Dear Stream Team Family,
There are lots of exciting updates to share with you all this newsletter! It is my hope to first put our upcoming virtual Stream Team Fest, scheduled for October 12-14, on everyone’s radar. We would love for you all to join us to celebrate Texas Stream Team turning 30, and all the members, partners, and supporters who have helped build Texas Stream Team into the program it is today. Although we so wish we could hold Stream Team Fest in person, we have a great line-up for you to enjoy the festivities from the comforts of your computer. Highlights include:
- Guest speakers from state, federal, and local environmental organizations
- Panels from past and present Texas Stream Team leaders
- An award ceremony to commemorate some of our members and partners
- Virtual goodie bags (limited supplies)
And so much more! The event is free and open to all who are interested in learning more about Texas Stream Team, looking to connect with other members, those who are wanting to take their involvement to the next level, and more. Registration is required, click the button below to register.
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In other exciting news, trainings are continuing to safely ramp up throughout the state. Texas Stream Team staff has released trainings from now until September 2022. View our calendar to see what trainings are taking place and to RSVP.
Continue reading to learn about other Texas Stream Team updates, partner events, and much more!
Sincerely,
Aspen Navarro
Texas Stream Team Program Coordinator
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Upcoming Trainings
Standard Core – San Marcos
September 26 | 10:00am – 1:00pm learn more>>
Standard Core – San Marcos
October 09 | 10:00am – 2:00pm learn more>>
Standard Core – San Marcos
October 16 | 10:00am – 2:00pm learn more>>
Standard Core – San Marcos
October 24 | 10:00am – 1:00pm learn more>>
Standard Core – San Marcos
November 06 | 10:00am – 2:00pm learn more>>
E. coli Bacteria – Virtual
November 13 | 8:00am – 11:30am learn more>>
Standard Core – San Marcos
November 20 | 10:00am – 2:00pm learn more>>
Standard Core – San Marcos
November 21 | 10:00am – 1:00pm learn more>>
Standard Core – San Marcos
December 12 | 10:00am – 1:00pm learn more>>
Texas Stream Team has released trainings for 2022, click here to view the calendar and RSVP.
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Monitoring Group Spotlight: Wimberley Valley Monitors
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The Cypress Creek watershed is a significant tributary of the Blanco River located in Hays County, in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. Cypress Creek rises from Jacob’s Well and flows through the City of Woodcreek before it meets the Blanco River in south Wimberley, just upstream from the Blanco River/Ranch Road 12 junction.
The Wimberley Valley Monitors group was established in 2008 to protect and monitor the Cypress Creek watershed’s water resources and ensure the proper stewardship of this valuable community resource. We chatted with John Moore, Quality Assurance Officer, to learn about the history and current priorities of the Wimberley Valley Monitoring Group. Read more>>
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MONITORING TIPS & UPDATES
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Important Reminder: Dissolve Oxygen Modified Winkler Titration Method
In the past, questions have been raised regarding the use of the pink plastic adapter tip on the titrator tube when conducting the modified Winkler titration to measure dissolved oxygen using the Standard Core water quality monitoring kit (Model #XX01364-01). Texas Stream Team staff recently discussed the procedure with a LaMotte representative and were informed their research and development team conducted extensive testing and does not recommend removal of the tip when conducting the modified Winkler titration method. Therefore, this notice is being issued to inform all trained citizen scientists and trainers to use the pink plastic adapter tip when conducting the modified Winkler titration method for measuring and reporting dissolved oxygen. The titration tube can be purchased as a whole unit (including the tip) for $7.02 at LaMotte (Part #0377). Or you can purchase the pink tips only from LaMotte for $0.81 (part #23573-3)
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E. coli Bacteria Field Blanks
E. coli bacteria sampling is one of the many trainings offered by Texas Stream Team. E. coli bacteria sampling requires a field blank to detect errors or potential cross contamination in sample collection and analysis. Historically, a Texas Stream Team field blank consisted of a sterile diluent sample that citizen scientists transport to the site and then transfer to a labeled Whirl-Pak bag during sampling. However, the vendor used to purchase these no longer manufactures sterile diluent, therefore an alternative was sought.
Texas Stream Team staff conducted a series of four monitoring events to help identify a sterile diluent alternative. The sterile diluent candidates included: Milli-Q water, deionized (DI) water, and distilled water. Results of the monitoring events showed that all sterile diluent alternatives are viable to use for conducting field blanks. Texas Stream Team staff highly recommends and prefers DI water from Hach in a 100 mL volume container to use in lieu of the sterile diluent. Texas Stream Team recommends using a 100 mL bottle of DI water due to the increased potential for cross contamination when using a larger volume of water across multiple field monitoring events.
