues to monitor request for proposal releases for water-related research and outreach. This information is then shared with researchers, stakeholders and the public, as appropriate through the institute's website, Conservation Matters e-newsletter, Twitter, Facebook and e-mail listservs. We offer assistance in coordinating/leading proposals and partner with other entities as requested. Objective 3: TWRI's Communications Team publicizes TWRI projects, research results, resource materials and water resources news to the public through various vehicles, as appropriate for the particular content. Our txH2O magazine is published twice a year with 4,680 subscribers. Conservation Matters is a monthly e-mail newsletter with 2,500 subscribers. Texas Water Journal is an online peer-reviewed journal we have co-published since 2010 and has 682 registered users. As of March 2018, we began jointly publishing Texas+Water with two other organizations, with a subscriber list of 7,878. Between February 2018 and the end of September, 3 technical reports have been published, 43 news releases and 44 media mentions. Other information is pushed out through Facebook (1,347 likes), Twitter (3,496 followers), Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn and our institute website as well as more than 40 project-related webpages the institute hosts. Objective 4: The Institute is committed to training the next generation of water resources scientists and engineers. We have two water research scholarship programs, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Graduate Research Program and Mills Scholars Program, which provide $5,000 scholarships for graduate students to assist in conducting high priority water resources research in Texas. Participating students are not only awarded financially but gain experience in proposal writing and gain exposure through their proposals, reports and posters being posted on our website and their projects being featured in Conservation Matters, our electronic newsletter. Objective 5: TWRI has established relationships and coordinated with other water resources institutes and universities in Texas and other states to facilitate collaborative projects and enhance funding opportunities. In particular during this reporting period, we have continued funding for research on the Ogallala Aquifer Program, funded by the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS). The Initiative provides permanent funding for several research projects on water conservation for the Ogallala Aquifer through a consortium between USDA-ARS, Kansas State University, Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University and West Texas A&M University. The relationship continues between TWRI and Colorado State University on the USDA-NIFA CAP project along with Kansas State University, Texas Tech University, New Mexico State University, Oklahoma State University and the University of Nebraska to compliment and build upon the Ogallala Aquifer Program. TWRI also received funding through the NIFA - AFRI Water for Agriculture program to initiate a CAP grant focused on increasing the resilience of water supplies to sustain agriculture and rural communities in the Rio Grande Valley with New Mexico State University as a partner. In addition, TWRI has worked with the Water Institutes in New Mexico and Arizona, as well as the USGS Water Science Centers to advance our understanding of Transboundary Groundwater Resources through a grant provided by the USGS Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program. Finally, TWRI works extensively with Texas state water agencies (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board) to develop watershed assessment and watershed protection plans for impaired watersheds across Texas. We stay in contact with other water resources institutes as well as the USGS program leader.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Berthold, A. 2018. Rio Grande Water fact sheet: Diversifying the Water Portfolio for Agriculture in the Rio Grande Basin, Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station, TX.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Gregory, L., Rhodes, E., Wagner, K., Jonescu, B., and Young, K. (2018). Implementation of Intensive Water Quality Monitoring and Evaluation to Support the Lake O the Pines National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI) Phase I Final Report. TR-505. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station, TX.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Sanchez, R. (2018). Transboundariness, or, the End of Aquifer Boundaries as We Know Them IMPACT. American Water Resources Association, 20(3): 18-19.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Sanchez, R. (2018) Book review: The International Law of Transboundary Groundwater Resources, Texas Water Journal, 9(1): 16-17.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Sanchez, R., Rodriguez, L., and Tortajada, C. (2018). Transboundary Aquifers between Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas, Mexico and Texas, USA: Identification and Categorization, Journal of Hydrology, Regional Studies, Special Edition on Transboundary Aquifers. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2018.04.004.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Schramm, M., Berthold, A., and Entwistle, C. (2018). Tres Palacios Creek Watershed Protection Plan. TR-500. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station, TX.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Schramm, M., Berthold, A., Entwistle, C., and Peddicord, K. (2018). Lavaca River Watershed Protection Plan. TR-507. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station, TX.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Schramm, M., Berthold, A., Glavy, N. (2018). Healthy Livestock Practices BMP flyer, Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station, TX.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Schramm, M., Broad. T. (2018). Water Quality, Upper Llano Watershed. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station, TX.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Schramm, M., Broad. T. (2018). Water Supply Enhancement through Brush Control, Upper Llano Watershed. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station, TX.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Schramm, M., Broad. T. (2018). Use of Wildlife Exclosures for Riparian Protection and Management, Upper Llano Watershed. