Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority : GBRA Collaborates with Lockhart Groups for Second Annual Town Branch Cleanup

LOCKHART, TX - A host of local organizations pulled together with area citizens to participate in the Second Annual Lockhart Town Branch Cleanup on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009 at Lockhart City Park, Lions Park, Arredondo Park, Pecos Park, and Navarro Springs and Walkway. About 325 volunteers, mostly students representing area schools and scouting groups, worked to remove nearly 500 pounds of trash, 260 pounds of recyclable materials, and even some invasive plant species from the City Park grounds.

The Plum Creek Watershed Partnership, Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA), City of Lockhart Parks Department, and area citizens coordinated this year's cleanup event. Additional sponsors who were instrumental in making the event successful included Lockhart High School Key Club, Lockhart Junior High School, Patterson Consulting Computer Store, Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative, First Lockhart National Bank, H-E-B, Smitty's Market, the Greater Caldwell County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Texas Stream Team, and Dr. Donovan L. Thomas of Lockhart Chiropractic.

"Ultimately, more than a mile of the Town Branch waterway, the tributary of Plum Creek that runs through Lockhart, was cleaned up," said Debbie Magin, GBRA's director of Water Quality.

In conjunction with the cleanup, existing pet wastes in City Park were flagged prior to the cleanup and removed as part of the cleanup to demonstrate their potential to contaminate the waterways with their bacteria and nutrients - negative impacts to water quality. The City of Lockhart has installed pet waste stations in the parks with bags for easy cleanup to prevent future pet waste pollution.

Murals painted on the Lions Park restroom walls by Mrs. Beth Cooper, art teacher at Lockhart Junior High School, and her student volunteers, represented the beautification component of the cleanup. Lions Park is located across from H-E-B.

Cleanup participants received free T-shirts, water bottles and wristbands. The event also included an environmental fair with educational booths and a free pizza lunch.

The Third Annual Lockhart Town Branch Cleanup has been scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 18, 2010. To find out more about water quality in Town Branch and the Plum Creek Watershed, visit this website: http://plumcreek.tamu.edu/.

The GBRA was established by the Texas Legislature in 1933 as a water conservation and reclamation district. GBRA provides stewardship for the water resources in its 10-county statutory district, which begins near the headwaters of the Guadalupe and Blanco rivers, ends at San Antonio Bay, and includes Kendall, Comal, Hays, Caldwell, Guadalupe, Gonzales, DeWitt, Victoria, Calhoun and Refugio counties. The Mission of the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority is to protect, conserve, reclaim and steward the resources of the 10-county district in order to ensure and promote quality of life for those served.

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