The Arroyo Colorado Watershed Partnership steering committee will meet Jan. 26 in Weslaco, according to an official with Texas A&M AgriLife’s Texas Water Resources Institute.

The committee will meet at 4:30 p.m. in the Rio Red classroom at the Texas A&M-Kingsville Citrus Center, 312 N. International Blvd. The committee will continue its efforts to implement the Arroyo Colorado Watershed Protection Plan, said Jaime Flores, watershed coordinator.

The watershed protection plan, developed by the partnership and one of the first of its kind in the state, is designed to improve water quality and aquatic and riparian habitat in the watershed, he said.

“We’ve had an impressive turnout of citizens from all walks of life interested in this vital community effort and we welcome any others who would like to be involved,” Flores said.

The Arroyo Colorado Watershed Partnership is a group of approximately 700 area citizens and individuals representing federal, state and private organizations. It is working to restore and protect the local water quality in the Arroyo Colorado, which is on the state’s list of impaired water bodies.

The Arroyo Colorado runs 90 miles from Mission to the Lower Laguna Madre adjacent to the Gulf Coast, and is the primary source of fresh water to the Lower Laguna Madre, Flores said.

The estuary found in the lower 25 miles of the Arroyo Colorado is an important nursery for many fish, crab and shrimp species.

For more information on the meeting, contact Flores at 956-968-5581, or email [email protected].

For information on the partnership and its work, visit its Web site at http://www.arroyocolorado.org.