Water Conservation and Quality

It’s a blessing when it falls from the sky to replenish the fields and lakes and streams. It’s wasted when it overflows from sprinkler systems into the street. It’s fun to play in and delicious when cold. It’s a necessity for personal health, growing crops, maintaining life in all its forms. It’s water. And it’s available only in finite supply.

As the water supply grows smaller, our population and the rate of water use grows. That’s where the necessity for conservation comes in. We must reduce the amount of water usage per capita in order to increase the supply.

Today we have many efficient water saving plumbing fixtures and faucets. Look for the WaterSense label to help you identify the super water savers. Many Energy Star appliances have improved technology that allows them to use up to 50% less water.

What about older houses?  What can residents do to conserve water when their homes have older plumbing? The first action is to fix leaks. Even small leaks waste a large amount of water. Fixing leaks doesn’t usually cost all that much. It may just involve replacing a washer.

The other thing that we can all do to save water is to change some of our water use behaviors. Many of our everyday tasks can be done with less water.

In order to help with this behavior change, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is challenging people across the state to reduce their water use by approximately 40 gallons per day. The 40 Gallon Challenge calls on both residents and businesses to save millions of gallons of water annually and save money on their monthly water bills. The 40-Gallon Challenge allows Texans to compete against other Americans who are taking the challenge in their states. At the program’s website, www.40gallonchallenge.org, Texans can pledge to adopt water-saving practices and see how many gallons of water they can expect to save. The bottom line is to make every drop count.

 Another way of making every drop count is by monitoring the quality of our water. With this fact in mind, the Wise County Extension office in partnership with Texas Water Resources Institute and AgriLife Extension is providing a water well screening day for area residents on October 21, 2015.  Water samples are due to the Extension office between 8:00 - 10:00 a.m.  Samples from private water wells will be screened for common contaminants including coliform bacteria, E. coli, nitrate-nitrogen nitrates, and salinity.  A meeting explaining results will be held at 6 p.m. October 22 at the Wise County Fairgrounds, Women’s Building.

The cost is $15 per sample. Water collection bags, bottles and instructions should be picked up from the Extension office, located at 206 S. State Street in Decatur (940/627-3341), prior to collection of the water. Come by early as there are only a limited number of bags.

Try Adjustments to Comfort Foods

As fall arrives and the weather starts getting cooler, many of us love to indulge in our favorite comfort foods. Some may be high in calories, fat and sodium, and could affect our weight and health.  Below are a few ideas to make our favorite comfort foods healthier.

In a lot of cases, you can make some relatively small adjustments to recipes that will boost nutrition, cut calories or otherwise make them healthier overall. Many ideas for making these types of food substitutions are a simple search on the web. A great resource from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is, “Altering Recipes for Good Health,” available at the Extension office located at 206 S state Street in Decatur or to download at http://fcs.tamu.edu/files/2015/02/altering-recipes-for-good-health.pdf.

Just a few of the ideas include:

• In baking, substitute applesauce or prune puree for half of the butter, shortening or oil that the recipe calls for. A half-cup of unsweetened applesauce has just 50 calories and barely any fat, compared with nearly 1,000 calories and more than 100 grams of fat in a half-cup of oil. Another idea: reduce the amount of sugar the recipe calls for by a third. Chances are you won’t notice the difference.
• For chili, stews and soups, increase the proportion of beans and legumes and reduce meat to increase fiber and reduce overall calories. For meat, choose lean beef or turkey. If using broth as a base, choose low-sodium versions. Brands vary in sodium content, but one brand of regular vegetable broth has 800 milligrams of sodium per cup, compared with 140 milligrams per cup in another brand’s low-sodium vegetable broth.
• Instead of sour cream, try plain Greek yogurt. If nonfat versions don’t work for your recipe, try a traditional full-fat version. A cup of regular plain Greek yogurt has 190 calories and 9 grams of fat, compared with sour cream’s nearly 450 calories and 45 grams of fat.
• If you use whole milk or cream in your mashed potatoes, try buttermilk instead. A cup of buttermilk has less than 100 calories and 2 grams of fat, compared with 145 calories and 8 grams of fat in whole milk.

This cookie recipe below uses half the butter of a regular chocolate chip cookie. Include your family in the preparation and have fun!

Zucchini-Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour or white whole wheat

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter softened

1/4 cup granulated white sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar packed

1 egg

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cups shredded zucchini

1 cup rolled oats

½  cup chopped pecans or walnuts, optional

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In mixing bowl whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt for 20seconds, set aside. With electric mixer whip together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until creamy. Mix in egg and vanilla extract. Add zucchini and with mixer set on low speed, slowly add in flour mixture. Stir in oats, walnuts and chocolate chips (I reserved 1/3 cup of the chocolate chips to press into the tops of dough balls before baking, just for looks which is totally optional). Shape dough into balls, 2 Tbsp each, then transfer to parchment paper lined baking sheets, spacing cookies 2-inches apart. Bake in preheated oven 11 - 14 minutes until edges are lightly golden. Cool on baking sheet 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 24 cookies

Greenwood Fall Festival this Saturday!

Make sure you attend this annual event! It's one not to miss for sure.

Private Well Water Screening

DECATUR — The Texas Well Owner Network is hosting a water well screening from 8:30–10 a.m., October 21 at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service office for Wise County, 206 S State Street Ste. A in Decatur, to give area residents the opportunity to have their well water screened.

A meeting explaining screening results will be held at 6 p.m. October 22, at the Wise County Fairgrounds, Women’s Building,  3101 S. FM 51 in Decatur. Julian North, Assistant General Manager, from the Upper Trinity Groundwater Conservation District will also discuss ongoing programs.

