Two conferences on groundwater availability and management in Texas have been combined this year in a two-day event Oct. 13-14.

The even, open to the public, will take place at the College Station Conference Center, 1300 George Bush Drive, College Station.

Participants may register online at http://agrilifevents.tamu.edu or at the conference. The registration fee is $50, which includes refreshments, lunch and conference materials. The events on both days begin at 8:30 a.m., with registration beginning at 7:45 a.m.

“The conference will look at statewide groundwater issues as well as take a closer look at the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer system which stretches from Texarkana to Laredo and is a major source of water for thousands of ranchers, farmers, rural homeowners and many industries and cities,” said Kathryn Nachlinger, an event organizer with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

This program on the Aquifers of the Upper Coast Plains is sponsored by the Texas Water Development Board, the Texas A&M University graduate water program and AgriLife Extension. The program is part of the water development board’s Aquifers of Texas series.

On Oct. 13, water scientists will explain the geology, hydrology and storage capacity of the aquifer. They will outline the effects that drought and pumping have on the quality and quantity of water stored in the aquifer.

Groundwater 101 on Oct. 14 will focus on groundwater assistance provided by the water development board, groundwater law and policy, water transfers and the responsibilities of the state and local groundwater districts in protecting and managing the aquifer.

For further information, contact Nachlinger at 979-845-5385, k-nachlinger@tamu.edu, or Brenner Brown, of the water development board, at 512-475-1128, Brenner.brown@twdb.state.tx.us.