ASSESSMENT, MANAGEMENT, AND PROTECTION OF WATER RESOURCES
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abstract
Agriculture, industry, municipalities, private citizens, and nature all compete for limited water resources. As the population grows, the way in which water resources are developed, managed, and protected will exert dramatic effects upon the environment and humanity. Detrimental effects of human activity must be critically assessed and minimized through effective, sustainable action in order to provide both water quality and quantity for future generations.The Texas A&M AgriLife / Blackland Research and Extension Center / Water Science Laboratory (WSL) was established to provide personnel, expertise, and equipment required for basic field and laboratory assessments of water-born contaminants. The WSL supports scientists and technical staff who maintain a large inventory of field sensors, dataloggers and basic laboratory analytical equipment necessary to conduct investigations on many water-related issues. WSL basic capabilities include; stream flow determination, base and storm flow monitoring, dissolved constituent determination, suspended constituent determination, and watershed constituent exports. WSL cooperates with local, regional, national, and international laboratories to extend its analytical capabilities and operational footprint. Collected data is used to conduct basic research, make annual resource assessments, validate waterbody impairments, provide resource recommendations, and support modeling studies.Balancing the benefits gained by developing water resources with negative effects of development upon water quality and quantity, through water-related assessment and planning programs, is the project's ultimate goal. Expanding new technologies and improving old ones, through basic and applied research, offers a scientifically sound and fiscally responsible way to accomplish this goal.
