Feral Hogs As A Major Source of Water Pollution?

I have spent many a weekend helping control the south Texas feral hog population. What can I say, it's part of my civic duty... My "conservation efforts" have been rewarded with sausage links, pork chops, and an impressive collection of tusks and skulls. But maybe, just maybe, our hunts are helping to protect the quality of Texas water.

I just learned that the Texas AgriLife Extension Service has developed an online system to report feral hog activity that may be affecting water quality in the Plum Creek Watershed area. The new system -- part of the "Feral Hog Project" -- is being piloted in Caldwell and Hays counties, and will be used to support efforts by the Plum Creek Watershed Partnership. The project's webpage defines the problem as follows:

As in many areas across the Texas landscape and elsewhere in the nation, local populations of feral hogs appear to be increasing in the Plum Creek Watershed. These animals damage crops, livestock, pets, landscaping, and natural habitat in both rural and urban areas.

Additionally, it has been suggested that feral hogs are a significant cause of water pollution. Due to their numbers, distribution, and behavior, feral hogs can increase the levels of sediment, nutrients, and bacteria in streams and lakes. Habitat analysis and landowner observations indicate this is the case in the Plum Creek Watershed. In some situations, water quality may become so degraded that it is unable to support aquatic life or human recreation.

The Texas AgriLife Extension Service, in cooperation with the Plum Creek Watershed Partnership, is working to address this growing local issue. Working to provide information and assistance to watershed landowners, the effects of feral hog activity may be reduced.

The site is neat. It allows the public at large, and landowners to report hog activity in the watershed area. The report provides blanks identifying the County in which the hog evidence was seen, as well as the date of sighting, age of the hog(s), number of hogs, type of damage (rooting, rubbing, crop damage, etc.), and nearest stream or waterway.

This program seems like a tremendous win-win to me. One can spend his days hunting monster hogs, and protecting one of Texas' most important watersheds! Now that's a smooth combination!