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2010 Basin Highlights Report 2010 Basin Highlights Report

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2010 Basin Highlights Report 2010 Basin Highlights Report HOW’S THE WATER? 2010 Basin Highlights Report 2010 Basin Highlights Report Table of Contents How’s the Water? .................................................................................3 Evaluating Texas Water Quality ..........................................................4 Summary of Water Quality Impairments and Concerns .................5 Water Quality and Impairments and Concerns Table ......................6 Regional Concerns ................................................................................7 “Frog Count” Ranking Key ....................................................................7 Most Improved/Degraded Streams for Bacteria ..............................8 Waterways Showing Significant Change in Bacteria Levels ...........9 Water Bodies Impaired by Bacteria ..................................................10 Water Bodies Impaired by Dioxin/PCBs in Fish Tissue ..................11 Clean Rivers Program – 2009 Highlights ........................................12 Water Quality Monitoring ...................................................................12 Continued Efforts .................................................................................13 Special Studies ....................................................................................13 Habitat Site Characterizations .....................................................13 24-Hour Dissolved Oxygen Monitoring ........................................14 USGS Study on West Fork San Jacinto River ...............................14 Public Outreach and Education .........................................................15 Stakeholder Groups and Public Meetings ...................................15 Water Resources Information Map (WRIM) ................................15 River, Lakes, Bays ‘N Bayous Trash Bash® ..................................16 Texas Stream Team.........................................................................16 Clean Waters Initiative ..................................................................16 Web Site............................................................................................16 H-GAC Water Quality Programs .........................................................17 Bacteria Reduction ........................................................................17 Watershed Protection Plans .........................................................17 Watershed Protection Plan Development Areas ............................18 Local Laboratory Accreditation .........................................................19 H-GAC Clean Rivers Program Staff Contacts ..................................19 How’s the Water? Houston Ship Channel and the Houston Ship The simple answer is – it depends. Water quality Channel Buffalo Bayou Tidal segments have experts consider several factors when determining reduced bacteria levels. These reductions can be water conditions in the H-GAC Clean Rivers attributed to a variety of activities such as the Program Assessment Basins. These parameters construction of storm water detention basins and include levels of bacteria, nutrients and dissolved the improvement of municipal sanitary sewer oxygen (DO), as well as presence of Dioxin/ systems. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fish tissue. And, depending on which stream segment you are The Clean Rivers Program is committed to interested in, the quality will vary. supporting water quality improvement efforts by: • Providing consistent and reliable data for the region’s water bodies; • Conducting special studies on specific areas Clean Rivers Program of concern; and The Texas Clean Rivers Program is • Raising public awareness about water quality a partnership with TCEQ and local/ through education and information programs. regional groups to coordinate This report highlights the achievements of the local and regional water quality Clean Rivers Program during 2009 and provides a monitoring, assessment, and public snapshot of water quality conditions and issues outreach efforts to improve the quality in the region. For more information on the Clean of surface water within each river Rivers Program and H-GAC’s other water quality basin in Texas. planning activities, please visit www.h-gac.com/ water. Water bodies must meet certain standards for recreational uses, including swimming, wading and fishing, or they will be listed as impaired by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Only six stream segments within the region are considered acceptable for recreation. The causes for the impairments vary, however, the most significant water quality concern throughout the region continues to be high levels of bacteria. Toxicity, particularly dioxin in fish tissue, is also a problem in 75% of the region’s tidal water ways, though generally isolated to the Houston Ship Channel and Galveston Bay. Several Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) studies are currently under way to address these issues. While most regional water bodies are considered impaired, water quality can be improved through the efforts of the Clean Rivers Program; local, state and federal agencies; and everyone living and working in the region. In fact, three stream segments show significant improvement. Water quality tests show that White Oak Bayou, the 3 2010 Basin Highlights Report Evaluating Texas Water Quality The TCEQ evaluates the condition of the state’s What is Dioxin? water bodies on a periodic basis under the Clean Water Act Section 305(b). As required by the act, Dioxin is a general term used to describe a the inventory is updated every two years and family of chemicals that are highly persistent consists of a review of the past seven years’ worth in the environment. Dioxin has been shown of data collected by many organizations statewide, to cause cancer, severe reproductive and including local agencies working with H-GAC. developmental problems, damage the immune The Draft 2010 Texas Integrated Report for Clean system, and interfere with endocrine systems. Water Act Sections 305(b) and 303(d) provides an Dioxin is formed as an unintentional by- assessment of water quality results using this data. product of many industrial processes, chemical Also required by Section 303(d) of the CWA, the and pesticide manufacturing, and pulp and state must indicate all waters not meeting their paper bleaching. designated Water Quality Standards which results in the List of Impaired Waters. The inventory is The Department of State Health Services has available on the TCEQ web site at found Dioxin in fish tissue samples collected www.tceq.state.tx.us/compliance/monitoring/ from various parts of the Houston Ship water/quality/data/10twqi. Channel and Galveston Bay. Subsequently, appropriate bans or advisories on fish The term “impairment” is assigned to a portion of a consumption have been issued. water body when certain water quality parameters exceed threshold concentrations as specified in The San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund the Texas Surface Water Quality Standards, based Site, located near I-10 and being managed either on the number of exceedances or the mean by the US Environmental Protection Agency - concentration over the threshold. This designation Region 6, is a major source of dioxin. indicates the fish may not be able to get enough oxygen to survive, swimmers may be exposed to disease-producing organisms or people who eat fish Bacteria, including Escherichia coli (E. from the water body may become ill. Water bodies coli), alone may not be harmful to people; that are shown to have an impairment for one or however, their occurrence may indicate more parameters are included in the TCEQ’s fecal matter or dangerous pathogens may Impaired Water Bodies 303(d) List. Parameters be present. most frequently found on the list include dissolved oxygen (DO) and bacteria levels and Dioxin/PCBs in Dissolved Oxygen (DO) indicates the fish tissue. amount of oxygen available in the water to sustain aquatic life. All water-borne species Once a portion of a stream is placed on the must have a minimum DO concentration to Impaired Water Bodies List, a series of actions survive. may be taken by the TCEQ to restore water quality, including, but not limited to: denying increases in Nutrients in high concentrations can cause taste and odor problems in drinking water, A TMDL study is a technical analysis that as well as health issues. Nutrients can also determines maximum amount or loading lead to algae growth. Decomposing algae of a pollutant a water body can support consume oxygen, threatening a water and still meet the Water Quality Standard. body’s aquatic population. Pollutants may include Bacteria, Dissolved Oxygen, Nutrients or Dioxin/PCBs. 4 wastewater permit effluent limits or conducting a TMDL study to allocate pollutant loads to certain sources. The term “concern” is assigned to a portion of an assessed water body for parameters with no State Water Quality Standards, such as nutrients, that exceed established screening levels. “Concerns” on water bodies can also be the result of insufficient data being available to establish with confidence an “impaired” status for parameters that must meet the State Water Quality Standards. Summary of Water Quality Impairments and Concerns H-GAC’s Clean Rivers Program coordinates with scientists and specialists to sample and evaluate local water quality. Samples are run through a battery of tests to measure physical and chemical characteristics, such as DO, bacteria, and nutrient levels. The data are then submitted to the
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