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station, TX.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Schramm, M., Broad. T. (2018). Invasive Aquatic Plants, Upper Llano Watershed. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station, TX.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Wythe, K., Richardson, S. Kalisek, D., Corley, C., and Hoskins, A. (2018). Conservation Matters. Monthly. Promotes the latest research and education news about land, water and wildlife in Texas and beyond state lines. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station, TX.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Wythe, K., Richardson, S., and Corley, C. (2018). txH2O. Bi-annual. Features stories on current water resources research and outreach programs in Texas and priority water issues facing Texas. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station, TX.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Wythe, K. (2018). Rio Grande Basin-wide project addressing water challenges for agricultural sustainability, Ag Mag, 4(6): 42-44
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Progress 02/01/18 to 09/30/18
Outputs
Target Audience:Water resources managers; policy makers; university and research administrators; graduate students; county extension personnel; law firms; water conservation districts; engineering firms; governmental agencies; conservation groups; irrigation districts; municipalities; elected officials; agricultural commodity organizations; stakeholders/general public. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?OUTPUTS: To facilitate outreach/education, TWRI hosted, co-hosted or presented at key project meetings, conferences and educational activities through 52 events with 75 presentations reaching more than 4,621 stakeholders, agency personnel and academia. Of these trainings, five were our Texas Stream and Riparian Ecosystem Workshop in the Conroe, Marion, Goliad, Bay City and Corsicana; Advances in Vegetable Irrigation in Mission; five Urban Riparian and Stream Restoration Training; and 3 were part of our Texas Watershed Coordinator Development Program including one Texas Watershed Coordinator Roundtable. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results and information are disseminated through news releases, newsletters, websites, direct messaging, letters of invitation, social media, technical reports, educational materials, presentations and various other means as appropriate or needed. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue to pursue projects addressing state water-related challenges of water quantity and quality, and continue to disseminate results and information to our target audience while collaborating with other agencies and universities.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Efforts at TWRI focus on addressing water quality issues in Texas, improving water conservation, delivering training programs and conducting outreach. To help address water quality impairments, TWRI is assisting state agencies and local stakeholders in the development of total maximum daily load (TMDLs), TMDL-implementation plans and watershed protection plans in more than 10 waterbodies across Texas in addition to efforts and programs held in various other watersheds. Other water quality projects research and assess pollutant fate and transport and best management practices to address pollution runoff. With competition for water resources increasing due to recurring droughts, a growing population and increased emphasis on sustaining riparian ecosystems, water conservation is a priority for both urban and agricultural areas. Projects supported by TWRI are working to improve residential water conservation through providing improved information on their hourly water usage, anticipating in-home water users will better understand and potentially reduce their water use. Additionally, TWRI is working in collaboration with USDA and university researchers on agricultural water conservation in the critically-important Ogallala Aquifer region. TWRI also strives to educate all Texan's about the importance of water quality and conservation, the issues that affect it and the impact people have on it. We communicate this importance through our training programs as well as our communications materials. We have hosted 14 watershed and riparian training programs during this reporting period for a total of 511 attendees and 3,366 contact hours. Through our communications materials -- txH2O magazine, Conservation Matters e-letter, Texas Water Journal online journal and social media -- we are able to translate the technical research into understandable, interesting stories for other researchers and the public to read. The magazine and e-letter has a combined circulation of more than 7,300 readers. Objective 1: TWRI has continued to work with faculty, students and unit heads to identify funding sources and grant opportunities, obtaining 19 new project awards during this reporting period totaling more than $3.7 million. An additional 13 proposals have been submitted and are still pending selection/rejection with sponsors. Within its projects/proposals, TWRI is partnering with more than 8 agencies, 15 centers / institutes, 6 departments, 13 universities, 3 cities, 7 river authorities / water districts, as well as 6 other groups or individuals. Objective 2: TWRI continues to monitor request for proposal releases for water-related research and outreach. This information is then shared with researchers, stakeholders and the public, as appropriate through the institute's website, Conservation Matters e-newsletter, Twitter, Facebook and e-mail listservs. We offer assistance in coordinating/leading proposals and partner with other entities as requested. Objective 3: TWRI's Communications Team publicizes TWRI projects, research results, resource materials and water resources news to the public through various vehicles, as appropriate for the particular content. Our txH2O magazine is published twice a year with 4,680 subscribers. Conservation Matters is a monthly e-mail newsletter with 2,500 subscribers. Texas Water Journal is an online peer-reviewed journal we have co-published since 2010 and has 682 registered users. As of March 2018, we began jointly publishing Texas+Water with two other organizations, with a subscriber list of 7,878. Between February 2018 and the end of September, 3 technical reports have been published, 43 news releases and 44 media mentions. Other information