Strategies for Implementing Watershed Goals for the Protection of Water Quality

Date
Jan. 25, 2007
Authors
Weber, T
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Galveston Bay Estuary Program
Abstract

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is responsible under Texas law for developing plans, called total maximum daily loads (TMDLs), to restore surface water quality when it becomes impaired and established uses of the water body are not met. The TCEQ, through its Galveston Bay Estuary Program (GBEP), is also the lead agency responsible for overseeing implementation of the federally and state approved comprehensive conservation and management plan (CCMP) for the Galveston Bay ecosystem. The CCMP and the TMDL plans present blueprints for addressing significant water quality challenges in one of the most populous metropolitan areas of the United States. The plans will not result in reaching our watershed goals unless the plans are thoroughly implemented. The TCEQ and GBEP cannot implement these plans without the financial resources and commitment of third parties inclusive of government at all levels, industry, agricultural producers, and citizen groups. This presentation focuses on elements of the plans that are essential for improvement of water quality and what has been done to successfully implement the plans. The presentation forecasts future strategies that would focus on bacteria impairments existing in the Galveston Bay watershed. The presentation will also emphasize adaptive management as it relates to the planning process for restoring water quality.

Description
[np]
Keywords
bacteria, environmental protection, implementation, restoration, TMDLs, total maximum daily loads, water quality
Citation