The screening is presented by AgriLife Extension and Texas Water Resources Institute in partnership with the AgriLife Extension office in Wise County.

“Private water wells should be tested annually,” said John W. Smith, AgriLife Extension program specialist. “It is very important that only sampling bags and bottles from the AgriLife Extension office in Wise County be used and all instructions for proper sampling are followed to ensure accurate results.”

Smith said for area residents to have their well water screened, they need to pick up a sample bag, bottle and instructions from the AgriLife Extension office in Wise County. A $15 per sample fee will be collected when bags and bottles are picked up by participants. Bottles and bags will be available at least a week before the turn-in date.

The samples must be turned in before 10 a.m. on Wednesday, October 21. Samples will be screened for common contaminants, including total coliform bacteria, E. coli, nitrate-nitrogen and salinity.

Research shows the presence of E. coli bacteria in water indicates that waste from humans or warm-blooded animals may have contaminated the water. Water contaminated with E. coli is more likely to also have pathogens present that can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea or other symptoms. 

“Water with nitrate-nitrogen at levels of 10 parts per million is considered unsafe for human consumption,” Smith said. “These nitrate levels above 10 parts per million can disrupt the ability of blood to carry oxygen throughout the body, resulting in a condition called methemoglobinemia. Infants less than 6 months of age and young livestock are most susceptible.”

Salinity as measured by total dissolved solids will also be determined for each sample. Water with high levels may leave deposits and have a salty taste, and using water with high levels for irrigation may damage soil or plants.

Smith said it is extremely important for those submitting samples to be at the meeting to receive results, learn corrective measures for identified problems and to improve understanding of private well management.

For more information, please contact the AgriLife Extension office in Wise County at 940-627-3341. To learn more about the programs offered through the network or to find additional publications and resources, please visit http://twon.tamu.edu.

Support for the Texas Well Owner Network program is provided through Clean Water Act nonpoint source funding from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

FOOD SAFETY MYTHBUSTERS

It’s a question more than a few of us have faced. We pull a forgotten container of leftovers from the back of the refrigerator, stick our faces into it, and inhale deeply. “This smells fine, so is it safe to eat?”

September is National Food Safety Education Month, and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service joins with the Partnership for Food Safety Education (PFSE) to introduce consumers to “Food Safety Mythbusters.” The myths are presented with the facts consumers need to know to help reduce their risk of foodborne illness:

            Myth: Leftovers are safe to eat until they smell bad.

Fact: Most people would not choose to eat spoiled, smelly food. However, if they did, they would not necessarily get sick. This is because there are different types of bacteria, some of which cause illness in people and others that don’t. The types of bacteria that do cause illness do not affect the taste, smell, or appearance of food. For this reason, it is important to freeze or toss refrigerated leftovers within 3-4 days.

            Myth: I use bleach and water to sanitize my countertops, and the more bleach I use the more bacteria I kill.

Fact: There is no advantage to using more bleach. In fact, overuse of bleach can be harmful because it is not safe to consume. To create a sanitizing solution, it is recommended that you use 1 tablespoon of unscented liquid bleach per gallon of water. Any leftover sanitizing solution can be stored, tightly covered, for up to one week before losing its effectiveness.

Myth: I don’t need to wash my produce if I am going to peel it.

Fact: You should wash fresh fruits and vegetables under running tap water just before eating, cutting, or cooking. Harmful bacteria could be on the outside of the produce. If you peel or cut it without first washing it, the bacteria could be transferred to the part you eat. For more information on food safety, contact the Wise County Extension office.

Extension Education Clubs and Greenwood Fall Festival

Wise County Extension Education Clubs were represented at the annual (Texas Extension Education Association) State Convention in Waco, September 15-16 by Linda Hood, Gerry Galloway, Feliberto and Rosa Martinez, and Dixie Range of the Greenwood Extension Education Club. ‘The Open Heart of Texas’ was the theme of the two day conference.

Pictured from left to right is Ola Culwell presenting the Honor Roll of Counties Award to:  Dixie Range, Gerry Galloway, Feliberto Martinez, Rosa Martinez and Linda Hood.

The Greenwood Club was named as District 3’s Outstanding County during the Honor Roll of Counties report. The Honor Roll of Counties reflects the volunteer work that clubs have done in their community service projects during the past year.

Wise County Extension Education members will also have representation on the State Board with the installation of Dixie Range as the District 3 Director.  Dixie will serve as the link between the twenty-four District 3 counties, the State TEEA Board, and AgriLife Extension.

TEEA members also attended workshops, education programs, and AgriLife programs at the Waco Convention Center which will be shared with TEEA Clubs and counties. The group's mission is to work with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service to strengthen and enrich families through educational programs, leadership development and community service.

The new year for Extension Education clubs begins soon and new members are welcome. Clubs currently formed are in the community of Greenwood. As an EE member you make new friends, participate in fun, fellowship and educational programs.

The first activity for the new TEEA year is the Greenwood Fall Festival which is scheduled for Saturday, October 10 from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm.  Everyone is invited to enjoy a parade beginning at 10:00 am and immediately following the parade, handcrafted arts and craft booths will be open. Featured activities will be children’s train rides, food and game booths and door prizes.  Booth space is available for $10 by contacting Gerry Galloway at 940/466-7997 or Linda Hood at 940/627-7597.

For those unsure of finding Greenwood, it is a short, scenic drive out of Decatur on Highway 51 North for 10 miles to FM 1204, turn left and travel approximately five miles into the community of Greenwood.