Wharton Journal-Spectator (Wharton, Tex.), Vol. 125, No. 11, Ed. 1 Wednesday, February 5, 2014 Page: 2 of 12
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Wharton Journal-Spectator, Wednesday, February 5, 2014
journal-spectator.com
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Rain showers
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Highs in the
upper 50s
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Mostly
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Highs in the
mid 50s and
lows in the
low 30s.
— Study on San Bernard
Continued from Page A1
lips noted that the river’s
Watershed Protection Plan
(WPP) was the end result of
a process that began in 2009.
Funded by a grant from the
Texas Commission for Envi-
ronmental Quality and the
Environmental Protection
Agency, the effort’s goal is to
address elevated bacteria lev-
els in the San Bernard.
According to the study,
contamination has caused
sections of the river — which
runs along the northeast bor-
ders of Wharton County — to
become unsavory for recre-
ational use. The pollution is
significant enough for those
segments to be placed on
TCEQ’s list of impaired wa-
ters, the WPP states.
In addition, the San Ber-
nard has an excess of nutri-
ents and a shortage of the
dissolved oxygen needed to
support fish and other aquatic
species.
“The overall goal of the
WPP is to identify the causes
and sources of water qual-
ity impairments and to bring
water quality standards into
compliance with state crite-
ria,” the study states in its in-
troduction.
To make those determina-
tions, a study of the entire
San Bernard River watershed
was done.
That was quite a task con-
sidering that the watershed
is more than 125 miles long
and encompasses some 900
square miles in five counties:
Wharton, Fort Bend, Colora-
do, Brazoria and Austin.
The WPP determined that
there are two types of pollu-
tion affecting the watershed:
point source and nonpoint
source. Point source is the
contamination that results
from such facilities as waste-
water treatment plants while
nonpoint source occurs from
agricultural and residential
runoff as well as wildlife is-
sues.
According to the WPP, the
largest source of contamina-
tion — 42 percent — is from
livestock and agriculture, a
nonpoint source. The study
determined that there are
approximately 370,000 head
of cattle in the watershed,
equalling more than 41 mil-
lion pounds of waste that
ends up in the water.
The second highest cat-
egory — 27 percent — is from
On-Site Sewage Facilities,
or OSSF. These are basically
household septic systems.
The WPP determined that
there are just under 7,000
failing septic systems contrib-
uting to the watershed’s pol-
lution.
Pet waste makes up anoth-
er 19 percent of the contami-
Listening is a valuable tool
Are you a good listener? Shortly
after taking the chamber position, a
man who had been in the business
for several years stopped by the
office. He suggested I commit to the
six-year United States Chamber of
Commerce Institute offered at five
universities across the U.S. each
summer.
The thought of going back to
graduate school was frightening,
but Southern Methodist University
was one of the campuses. That had
been my school for several years,
that took care of most excuses, not the
fears, but the excuses.
The professors were from the five
participating universities and the ma-
terials presented were a wide variety of
subjects that may arise in communities
and cities of all sizes.
They ranged from economics, tax
structures, business relationships,
working with media, various person-
alities and dozens of other topics that
filled the six years.
After all these years, I believe the
most valuable course was “The Art of
Listening.” Do you find it difficult to
find people who really listen? Do they
look at you, past you or at whatever
hand held device in their hands, then
interrupt in the middle of your sen-
tence? Try stopping in the middle of a
sentence and see if there is any reac-
tion. Grocery shopping seems to be the
most common place where folks stop
to chat and ask questions. Most times
they are looking for information or have
an issue they want someone to listen to.
A few days ago, a person who has
been a resident for about 10 years
asked why Wharton did not have term
limits for the elected officials. He had
previously lived in a place where that
was true. I remembered the subject
was discussed about 20 years ago, but
the truth is, those who seem to make a
career remaining in the same position
are not likely to do anything different.
Someone suggested they got their
city oath mixed up with their wedding
vows, the one that says “until death do
us part.” I don’t know why one wants to
remain in office year after year. It could
be personal agenda, a feeling of power
or nothing else to do.
It would be great to be encouraging
new leadership for the future of Whar-
ton. It is too bad the city voting lines
are not the same as school districts
or at least a little ways out of the city
limits. If we are pleased with things we
have, that is likely what we will get.
Check out the latest trends and then
decide the direction.
Plans are well under way for a great
Saturday evening, Feb. 15 as the Whar-
ton Boys & Girls Club hosts the Harlem
Ambassadors. The fun, fundraiser, will
be at the WHS gym beginning at 6 p.m.
Remember, the last visit for this fun
group was a sellout. Don’t let that hap-
pen to you so call the B&G Club, 282-
9660, today for your ticket. They are $5
this week and $7 at the door.
The Harlem Ambassadors have
partnered with hundreds of non-profit
organizations in all 50 states and 20
foreign countries. High flying slam
dunks, hilarious comedy for the whole
family is in store for us. The B&G Club
will be represented by the Thunder
Team which is made up of known
men and women from throughout
the community.