is pushed out through Facebook (1,347 likes), Twitter (3,496 followers), Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn and our institute website as well as more than 40 project-related webpages the institute hosts. Objective 4: The Institute is committed to training the next generation of water resources scientists and engineers. We have two water research scholarship programs, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Graduate Research Program and Mills Scholars Program, which provide $5,000 scholarships for graduate students to assist in conducting high priority water resources research in Texas. Participating students are not only awarded financially but gain experience in proposal writing and gain exposure through their proposals, reports and posters being posted on our website and their projects being featured in Conservation Matters, our electronic newsletter. Objective 5: TWRI has established relationships and coordinated with other water resources institutes and universities in Texas and other states to facilitate collaborative projects and enhance funding opportunities. In particular during this reporting period, we have continued funding for research on the Ogallala Aquifer Program, funded by the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS). The Initiative provides permanent funding for several research projects on water conservation for the Ogallala Aquifer through a consortium between USDA-ARS, Kansas State University, Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University and West Texas A&M University. The relationship continues between TWRI and Colorado State University on the USDA-NIFA CAP project along with Kansas State University, Texas Tech University, New Mexico State University, Oklahoma State University and the University of Nebraska to compliment and build upon the Ogallala Aquifer Program. TWRI also received funding through the NIFA - AFRI Water for Agriculture program to initiate a CAP grant focused on increasing the resilience of water supplies to sustain agriculture and rural communities in the Rio Grande Valley with New Mexico State University as a partner. In addition, TWRI has worked with the Water Institutes in New Mexico and Arizona, as well as the USGS Water Science Centers to advance our understanding of Transboundary Groundwater Resources through a grant provided by the USGS Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program. Finally, TWRI works extensively with Texas state water agencies (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board) to develop watershed assessment and watershed protection plans for impaired watersheds across Texas. We stay in contact with other water resources institutes as well as the USGS program leader.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Berthold, A. 2018. Rio Grande Water fact sheet: Diversifying the Water Portfolio for Agriculture in the Rio Grande Basin, Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station, TX.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Gregory, L., Rhodes, E., Wagner, K., Jonescu, B., and Young, K. (2018). Implementation of Intensive Water Quality Monitoring and Evaluation to Support the Lake O the Pines National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI) Phase I Final Report. TR-505. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station, TX.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Sanchez, R. (2018). Transboundariness, or, the End of Aquifer Boundaries as We Know Them IMPACT. American Water Resources Association, 20(3): 18-19.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Sanchez, R. (2018) Book review: The International Law of Transboundary Groundwater Resources, Texas Water Journal, 9(1): 16-17.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Sanchez, R., Rodriguez, L., and Tortajada, C. (2018). Transboundary Aquifers between Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas, Mexico and Texas, USA: Identification and Categorization, Journal of Hydrology, Regional Studies, Special Edition on Transboundary Aquifers. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2018.04.004.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Schramm, M., Berthold, A., and Entwistle, C. (2018). Tres Palacios Creek Watershed Protection Plan. TR-500. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station, TX.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Schramm, M., Berthold, A., Entwistle, C., and Peddicord, K. (2018). Lavaca River Watershed Protection Plan. TR-507. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station, TX.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Schramm, M., Berthold, A., Glavy, N. (2018). Healthy Livestock Practices BMP flyer, Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station, TX.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Schramm, M., Broad. T. (2018). Water Quality, Upper Llano Watershed. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station, TX.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Schramm, M., Broad. T. (2018). Water Supply Enhancement through Brush Control, Upper Llano Watershed. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station, TX.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Schramm, M., Broad. T. (2018). Use of Wildlife Exclosures for Riparian Protection and Management, Upper Llano Watershed. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station, TX.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Schramm, M., Broad. T. (2018). Invasive Aquatic Plants, Upper Llano Watershed. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station, TX.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Wythe, K., Richardson, S. Kalisek, D., Corley, C., and Hoskins, A. (2018). Conservation Matters. Monthly. Promotes the latest research and education news about land, water and wildlife in Texas and beyond state lines. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station, TX.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Wythe, K., Richardson, S., and Corley, C. (2018). txH2O. Bi-annual. Features stories on current water resources research and outreach programs in Texas and priority water issues facing Texas. Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station, TX.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Wythe, K. (2018). Rio Grande Basin-wide project addressing water challenges for agricultural sustainability, Ag Mag, 4(6): 42-44
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