A free Texas Watershed Stewards Workshop on water quality and availability issues related to the Lampasas River will be held from 8a.m. to 4p.m. on March 28th.

The workshop will be held at the Lampasas County Farm Bureau Building, 1793 U.S. Highway 281 North in Lampasas.

The training is free and participants are encouraged to preregister at http://tws.tamu.edu.

The Texas Watershed Steward Workshop is sponsored by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board in coordination with Texas A&M AgriLife Research and the Lampasas River Watershed Partnership.

Workshop coordinators said the program is open to anyone interested in improving water quality in the Lampasas River and surrounding areas.

"The workshop is designed to help watershed residents improve and protect their water resources by becoming involved in local watershed protection and management activities," said Heath Lusty, AgriLife Extension Agent for agriculture and natural resources in Lampasas County.

Lusty said the workshop will include an overview of water quality and watershed management in Texas and will primarily focus on water quality issues relating to the Lampasas River, including current efforts to help improve and protect the health of important area water sources.

The training will include a discussion of watershed systems, types and sources of water pollution, and ways to improve and protect water quality. There also will be a group discussion on community-driven watershed protection and management.

"Surface water in the Lampasas River is a critical source of water in the area," said Lisa Prcin, Research Associate with AgriLife Research. "Stakeholders need to be armed with the knowledge to protect and restore water quality in the watershed."

AgriLife Research and the Lampasas River Watershed Partnership are working to develop and implement a stakeholder driven watershed protection plan aimed at reducing pollution and improving water quality in the Lampasas River. The Lampasas River Watershed Protection plan will be finalized and adopted later this year. Implementation of the plan's management strategies will begin soon thereafter.

Prcin said efforts outlined in the plan will include several best management practices which will reduce pollution in the watershed and potentially lower the bacteria levels in the Lampasas.

"Along with the free training, participants receive a free copy of the Texas Watershed Steward Handbook and a certificate of completion," said Galen Roberts with AgriLife Extension and the Watershed Steward Program.

The program also offers seven continuing education units in soil and water management for certified crop advisors, seven units for professional engineers and certified planners, and seven continuing education credits for certified teachers. It also offers three general continuing education units for Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide license holders, seven for certified landscape architects and three for certified floodplain managers.

Preregistration is open through the Texas Watershed Stewards website, http://tws.tamu.edu. A boxed lunch sandwich will be provided by the Texas Land Bank of Lampasas.

"Participating in the Watershed Steward program is a great opportunity to get involved and make a difference in your watershed," Roberts said.

For more information and to preregister, go to http://tws.tamu.edu, or contact Roberts at 979-862-8070, groberts@ag.tamu.edu, or Heath Lusty at 512-556-8217, rhlusty@ag.tamu.edu.

For information about the Lampasas River Watershed Protection Plan, contact Lisa Prcin at 254-774-6008, or lprcin@brc.tamus.edu. Additional information may be found at http://www.lampasasriver.org.

The Texas Watershed Steward program is funded through a Clean Water Act nonpoint source grant from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.