A very special thanks to Event
Sponsor Exelon Generation Colo-
rado Bend Generation Center
Quarterly Sponsors, Radio Shack
& Select Import Furniture & Decor,
Cindy & Randy Michael and Don
Elliott Ford-East Bernard get a big
vote of appreciation
Things are busy around the 20th
Century Technology Museum and
the Wharton County Historical
Museum. Folks have asked what hap-
pened to the outdoor airplane that was
a landmark when the 20th Century
was downtown. The good news is that
she has been getting a new makeover,
a paint job and more TLC from Carl
Eldridge. Before too long we hope to see
her in the new home on the front lawn
of the museums. Thanks Carl for your
commitment to this project and many
hours of hard work.
Of course the Historic Museum
is gearing up for the Gourmet Guys
evening. The date is Saturday, March
1, and who doesn’t get excited when
we hear a Cajun food evening? The
guys and gals, a few ladies are getting
involved, are checking recipes and mak-
ing fan plans. In fact, today I was in-
vited to sample a dish Gloria Giannetti
created as one possible dish. Knowing
Gloria and her expertise in the kitchen,
there may be several others before
March 1.
Yes, I plan to be in line to sample
them. Growing up in deep East Texas,
not too far from bayou country, makes
Cajun food part of my heritage.
Billie Jones is a longtime Wharton
resident who writes a weekly column
on items of interest about the Wharton
community. She can be reached at bh-
jones6@sbcglobal. net.
nation, with an estimated
16,000 pets in the watershed
providing some 4.4 million
pounds of waste.
Other contributors were
wildlife, at 7 percent, and
urban runoff, at 4 percent.
Wastewater treatment plants
accounted for the smallest
category, with 19 facilities
contributing to just 1 percent
of the contami nation.
Phillips, the H-GAC rep-
resentative, noted that not
all plants are currently be-
ing tested. She said that will
change when these sites have
to renew their TCEQ permits.
That might be one way to
reduce a portion of the bacte-
ria in the river.
“Up until now, (some of)
these facilities are not having
to test for bacteria,” Phillips
said. “But they will when they
have to renew their permits.”
The WPP also identifies
other means of reducing the
contamination for each of the
pollutant contributors. For
livestock, for example, crop
management plans are avail-
able from the Texas State Soil
& Water Conservation Board
See SAN BERNARD, Page A8
L/ateline Wharton
Upcoming events in and around our community
Continued from Page A1
cent Hall. Up to 100 dogs and cats will be
available for adoption. There will be a door
prize drawing for Kindle Fire HDX, a bounce
house for children and food and refresh-
ments will be sold. For more information,
contact Christine Stransky at 532-1894 or
stransky4tk@hotmail.com.
■ Senior Serve Viewing
Senior Serve 2014 is this Saturday at
7 p.m. A public viewing of the decorated
tables will will be from from 1 to 3 p.m.
The same day at the Wharton Civic Center.
There is no charge for table viewing, but do-
nations are welcomed.
■ KC Barbecue
The Knights of Columbus in Wharton
are selling barbecue chicken tickets for $8
and a slab of barbecued pork ribs for $25
for Sunday, Feb. 16. It is a pre-sale tickets
and drive-through only event. Orders may be
picked up at the KC Hall between 11 a.m.
and 1 p.m. Call Richard Zahn at 533-0428
for tickets. Final day to buy tickets is Mon-
day, Feb. 10.
■ Business Expo
The next Wharton County Business Expo
will be held from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Tues-
day, Feb. 11, at the Wharton Civic Center.
Admission is free and the event will feature
on-the-spot interviews. Attendees are asked
to bring resumes and dress as if going to an
interview. For more information, call 532-
0999 or go to wedcl @sbcglobal.net.
■ Hospital Volunteers Meet
The Hospital Volunteers of Wharton will
meet Tuesday, Feb. 11, in the classrooms
of Gulf Coast Medical Center. The board
meeting will begin at 1 p.m. followed by the
general meeting at 2 p.m. Annie Gibson and
Tina Watson, from the Gulf Coast Medical
Center Dietary Department, will be guest
speakers.
■ Aggie Moms Meet
The El Campo Area Aggie Moms Club
will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11, at
Hlavinka Eguipment Company located at
3230 West Business 59 S. in East Bernard.
All area Aggie moms of current or former
students are invited to attend. For more
information, call Carol Novosad at 979-541-
6414. Guest speaker will be Amy Bacon au-
thor of the book entitled Building Leaders,
Living Traditions: The Memorial Student Cen-
ter at Texas A&M University.
■ Garden Club Meets
Wharton Garden Club will meet at
9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, at the Wharton
County Historical Museum, 3615 N. Rich-
mond Road. Guest speaker will be Jane
Gray, a master gardener from Fort Bend
County, she will discuss Edible Landscaping.
The public is invited.
■ Daddy/Daughter Dance
The Wharton High School Speech &
Theatre Club will host its sixth annual Daddy
Daughter Dance for girls ages 0-eighth grade
from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14, at the
Wharton Civic Center. This dance is for girls
and their fathers, grandfathers, etc. Tickets
for the dance are $20 per couple. Additional
daughter tickets are $10 and mom obser-
vation tickets are $8. Tickets are on sale at
Wharton High School, Wharton Elementary
School and Sivells Elementary School. Tickets
will go on sale Monday, Jan. 27. Ticket sales
are limited. Dress for the occasion is nice and
there will be a deejay, cookies, punch and a
photographer on hand. For more informa-
tion call Casey Killough at 532-0866.
