The 2022 Milam and Burleson Counties Groundwater Summit has been set for Aug. 18 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. All are encouraged to attend.
The summit is free and open to the public with lunch provided. It will be held at the Caldwell Civic Center at 103 TX-21 in Caldwell. Attendees may RSVP to the POSGCD office 512- 455-9900 or at the local Texas A&M AgriLife office in Burleson County at 979- 567-2308, and must do so by Aug. 9.
“We will have a panel of speakers explaining the State Water Planning Process in Texas and how Region G plays an important role in that plan, which Post Oak Savannah GCD is a part of,” said Gary Westbrook, general manager. “Sarah Backhouse is the manager of the Regional Water Planning Department at the Texas Water Development Board.”
“She oversees the state’s regional water planning program. She provides technical and administrative assistance to regional water planning groups, administers regional water planning grant contracts, disseminates planning data and coordinates a variety of stakeholder activities,” according to Westbrook.
“Backhouse has over 15 years of experience in water resources planning and data analysis in the public sector,” he said. “She wants citizens to have a better understanding of the state water planning process and learn how they can become engaged.”
Wayne Wilson of Bryan Texas is the owner of Wilson Cattle Co., a diversified stocker operation. He is currently the chair of the Region G Regional Water Planning Group. In addition, he served as the former board chair of Aggieland Pregnancy Outreach, Brazos County AgriLife Extension Beef & Forage Committee, Brazos County Farm Bureau Board and Brazos Valley Groundwater Conservation District.
Wilson also served as a past director of Capital Farm Credit. He is a member of the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, National Cattleman’s Beef Association, Texas Cattle Feeders Association and the National Rifle Association.
Tony Smith is the associate vice president in the water resources/environmental section of Carollo Engineers of Austin. He has 23 years of experience providing engineering services related to water resources planning, water availability, water rights and environmental flow studies, including projects regarding water systems, water availability modeling and water resources management.
Smith served as project manger for the development of the 2016, 2021, and now 2026 North East Texas Regional Water Plans, the 2026 Brazos G Water Plan and has supported the development of the 2021 Plateau Regional Water Plan.
Gary Westbrook, Post Oak Savannah GCD General Manager, is a Region G voting representative for GMA 12. The Brazos G Regional Water Planning Area includes all or parts of 37 counties. Over 90 percent of the region lies within the Brazos River Basin, with the Brazos River being the region's primary source of water. Besides being the Chair for Groundwater Committee for Region G, Gary also serves on the Bylaws Committee.
“Citizens of Milam and Burleson Counties, as well as surrounding areas, can benefit from attending the Groundwater Summit. Post Oak Savannah GCD organizes the event and invites groundwater experts from across Texas to come speak at the local level. It is a great opportunity for people to come and learn about the state’s requirements on local groundwater management and stay up-to-date on current groundwater issues,” Westbrook added.
For a detailed agenda of the Summit, please visit https://posgcd.org/ground-water-summit/.
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