Groundwater to the Gulf Celebrates 20th Year Anniversary on the Texas Coast

June 26, 2026

Media Contact: TPWD News, Business Hours, 512-389-8030

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AUSTIN - For the past 20 years, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's (TPWD) Coastal Fisheries Division, along with various organizations throughout Central Texas, have hosted the Groundwater to the Gulf program (G2G) in Austin.

G2G is a free, three-to-four-day field-trip based science institute for K-12 science teachers and other informal educators that provides curriculum and resources about water science. The focus of the curriculum is on the interconnectedness of water and how it flows down the Colorado River and into the Gulf.

The first G2G institute was held in 2006, when various organizations in the Austin area realized there was a need for a water-centered workshop of this kind.

During G2G, educators visit several locations throughout Austin and learn how to measure water quality, determine flow rate and identify habitats found along the Texas coast, as well as how those habitats support coastal systems. Attendees also participate in activities centered around understanding land management for groundwater recharge, chemical and biological water quality, aquatic food webs, fish and plant adaptations, citizen science opportunities for litter and nurdle (plastics) patrols, seagrass preserving and identification for classrooms, ocean currents and stratification, as well as a guided cave tour at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

This year, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of G2G, 30 educators spent a day in Austin learning about freshwater systems before traveling to Palacios to explore the Texas Coast.

"We were so excited to be able to offer the opportunity to visit the Gulf during this year's Groundwater to the Gulf," said Holly Grand, G2G program coordinator for TPWD's Coastal Fisheries Division. "While we cover coastal topics during a regular institute, getting hands-on experience generally helps to create connections and increases understanding of the material presented."

Educators had the opportunity to participate in instruction and activities in coastal waters, including visits to the Palacios Marine Agricultural Research Center and the Matagorda Bay Nature Park, as well as a trip on the Research Vessel Archimedes with the Texas Floating Classroom.

The instruction and activities educators received are later used in the classroom. Participants also receive continuing education credits.

"I deeply appreciate the balance between educating us by letting us learn from passionate experts and demonstrating actual activities and experiences we can directly share with our students," said Meredith Harris, an engineering teacher at Stiles Middle School in Leander.

"I have attended this institute twice before over the past 20 years, and all of the learning experiences in previous years - going caving in the karstic limestone underneath us at Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, kayaking in the lakes, visiting the endemic salamanders at Barton Springs, and testing the water quality in local rivers - centered around the Colorado River basin strictly around Austin," Harris said.

"It was so illuminating this year to travel down to Palacios and actually follow the river all the way to Matagorda Bay and ultimately the Gulf," added Harris. "It really drove home how interconnected the entire watershed system is, and how upstream activities can so dramatically affect other ecosystems, all the way into the ocean. What we do upstream really matters."

Participating partner organizations for the G2G program includes the Colorado River Alliance, Lower Colorado River Alliance, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, St. Edward's University and the City of Austin - Watershed Protection Department & Wildland Conservation. Additionally, Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District also had the chance to spread awareness about the water issues impacting Texans today.