Expert Panel to Discuss New State Regulations on Irrigation, Water Conservation
DALLAS – Experts in irrigation, water conservation and municipal government will hold a panel discussion on July 22 in Dallas on new state regulations governing irrigation.The discussion will be part of the North Texas Urban Irrigation Symposium to be held in the Pavilion of the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Urban Solutions Center at Dallas, 17360 Coit Road. The program will begin at 8 a.m. and end at noon. Meeting materials, breakfast, snacks and lunch will be provided.
The symposium is open to irrigation professionals and government administrators who handle irrigation issues, said Clint Wolfe, a water conservation projects coordinator with Texas AgriLife Research in Dallas. It is also open to the general public.
“The symposium will cover the new state regulations and how they will affect irrigators,” Wolfe said. “Panelists will also talk about how the regulations will work to improve water conservation.”
Admission is free to Dallas Irrigation Association members. For non-members, the fee is $35, which is payable at the door.
For more information and to make a reservation, visit the association’s Web site at http://dia-irrig.org, or contact James Dowd at 972-618-0535 or jamesdowd@verizon.net .
The new irrigation regulations were adopted by the Texas Legislature during the 2007 session. According to an executive summary of House Bill 1656, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will adopt and enforce standards for water conservation related to the design, installation, inspection and operation of irrigation systems. It also requires cities with populations of more than 20,000 to enact ordinances based on the commission’s standards.
The commission must adopt the standards this summer, and they would take effect Jan. 1, 2009, according to the summary.
The symposium’s panelists will include representatives from the Dallas Irrigation Association, Environmental Protection Agency, North Texas Municipal Water District, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas Nursery and Landscape Association, AgriLife Research and AgriLife Extension, Wolfe said. It also will include representatives from the cities of Allen, Dallas, Fort Worth, Frisco, Plano and McKinney.
The symposium will be hosted by the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Urban Solutions Center at Dallas, the Dallas Irrigation Association and the Environmental Protection Agency, Region 6, he said. -30-
