Water School

The Brazos River draw lies approximately 50 miles west of the Texas-New Mexico border beginning a watershed that stretches 1,050 miles and comprises 44,620 square miles, 42,000 of which are in Texas.  For a full-sized map, click here.

A watershed protection plan is a coordinated effort among stakeholders of a watershed to determine and implement a plan to ease an environmental issue. The stakeholders often include residents of the impacted community, representatives of governmental and other agencies and local businesses, among others.The stakeholders work with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to develop a plan and formulate programs to manage the issue.

E. Coli is a bacteria normally found in the intestines of humans and other warm blooded animals. It can pollute water bodies and other areas through contact with waste. Researchers have found contact with the bacteria can cause gastrointestinal illnesses.

Giardiasis is an infection of the small intestine by single-celled parasites called giardia. People are typically infected by the parasite through exposure to fecal mater through contaminated water or food. Symptoms, which usually begin about a week after infection, include diarrhea, nausea and abdominal cramps.Though there are no preventative vaccines, several drugs can be used to treat infections. However, there are ways to avoid becoming infected. First, people should avoid consuming water th...

An algal bloom is a sudden, massive growth of microscopic and macroscopic organism that develop in lakes and reservoirs.

A measure of water’s alkalinity or acidity is called pH. Water with a pH of 7 is neutral; lower pH levels indicate increasing acidity and higher pH levels indicate increasingly basic solutions.