Lake Houston: A TMDL Project for Bacteria
Background—Meetings—Additional Information—Contact
Background
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has determined that Lake Houston and several tributaries sometimes have bacteria levels that are higher than state standards for contact recreation. The State of Texas requires that water quality in the Lake Houston watershed be suitable for swimming,wading, fishing, and aquatic life.
Swimming and wading is called contact recreation in the State's standards for water quality, referring to all recreation in which people come in direct contact with the water. People who swim or wade in the bayous may be at risk because of high level of bacteria. Bacteria from human and animal waste often indicate the presence of disease-causing microorganisms, which pose a threat to public health.
In response to the elevated bacteria levels in the bayous, the TCEQ initiated a total maximum daily load (TMDL) project to determine the measures necessary to support recreational uses in these water bodies. The goal of a TMDL is to determine the amount (or load) of a pollutant that a body of water can receive and still support its designated uses. The load is then allocated among all the potential sources of pollution within the watershed, and measures to reduce pollutant loads are developed as necessary.
On April 6, 2011, TCEQ approved "Fifteen Total Maximum Daily Loads for Indicator Bacteria in Watersheds Upstream of Lake Houston." EPA approved the same on June 29, 2011. The documents are available on the TCEQ's project website: http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/implementation/water/tmdl/72-houstonbacteria.html.
More information, including the TMDL document, is available on the TCEQ website: www.tceq.state.tx.us/implementation/water/tmdl/82-lakehouston.html.
Meetings
Stakeholders from Lake Houston and other watersheds in the region are developing an implementation plan to reduce bacteria in the waterways. The Bacteria Implementation Group (BIG) is the committee responsible for developing the plan. Please visit the BIG webpage for more information and to learn how to be involved.
Past Meetings
2010 December meetings: General Presentation
Introduction for all June 2008 Meetings (PDF) 154K
Project Information for all June 2008 Meetings (PDF) 1M
2008 June 12: Presentation (PDF) 3.4M
2008 June 5: Presentation (PDF) 3.4M
2008 June 4: Presentation (PDF) 3.4M
2008 June 3: Presentation (PDF) 3.4M
2008 June 2: Presentation (PDF) 3.4M
Links and Additional Information
The TCEQ maintains a webpage for the Lake Houston Project:
www.tceq.state.tx.us/implementation/water/tmdl/82-lakehouston.html
The Bacteria Implementation Group is developing an Implementation Plan for this and three other bacteria TMDL projects.
Contact
For more information contact:
Rachel Powers
(713) 993-4559
Rachel.Powers@h-gac.com
Last updated: July 14, 2011, 2010