Quote of the Month:

November Volunteer Spotlight:
Myra Winfield, Brushy Creek Watershed – Brazos River Basin

Myra Winfield, of Cedar Park in Williamson County, was certified through Texas Stream Team (then Texas Watch) 10 years ago and has been monitoring water quality routinely ever since. Myra samples 4 sites each month on her family farm. Each site is positioned on a different water body within the boundaries of her farm. She samples Post Oak Creek, Cottonwood Creek, and Spanish Oak Creek as they enter her property and also samples the lake they all feed into. The lake was created in 1960 by the Soil Conservation Service as a series of flood control lakes called “the Brushy Creek Project.” Spanish Oak Creek continues flowing after the lake-dam and confluences with Brushy Creek 1.5 miles downstream of Myra’s farm. Post Oak Creek is an intermittent stream while Cottonwood Creek is spring-fed and very pleasant for recreation. They both flow into Spanish Oak Creek before being impounded to create the lake. Myra samples all Texas Stream Team parameters of pH, specific conductivity, dissolved oxygen, Secchi disk transparency and temperature but has a special interest in E. coli monitoring.

While Myra is a retired water chemist, and naturally attracted to water quality monitoring, she sought her certification for another reason as well. In 1999, the City of Cedar Park accidently spilled 150,000 gallons of raw sewage into the lake while installing new infrastructure. After a nearby lift station failed, polluted water flowed into the lake on her property, and one of Myra’s grandchildren became very ill after swimming. Motivated by this incident, Myra became a certified volunteer water quality monitor and began sampling her 4 sites weekly. A while after this, when the water quality had been restored, Myra continued to sample those sites once a month and still does to this day. She has recently reported a good level of water quality with high dissolved oxygen and low E. coli levels. She also claims that her relationship with the City of Cedar Park is now in good standing. While the development sprawl of the city and many offers to buy the place are slowly but surely encroaching, she does not believe the land will ever be sold and subdivided. Myra bought the 175 acre farm in 1953 and intends on keeping it in the family for generations.

Myra Winfield provides an excellent example of a very committed Texas Stream Team volunteer with 10 years of consistent monitoring and a success story under her belt.

As of now, mission accomplished Myra.
 

To view a list of past Volunteers of the Month, click here.

Certified Water Quality Monitor Anniversaries: May 2009

Congratulations to all the volunteers celebrating their anniversary this month!

For more pictures of Texas Stream Team monitoring and environmental education activities, please visit our Flickr webpage at http://www.flickr.com/photos/txstreamteam/ or archived photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/texaswatch/.

To nominate a volunteer for recognition or to sponsor a volunteer recognition event in your area, please send an email to txstreamteam@txstate.edu or call toll lfree 877.506.1401.