Medina River Watershed Protection

Medina River Watershed Protection Through education, outreach, and community-driven action, we’re working to improve the water quality of the Medina River below Medina Diversion Lake.

The Watershed Protection Plan targets pollution reduction from multiple sources across the watershed. The Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) and the San Antonio River Authority (SARA) are partnering in the development of a Watershed Protection Plan to address water quality trends and issues throughout the watershed. This plan will be stakeholder-driven and pull from existing information found

in the Medina River Holistic Watershed Master Plan and TWRI summary report. Background:
The Medina River below Diversion Lake and Medio Creek have been considered impaired due to elevated E. coli concentrations that routinely exceed state water quality standards since 2010 and 2018 respectively. These waterways are used for swimming, fishing, kayaking and more throughout the year, and water from Diversion Lake is used for irrigation within the watershed. The Medina River contains multiple sensitive recharge features and contributes significant volumes of recharge to the Edwards Aquifer. Increasing development pressure expanding outward from the San Antonio metropolitan area is adding further environmental stress to the system. In 2021, TWRI worked with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to create a data summary report of the Medina River Watershed below Diversion Lake. The report summarizes previous research in the watershed, analyzes historic water quality data, and identifies potential sources of pollution. The project also included meetings with targeted stakeholders to discuss the next steps in the watershed and overall goals. The feedback from stakeholders during the data summary process indicated a preference for developing a Watershed Protection Plan.

Data centers in our area are a growing concern with the community. There are lots of differing opinions, but what is fac...
05/28/2026

Data centers in our area are a growing concern with the community. There are lots of differing opinions, but what is factual and what can be done?

We have put together a panel to discuss data centers as they pertain to water use in our watershed. You will hear from The Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance (GEAA), Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA), Medina County Judge Lutz, Medina County Commissioner Sittre, Yancey Water Supply Corporation, East Medina County Special Utility District, and Adrian Shelley, Director of Public Citizen Texas.

This is a public meeting on Thursday, June 25th, from 1:00-3:00pm at the St. Louis Braden Keller Community Center Gym.

This stakeholder meeting is intended to be a Q&A and discussion with the panel, so please bring questions you may have.

For any questions, please reach out to [email protected]

Don’t forget about this free workshop with free private water well screening and hands-on rainwater harvesting tips!
05/26/2026

Don’t forget about this free workshop with free private water well screening and hands-on rainwater harvesting tips!

Anyone looking for FREE well water screening or simply interested in learning how to capture and conserve water on your property? 💦🌱 Workshop also includes a live rain barrel building demonstration and optional DIY rain barrel building kits.

Join us for WATER WISE in Leming.

When: June 12th, 2026
Time: 9:00 am -2:00 pm
Where:  Atascosa County Texas A&M Agrilife Extension service Building
25 E 5th Street Leming, Texas 78050
RSVP by June 4th: Tx.ag/waterwisejune12

All needed instructions for dropping off your well water sample can be found on the RSVP link.

Anyone looking for FREE well water screening or simply interested in learning how to capture and conserve water on your ...
05/10/2026

Anyone looking for FREE well water screening or simply interested in learning how to capture and conserve water on your property? 💦🌱 Workshop also includes a live rain barrel building demonstration and optional DIY rain barrel building kits.

Join us for WATER WISE in Leming.

When: June 12th, 2026
Time: 9:00 am -2:00 pm
Where:  Atascosa County Texas A&M Agrilife Extension service Building
25 E 5th Street Leming, Texas 78050
RSVP by June 4th: Tx.ag/waterwisejune12

All needed instructions for dropping off your well water sample can be found on the RSVP link.

Frustrated with the drought and fertilizer prices?Come see what our partners are doing differently at Graff Farms in Yan...
05/04/2026

Frustrated with the drought and fertilizer prices?

Come see what our partners are doing differently at Graff Farms in Yancey, Texas.

Highlighting reducing inputs, improving soil health, conserving moisture and integrating livestock this field days will demonstrate how to do it all at scale.

Lunch is provided.

When: May 12, 2026
9:30am – 3:30pm
Where: Geronimo Creek Ranch (1488 CR 631
Yancey, Texas 78886)
RSVP: https://store.greencover.com/pages/events/graff-farms-field-day?_kx=7rm5fe7euG_HOIFRmL98jmGmwNXJK_wZfWy3fABZzzE.VJ7Zq7

Need Texas Department of Agriculture Continuing Education Units (CEUs)? Or maybe you’re interested in learning how to ma...
04/14/2026

Need Texas Department of Agriculture Continuing Education Units (CEUs)? Or maybe you’re interested in learning how to manage grazing land during drought or how to effectively manage a riparian buffer or wildlife on your property. 🌱🐄🦌

Hear from local experts, including your watershed coordinator, while enjoying a meal and door prizes on April 24th in Hondo.

Thank you for those that came out to our Urban Riparian and Stream Restoration Workshop on April 2nd. Medina River feeds...
04/09/2026

Thank you for those that came out to our Urban Riparian and Stream Restoration Workshop on April 2nd. Medina River feeds directly into the San Antonio River and eventually down to the Gulf.

What we do along the riparian corridor matters, especially as our watershed is urbanizing rapidly! We have to mimic nature as much as possible, even when streams have to be manipulated within cities.

Plus, it’s always fun getting to splash around in the river during working hours! 

Thank you Texas Riparian Association, Texas A&M AgriLife Ecological Engineering Group, Texas Water Resources Institute, and San Antonio River Authority for making this possible!

What’s going on with the river above Medina Lake?We have had some questions on how we are connecting our work with the U...
04/07/2026

What’s going on with the river above Medina Lake?

We have had some questions on how we are connecting our work with the Upper Medina River…

While our Watershed Protection Plan (WPP) focuses on the Medina River below the lake, Texas Water Resources Institute with the Bandera County River Authority & Groundwater District have been working on bacteria source tracking in the Upper Medina River. Interested in hearing about what we found from this project and what is the exact source of the bacteria in our water?

Join us April 14th at 10:00am in Bandera to hear more.

Having good water quality data is the first step in developing a WPP and this data utilized a relatively new and innovative science.

Join Medina River Watershed Coordinator Mary Michael Zahed for the soil expo during the Basin BioBlitz to learn about ho...
03/23/2026

Join Medina River Watershed Coordinator Mary Michael Zahed for the soil expo during the Basin BioBlitz to learn about how much life is under your feet and how to know your soil so you can work with it and keep your water clean and healthy.

📆Friday March 27th
⏰ 8:30-11:00 am 
📍Trueheart Ranch Nature Park

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816 Alsace Street
Castroville, TX
78009

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