The Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research (TIAER)

TIAER has worked with industry for over a decade to shape workable solutions to environmental problems in agriculture. TIAER was established by the Texas Legislature in 1991 in response to conflict over perceived environmental degradation that was attributed to an expanding local dairy industry. Since its inception, TIAER has received state, federal, and private funding in excess of $45.7 million (2006). The institute's research staff consists of environmental scientists, attorneys, and policy analysts.

Clients: Federal--Environmental Protection Agency and the Natural Resource Conservation Service. State and Local--Brazos River Authority, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB), Texas Air Control Board, the Upper Colorado River Authority, and more.

In Texas, the Bosque River is the major tributary to Lake Waco, source of the city of Waco's drinking water. Wthin the Bosque River watershed and upstream from Waco, the economic impact of Erath County dairy farms is over $220 million annually. Supported by federal, state and local funds, TIAER has conducted a Bosque River watershed quality monitoring effort for more than a decade using its own water quality laboratory, crews and equipment. TIAER documents changes in the watershed with biophysical models and its large historical water quality database. As part of a voluntary demonstration project to decrease phosphorus runoff into the North Bosque River, TIAER and the TCEQ worked with dairy farmers in the Goose Branch microwatershed to identify and implement phosphorus control practices for manure application.

For more information about TIAER, click here.