Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research

05/13/2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Public Meeting Scheduled for Dry Creek Watershed Recreational Use Survey

CAMP COUNTY, TEXAS – The Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research (TIAER) invites residents of the Dry Creek watershed to attend a public meeting to discuss an upcoming Recreational Use Attainability Analysis (RUAA).

The meeting will be held on May 20, 2026 at the Northeast Texas Community College Culinary Arts Classroom, located at 114 Jefferson Street in Pittsburg, Texas (75686). Sign-in will begin at 5:15 p.m., and the meeting will start at 5:30 p.m.

Dry Creek, located in Camp County, flows 10 miles from the confluence of Big Cypress Creek toward the western portion of Pittsburg, Texas. The water body is currently listed on the state’s impaired waters list due to bacteria levels exceeding water quality standards for primary contact recreation.

The purpose of the meeting is to provide information about the RUAA process and gather input from landowners and local residents regarding historical and current recreational uses of this stream. Community participation is a critical component of the study.

Throughout the summer, TIAER staff will conduct interviews with residents and perform field surveys to evaluate recreational use and observe general stream and watershed conditions. Input gathered from the public will help ensure the analysis accurately reflects how Dry Creek is used.

Stakeholders are encouraged to attend and provide input on recreational use locations, field survey efforts, and historical and current uses of Dry Creek.

This project is funded by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality through a state nonpoint source grant to TIAER.

For more information, visit the project website at https://www.tceq.texas.gov/waterquality/standards/ruaas/ or contact Leah Taylor at 254-968-0513 or [email protected].

Contact:
Leah Taylor
Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research
Phone: 254-968-0513
Email: [email protected]

The Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research grants permission for use of this information as a public service to the news media. Content may be used in whole or in part with appropriate attribution.

05/07/2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Public Meeting Scheduled for Mill Creek Watershed Recreational Use Survey

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TEXAS – The Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research (TIAER) invites residents of the Mill Creek watershed to attend a public meeting to discuss an upcoming Recreational Use Attainability Analysis (RUAA).

The meeting will be held on May 14th at the Williams Pavilion in Unity Park, located in Magnolia, Texas (77355). Sign-in will begin at 5:15 p.m., and the meeting will start at 5:30 p.m.

Mill Creek, in the San Jacinto River Basin, flows 30 miles from the confluence of Spring Creek upstream to where the stream splits between Hurricane Creek and Kickapoo Creek in Magnolia, Texas. The water body is currently listed on the state’s impaired waters list due to bacteria levels exceeding water quality standards for primary contact recreation.

The purpose of the meeting is to provide information about the RUAA process and gather input from landowners and local residents regarding historical and current recreational uses of this stream. Community participation is a critical component of the study.

Throughout the summer, TIAER staff will conduct interviews with residents and perform field surveys to evaluate recreational use and observe general stream and watershed conditions. Input gathered from the public will help ensure the analysis accurately reflects how Mill Creek is used.

Stakeholders are encouraged to attend and provide input on recreational use locations, field survey efforts, and historical and current uses of Mill Creek.

This project is funded by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality through a state nonpoint source grant to TIAER.

For more information, visit the project website at https://www.tceq.texas.gov/waterquality/tmdl/mill-creek-ruaa-public-meeting or contact Leah Taylor at 254-968-0513 or [email protected].

Contact:
Leah Taylor
Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research
Phone: 254-968-0513
Email: [email protected]

The Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research grants permission for use of this information as a public service to the news media. Content may be used in whole or in part with appropriate attribution.

04/22/2026

Happy !

Clean Air + Clean Water + Healthy Soil = LIFE!

04/15/2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Public Meeting Scheduled for Beans Creek Watershed Recreational Use Survey - April 29, 2026

JACK COUNTY, TEXAS – The Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research (TIAER) invites residents of the Beans Creek watershed to attend a public meeting to discuss an upcoming Recreational Use Attainability Analysis (RUAA).

The meeting will be held April 29, 2026 at the Twin Lakes Community Center, located at 114 State Highway 59 in Jacksboro, Texas (76458). Sign-in will begin at 5:15 p.m., and the meeting will start at 5:30 p.m.
Beans Creek, located in Jack County, flows into the Bridgeport Reservoir. The water body is currently listed on the state’s impaired waters list due to bacteria levels exceeding water quality standards for primary contact recreation.

The purpose of the meeting is to provide information about the RUAA process and gather input from landowners and local residents regarding historical and current recreational uses of this stream. Community participation is a critical component of the study.

Throughout the summer, TIAER staff will conduct interviews with residents and perform field surveys to evaluate recreational use and observe general stream and watershed conditions. Input gathered from the public will help ensure the analysis accurately reflects how Beans Creek is used.

Stakeholders are encouraged to attend and provide input on recreational use locations, field survey efforts, and historical and current uses of Beans Creek.

This project is funded by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality through a state nonpoint source grant to TIAER.
For more information, visit the project website at https://www.tceq.texas.gov/waterquality/standards/ruaas/ or contact Leah Taylor at 254-968-0513 or [email protected].

Contact:
Leah Taylor
Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research
Phone: 254-968-0513
Email: [email protected]

The Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research grants permission for use of this information as a public service to the news media. Content may be used in whole or in part with appropriate attribution.

RUAAs planned, in progress, or completed for Texas rivers and streams.

04/07/2026

A team of TIAER staff hosted a refresher flow measurement training in preparation for upcoming sampling work in Caney Creek near Conroe, TX. Students from Greenhouse Nature School joined us to learn how streamflow is measured and gain insight into the work TIAER does to support water quality research.

03/25/2026

Join us April 1 at 5:30pm at the Mason Eubank Hall as we introduce our new RUAA project in Lacy Fork and North Twin Creek.

The purpose of the meeting is to provide information about the RUAA process and gather input from landowners and local residents regarding historical and current recreational uses of these streams. Community participation is a critical component of the project.

03/22/2026

Thousands have lived without love, not one without water. - W.H. Auden

💧🌱☀️

02/19/2026

Last Thursday, Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research (TIAER) hosted a live, hands-on demonstration of water and soil sampling techniques at Port Neches Riverfront Park in Port Arthur.

Participants had the opportunity to actively engage in the sampling process, including collecting water and soil samples, operating an automated sampler, and using a YSI probe. This interactive workshop was designed to provide practical, real-world experience and was held in partnership with Lamar University.

TIAER presenters included Zack Shelley, Dr. Ali Saleh, Dr. Dorothy Menefee, Stephanie Brady, and Kennedi Harris. Additional presentations were provided by Carrie Martin and Dr. Qin Qian of Lamar University.

Thank you to everyone who participated and helped make this collaborative, hands-on learning experience a success!

01/23/2026

Join us for this very exciting opportunity - a "boots on the ground" workshop with hand-on demonstrations hosted by Lamar University, Texas General Land Office, and TIAER! 💧🌱

Scan the QR code on the flyer to register

01/07/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Shubo Fang on his recently published article, "Machine learning reveals climate - urbanization interactions controlling soil PCBs in megacities" in the National Library of Medicine (NLM).

For the full publication:

Megacities create complex systems where urbanization-climate interactions control pollutant dynamics that remain poorly understood. We developed an integrated machine learning framework combining Random Forest, XGBoost, and SHAP analysis to reveal interactions controlling soil PCB contamination alon...