Post Oak Savannah Groundwater Conservation District is excited to announce that they will be offering a new Rainwater Harvesting Grant Program for residents of Burleson and Milam Counties. By participating in the rebate program, residents can receive assistance in installing their own rainwater harvesting system.
Drew Gholson, Ph.D., an Extension Program Specialist for the Texas A&M Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, will be going over the details of the rebate program at the Summit. Gholson’s primary areas of focus are developing educational and applied research programs involving water resource management, including groundwater and private water well protection, water conservation, water quality and rainwater harvesting.
Gholson said he will talk about the process people will go through for those interested in installing their own rainwater harvesting system and participating in the rebate program. He will also discuss where the program demonstration site will be and give an update on upcoming workshops.
Bobby Bazan, Post Oak Savannah GCD Water Resource Management Specialist, will be giving an update on the POSGCD Well Monitoring Network. Bazan has worked for the Post Oak Savannah GCD for four years. He has received a B.S. in Agricultural Systems Management and a M.S. in Water Management, both from Texas A&M University.
During his presentation, Bazan will review the advances the District has made to their Monitoring Well Network, such as the addition of new wells, an increase in frequency of measurements and new web-based features that the District is excited about.
“The monitoring network and its water level measurements are crucial to the District’s mission to protect and conserve aquifer resources in Burleson and Milam Counties by providing critical scientific data,” Bazan said. “That ‘best available science’ allows for the Board to make decisions in evaluating the District’s Management Plan and Rules.”
Citizens of Milam and Burleson Counties, as well as surrounding areas, can benefit from attending the Groundwater Summit. Post Oak Savannah GCD organizes the event and invites groundwater experts from across Texas to come speak at the local level. It is a great opportunity for people to come and learn about the state’s requirements on local groundwater management and stay up-to-date on current groundwater issues.
Topics for this year’s Summit cover a variety of issues. Panels will discuss the impacts of production in the Carrizo-Wilcox, how Groundwater Conservation Districts collaborate within Groundwater Management Area 12, and an overview of the Post Oak Savannah GCD Groundwater Well Assistance Program (GWAP).
In addition, there will be presentations about Groundwater Availability Models (GAMs) and how they are developed and used, an overview of Desired Future Conditions (DFCs), an introduction to Post Oak Savannah’s new Rainwater Harvesting Grant Program, and an update on the POSGCD well-monitoring system.
For any questions, please contact the POSGCD office at 512-455-9900, or email at admin@posgcd.org. Please RSVP to your County Extension office by August 8th. Burleson County, 979-567-2308. Milam County, 254-697-7045. For a detailed agenda of the Summit, please visit https://posgcd.org/outreach/2017-milam-burleson-counties-groundwater-summit/.