Restoration Trainings

The Texas Water Resources Institute, in collaboration with Texas A&M AgriLife Research-Dallas Center, Texas Riparian Association and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality are coordinating the Urban Riparian and Stream Restoration Program. This program includes trainings for professionals on assessing and restoring degraded urban riparian areas and a demonstration project on the benefits of restored and healthy riparian areas.

Riparian and stream degradation is a major threat to water quality, in-stream habitat, terrestrial wildlife, aquatic species, and overall stream health. Riparian restoration and stream bank stabilization will lead to improvements in water quality, in-stream habitat, terrestrial wildlife, aquatic species, and overall stream health. In addition, reduced sedimentation rates are a cost-effective strategy for extending the state’s water supply reservoirs for water availability.

The goal of this educational program is to increase awareness, education and the value of stream restoration through two major objectives:

1. Trainings: Promote healthy watersheds and improve water quality through the delivery of 15 training programs in priority watersheds and a 3-day advanced stream restoration training.
2. Demonstration: Demonstrate the benefits of riparian restoration on bank erosion and total suspended solid (TSS) levels within the creek. The demonstration will include two sections of degraded stream banks along Geronimo Creek. The downstream site will be restored and stabilized with riparian vegetation, while the upstream will remain unchanged. The results of erosion and TSS will be compared between the restored site and the non-restored upstream site.

 

 

This project is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.