Image Courtesy of the Texas AgriLife Extension ServiceOver the last few years, there has been quite a bit of discussion about the health of our inland waterways. Water is becoming a big topic everywhere, and Texas is no different. I used to listen to my grandpa talk about the times when you could drink water right out of Possum Creek, near my boyhood home. Nowadays, you simply can't do that due to degraded water quality.
Here at Wild Wonderings, you know we look for every opportunity to promote wildlife-related issues. This is no different, since there are a number of factors influencing the health of our streams and rivers. Most of these are non-point source. That means simply that, unlike a factory dumping directly into a stream--which is an easy source to point out--these cannot be identified as just one source of pollution.
Notable among the current problems facing Texas' Streams are the effects of Feral Hogs. This is a problem our friends over at the Plum Creek Watershed Partnership are working hard to address. Much of this is due to the rooting behavior of hogs which increases erosion and sedimentation, but also health concerns related to hog excrement and E. coli.
A new website, Lone Star Healthy Streams, has been produced by our friends in the Texas AgriLife Extension Service's Soil and Crop Sciences Unit, in partnership with the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB) and the Texas Water Resources Institute. This website highlights not only the effects of Feral Hogs, but also management practices, health concerns, and general life histories. The Lone Star Healthy Streams goes a step further, out of the realm of wildlife, to discuss effects of various livestock animals on water quality.