Arroyo Colorado

Habitat Workgroup

Members
Laguna Atascosa
National Wildlife Refuge
Joe Avila
City of San Benito
Paul Bergh
Coalition to Save the Arroyo Colorado, Lower Laguna Madre Foundation, Coastal Conservation Association
Donna and Walter Berry
Master Naturalist
Randy Blankinship
Texas Parks And Wildlife Department
Tom Brown
Naismith Engineering
Layne Budd
citizen
Dave Buzan
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Brunilda Fuentes Capozello
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Chris Caudle
TCEQ Region 15
Jim Chapman
Sierra Club
Mark Conway
Rio Grande Valley Bird Observatory
D.J. Davis
TCEQ Region15
Jesus Franco
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Andy Garza
Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, Harlingen Region
Laura De La Garza
Texas Sea Grant
Olivia Gomez
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Lino Gonzalez
City of Rio Hondo
Javier Guerrero
Texas A&M University, Kingsville
Neil Haman
Texas Water Development Board
Beau Hardegree
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Jim Herrington
Environmental Protection Agency
Don Hockaday
University of Texas, Pan American
A.W. Hoehn
citizen
Kay Jenkins
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Gary A. Jones
International Boundary and Water Commission
Ken Jones
Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council
Dr. Kim Jones*
Texas A&M University, Kingsville
Gene Lester
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Jeff Lyssy
City of Harlingen Parks
James Matz
landowner
Guy McRoberts
landowner
Eduardo Mendez
Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board
Key Miranda
Harlingen Proud
Roger Miranda
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Smiley Nava
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Butch Palmer Jr.
Port of Harlingen Authority
Sam Patten
Texas Parks And Wildlife Department
Chris Rakestraw
Coalition to Save the Arroyo Colorado
Joe Ramos
City of Rio Hondo
Tony Reisinger Jr.*
Sea Grant Marine Advisory Service
Ernesto Reyes
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Roy Rodriguez
Rensselaerville Institute
Steve Stauffer
citizen
Kevin Wagner
Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board
John Wallace
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Mike Weeks
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Lisa Williams
Nature Conservancy
Tom Wilson
Harlingen Parks Director

* Workgroup leader

Meeting Summaries
Strategies for Water Quality Improvement
  • Support ongoing efforts of federal, state and local agencies and other organizations to implement terrestrial habitat conservation objectives in the Arroyo Colorado watershed through partnerships and funding
  • Protect and restore existing riparian areas, resacas, and freshwater wetlands
  • Work with drainage districts to modify drainage ditches and maintenance practices to reduce channel and stream bank erosion.
  • Participate with IBWC during development of maintenance or new work projects for the Arroyo Colorado. Representatives of the ACW Partnership could serve in advisory capacities to assist in the development of pilot channel configurations with banks that are less steep and that can support vegetation such as riparian woodland plants or native prairie grasses.
  • Develop partnerships with the IBWC, drainage districts, and private landowners to implement bank/slope stabilization projects in hot spots along the Arroyo Colorado or in drainages within the watershed.
  • Implement projects that would detain stormwater runoff, reduce sediment load and reduce the volume and velocity of runoff in drainage ditches and the Arroyo Colorado.
  • Support ongoing and increased use of vegetated filter strips around agricultural production and urban development areas to slow stormwater runoff from these areas.
  • Implement stormwater wetland systems in urban developments, redevelopments and in areas under agricultural production to reduce nonpoint source pollutant loading to the Arroyo Colorado.
  • Build constructed wetlands for tertiary treatment of waste streams from individual wastewater treatment plants and/or for polishing fl ows from multiple wastewater treatment plants in close proximity with habitat features when feasible.
  • Construct large off-channel treatment wetlands that treat flows from multiple sources including wastewater treatment facilities and nonpoint source runoff from urban and agricultural areas.
Additional Information Reports