Texas Stream Team revised the E. coli bacteria field blank protocol to reflect these findings. Read more >>
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LaMotte Discount + Equipment List
Texas Stream Team is excited to announce that we recently secured a discount for our partners and citizen scientists from LaMotte for kits, reagents, and other supplies! Our network can look forward to receiving a 10% discount on kits, reagents, and parts or a 20% discount on those items in quantities of 10 or more. To receive this discount, partners and citizen scientists must identify themselves as Texas Stream Team volunteers when purchasing through LaMotte.
Texas Stream Team is a federally recognized state-wide monitoring program with an approved Quality Assurance Project Plan, therefore all monitoring must be conducted with the approved equipment unless noted otherwise. As a result, Texas Stream Team maintains a set of detailed lists of equipment and supplies needed for partners and citizen scientists to participate in the program along with the vendors to purchase from. It is important to note that this list is updated annually, thus some pricing is subject to change at the vendors discretion.
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Lower Cypress Creek Pilot Project: Concurrent Assessment of E. coli Bacteria and Optical Brighteners
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A thirteen-week Texas Stream Team study in lower Cypress Creek is currently underway to sample for the presence of optical brighteners and E. coli bacteria. E. coli is a species of fecal coliform bacteria used as indicators of possible sewage contamination. They are commonly found in human and animal feces and are an indicator of presence of pathogens that can be a health risk if consumed. Concurrent sampling of optical brighteners and E. coli bacteria can assist in pollution screening and source identification of fecal contamination. Read more >>
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Texas Stream Team Data Showcase
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Texas Stream Team is very fortunate to have 30 years (and counting) of wonderful and dedicated citizen scientists that help us gain a better understanding of our Texas water bodies through water quality monitoring. Because of our amazing citizen scientists, we hold a plethora of data and want to start showcasing this data in our newsletters to show data trends, tips, updates, and more!
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Training Activity Since 2014
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Since 2014, Texas Stream Team and partners have conducted 517 trainings in 63 cities across Texas and online. Unsurprisingly, San Marcos accounts for 43% of the trainings and 33% of the training participants (shout out to Rachel Sanborn and her San Marcos River Ranger group). The most popular training is the Core Water Quality Monitoring training, with 2,612 of the total 3,246 participants. The largest training took place for Glen Rose High School on September 18, 2019, for 69 people. For reference, the average participants per training is six people.
Please enjoy the charts and tables below.
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Pedernales River Watershed Data Summary Report
Every quarter, Texas Stream Team analyzes collected data in a specific watershed through Data Summary Reports. Texas Stream Team’s Data Summary Reports highlight trends, environmental factors, Texas Stream Team activities and more within the selected watershed. This quarter, the Pedernales River watershed located within the Central Texas Hill County was selected.
Texas Stream Team citizen scientists monitored Standard Core water quality parameters and E. coli bacteria at three sites in the Pedernales River watershed from March 2012 to January 2021. Parameters monitored included water and air temperature, specific conductance, total dissolved solids, dissolved oxygen, pH, transparency, total depth, and E. coli bacteria. Data from the three monitoring sites were analyzed and compared to established water quality standards in this data summary report.
The 2020 Texas Integrated Report, prepared biennially by TCEQ, reported no water quality impairments on the Pedernales River. Historically, water quality in the Pedernales River has met the water quality standards and findings in this report coincide with the historical account for the most part, however the primary concern for this area involves E. coli bacteria. Read report>>
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Pedernales River watershed Texas Stream Team citizen scientist monitoring sites.
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September 24 - 26 | San Antonio
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San Antonio built a pipeline to rural Central Texas to increase its water supply. Now local landowners say their wells are running dry.
A pipeline helped secure water for San Antonio for decades to come — at a potentially high cost to some rural residents who are losing groundwater to the big city. Read more>>
The Formosa Case: A Step Forward on the Acceptance of Citizen-Collected Evidence in Environmental Litigation?
In June 2019, a landmark court decision (San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper, et al. v. Formosa Plastics Corporation, et al., hereafter referred to as the Formosa ruling) was issued in Texas, where a judge found a petrochemical company liable for violating the United States Clean Water Act. The case—initiated by a civic group—was mostly built on citizen-collected evidence involving volunteer observations of plastic pellets, powder and flakes in the water over a considerable time span. Read more>>
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Deal to preserve Honey Creek moves forward with Texas Parks and Wildlife approval
A land deal that could forever preserve a pristine Hill Country stream north of San Antonio moved forward with approval from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department commissioners. Read more>>
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To acknowledge our citizen scientists’ commitment to our program, Texas Stream Team is returning to an old tradition of introducing new citizen scientists to welcome them to the team as well as formally announce a farewell to our retiring citizen scientists.
We want to acknowledge your commitment to our program! Please reach out to us if you will be retiring from your service to Texas Stream Team at TxStreamTeam@txstate.edu.
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New to Texas Stream Team? Join Us!
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Are you interested in partnering with Texas Stream Team? Let us know!
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Mailing address:
601 University Drive
San Marcos, Texas 78666
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Visit us:
201 San Marcos Springs Drive
San Marcos, Texas 78666
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