■ Pastor Conference
20th Century District Association of
Texas will hold its Pastors and Leadership
Conference 2014 with the theme Come
Explore With Us the Challenges of Leader-
ship on Saturday, Feb. 15, at the Tabernacle
in Egypt. Registration is $10 and will be
held from 9 to 9:15 a.m. and the confer-
ence starts at 10 a.m. Session speakers are
Zelda Johnson, Johnny Foster and Dr. France
Brown. Lunch will be served.
■ Ambassadors vs. Thunder
Boys & Girls Club of Wharton will host
the Ambassadors of Harlem basketball team
taking on the BGCW Thunder at 6 p.m. Sat-
urday, Feb. 15, at the Wharton High School
Gym. The Wharton team will feature area
players Rev. Ruiel Taylor, Danny Gaona,
Russell Hill, Landy Williams, Sharon Young,
Emelia Rodgers, Michael Limas, Joe Leivas,
Steve May, Grady Smith, Linda Jones and
Marshall Johnson. It is a family fun show and
tickets are $5 in advance of $7 at the door.
To purchase tickets or for more information,
call the BGCW at 282-9660.
■ Next Book Review
The next Wharton Book Review Club
event will be at 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 17, at
Wharton County Historical Museum. Author
Franklin Griffin will be the guest speaker dis-
cussing his book Touched by Fire. Franklin
was born in Alabama and moved to Houston
after being discharged from the U.S. Marine
Corps. His book describes the time period
of 1954 in Alabama tying the murder of his
father to the 1963 Kennedy assassination in
Dallas and what his father witnessed regard-
ing Lee Harvey Oswald. Griffin recounts two
major political assassinations which have
shaped his life. The public is invited to attend
for a fee of $15 for admission.
■ Business Meeting
University of Houston/Coastal Plains
Small Business Development Center will host
a Starting and Running Your Own Business
seminar from 10 a.m. until noon Saturday,
Feb. 22, at Wharton Civic Center, 1944 N.
Fulton. Professional Stephen Maeker will
be the speaker addressing the challenges
of entrepreneurship, developing a winning
business and marketing plan, cash flow and
management, employee hiring and training,
key drivers of success in business, what one
should and shouldn't do — learn from an-
other's experiences and lessons. There is no
cost for the seminar. For more information,
call 979-3204085.
■ Boling Fair Fund
The 2014 annual Boling Fair Fund event
will be held Saturday, Feb. 22 at the Boling
Community Center. The social time begins
at 4 p.m.; barbecue dinner is from 5 to 8
p.m.; and the dance is from 9:30 p.m. until
midnight with deejay music. Tickets are $8
per person. The night will also include an
auction.
■ Pilot 5K Run
Pilot Club's Historic Wharton 5K Run/
Walk Course will be held Saturday, March
1. Check-in is at 7 a.m. and start time is 8
a.m. Guffey Park is the start and finish line.
Entry fee $25 with pre-registration and $30
on the day of the event. All proceeds go
to send people with brain related disorders
and disabilities to camp. Call or e-mail Sarah
Hudgins for entry forms at 281433-3357 or
info@sarahlhudgins.com.
Dateline Wharton is a free listing for
nonprofit events and fundraisers open to
the public. We encourage local civic groups,
organizations and groups with activities
that will benefit local residents to sub-
mit information. Submissions must be in
our office three weeks prior to the event,
deadline for registration or ticket sales. Sub-
missions subject to editing. The listing will
publish in up to four issues. Send listings to
bparsons@journal-spectator.com or 115 W.
Burleson St. TX 77488. Please include con-
tact information.
Wharton Journal-Spectator
Established 1889
USPS #681400
Volume 125, Issue No. 11
Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014
Periodicals Postage Paid at Whar-
ton, Texas 77488. Annual subscription
price $45.00* per year in Wharton
County, Eagle Lake, and Pledger;
$60.00 per year elsewhere in Texas;
$85.00 per year out of state.
‘Carrier delivery extra
The Wharton Journal-Spectator is
published semiweekly by Wharton
County Newspapers, Inc., PO. Box
111, Wharton, TX 77488. Postmaster:
Send Change of Address Notices to:
PO. Box 111, Wharton, TX 77488.
The Office of
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Is Proud to Announce
The Opening of Our New Medical Office,
Located At
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(Adjacent to El Campo Memorial Hospital)
We will begin seeing patients in the new location on
February 3, 2014.
Please call our office for questions. Directions to the new
office can be found on our website, located at
www.drmelissaerwin .com
(979) 543-9933
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Wallace, Bill. Wharton Journal-Spectator (Wharton, Tex.), Vol. 125, No. 11, Ed. 1 Wednesday, February 5, 2014, newspaper, February 5, 2014; Wharton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth655974/m1/2/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Wharton County Library.