Final report point source loading characterization of Galveston Bay

Galveston Bay is the most important estuary on the Texas coast harboring the largest seaport, housing the largest industrial complex, and producing the largest shellfish catch on the Texas coast. Thousands of weekend fishermen and boaters use the bay. However, Galveston Bay also receives the largest total amount of industrial and municipal effluent of all the Texas estuaries, both directly from the Houston/Texas City areas and indirectly from the Dallas/Ft. Worth area via the Trinity River. Prior to the mid-seventies, the Houston Ship Channel, which empties into Galveston Bay, was listed as one of the 10 most polluted bodies of water in the United States by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). In 1969, state water quality specialists determined that this water quality degradation caused frequent and massive fish kills in the upper portion of Galveston Bay. A comprehensive study of the bay system was initiated by state and federal agencies and spanned the years from 1966 to 1974. Following the study, several corrective measures helped to reduce the impact of municipal and industrial waste on Galveston Bay. Between 1973 and 1980, millions of dollars were awarded by the EPA to upgrade and expand municipal waste treatment facilities discharging to the Houston Ship Channel and Galveston Bay