The following links and documents may be of interest to individuals who are involved with the Bacteria Implementation Group. Much of this information has been provided by BIG stakeholders. H-GAC does not necessarily support or endorse these, but is providing this information for reference purposes.
Wastewater Treatment Facilities
TCEQ Instructions for Industrial Permit Application (PDF) 513K
See pages 29 & 37. Bacteria testing is required for permit application
TCEQ Industrial Permit Application Technical Report (PDF) 7M
See page 2-1 (Worksheet 2.0)
TCEQ Bacteria Effluent Limitations Guidance (PDF) 235K
about E.coli Monitoring Requirements in Domestic Wastewater Permits issued under the Texas Pollutants Discharge Elimination System (TPDES). Shows how the TCEQ arrives at the monitoring frequency for bacteria.
TCEQ Enforcement Initiation Criteria (PDF) 205K
A violations are sent straight to enforcement, "B"s must be documented twice before enforcement action is taken, and "C"s may or may not be sent to enforcement after being documented 3 times in a five year period. This document can be revised at any time.
E.coli Limits and Monitoring Requirements for Bacteria (PDF) 134K
in Domestic Wastewater Permits issued under the Texas Pollutants Discharge Elimination System (TPDES)
WWTP Effluent-borne Pathogen Regrowth Potential and Sediment Attachment Study (PDF) 1.2M
Rob Donofrio, Director of Microbiology, NSF International; Trent Martin, Harris County, Watershed Protection Group; Paul Jackson, Program Development Manager, NSF International, March 11, 2009
Almost every stream in Harris County is listed by the EPA as impaired due to high E. coli levels. Data shows that adding up bacteria loads from all the sources offlow into the stream did not come close to approximating the amount of bacteria that we see in the stream.
Kansas Approach
The Kansas Approach (PDF) 112K
Kansas Department of Health and Environment: Program Overview
Kansas Department of Health and Environment: 2008 Approved TMDLs
TMDL and Stormwater Management
TMDLs to Stormwater Handbook (PDF) 5.8M
EPA's handbook for TMDL practitioners and permit writers on current methods being used to develop more detailed stormwater-source TMDL allocations, TMDL implementation plans including best management practices, and methods for translating TMDL allocations into NPDES stormwater permit requirements.
Impaired Waters and Total Maximum Daily Loads
EPA's Stormwater Resources web section. With the expansion of NDPES Stormwater regulations to smaller municipalities and smaller construction activities, there has been increasing demand for more detailed quantification of stormwater allocations in TMDLs that are more useful for implementation in NDPES permits.
Local Water Policy Innovation: A Road Map for Community Based Stormwater Solutions (PDF) 2.4M
American Rivers and Midwest Environmental Advocates, September 2008
A report to help you protect clean water and healthy streams in your community.
Building Code Language for Multi-Apartment Grease Interceptors (HTM) 35K
EPA NPSInfo Discussion, February 2009, Pilot study on a grease "multiceptor"
Animal Feces and Manure
Picking up Dog Pop not A Legal Requirement in Harris County,
but in the City of Houston (HTM) 25K
CAFO Final Rule and Webcast (PDF) 98K
EPA NPDES News, November 17, 2008
On October 31, 2008, EPA finalized a rule helping to protect the nation's water quality by requiring concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) to safely manage manure.
Agriculture
Approved Practices List, Texas State Soil & Water Conservation Board (PDF) 15K
Natural Resources Conservation Service (PDF) 137K
Managing the amount, source, placement, form and timing of the application of plant nutrients and soil amendments
Texas Forest Services Best Management Practices Website
Forestry BMPs are a set of guidelines that involve the application of conservation practices that effectively prevent or minimize the amount of nonpoint source pollution (NPS) generated during forestry operations.
Texas Forestry Best Management Practices (PDF)1.7M
Voluntary Implementation of Forestry Best Management Practices
in East Texas (PDF) 858K
Contact Recreation Use Attainability Analysis (UAA)
Recreational Use Attanability Analyses (PDF) 2.8M
May 19 presentation by TCEQ's Lori Hamilton regarding UAA procedures and the Buffalo and Whiteoak Bayou UAA
Preliminary Results of a Recreational Use Attainability Analysis of the Buffalo Bayou/White Oak Bayou Stream System in Houston, Texas (PDF) 1.4M
Photos from Buffalo Bayou First Site Survey (6 ZIP Folders) 20M each
Photos from Buffalo Bayou Second Site Survey (6 ZIP Folders) 20M each
Photos from White Oak Bayou First Site Survey (2 ZIP Folders) 20M each
Photos from White Oak Bayou Second Site Survey (2 ZIP Folders) 20M each
Harris County Interim Bacteria Reduction Plans (IBRP)
In 2007, as part of the MS4 Permit Renewal process, EPA Region 6 requested the JTF MS4 co-permittees to include an Interim Bacteria Reduction Plan (IBRP) in the Storm Water Management Program (SWMP).
Project Initation Document Harris County (PDF) 89K
Project Initiation Document Harris County Flood Control (PDF) 40K
Draft Interim Bacteria Reduction Plan Harris County (PDF) 150K
Approved Interim Bacteria Reduction Plan Harris County (PDF) 784K
Bacteria Reduction Plan, as approved by the County Commissioners and informally by EPA. This was developed after many hours of meetings, brainstorming sessions, and discussion by many groups both within and outside of Harris County.
Excerpt from Interim Bacteria Reduction Plan Harris County (DOC) 33K
Excerpted relevant portions from the Harris County Bacteria Reduction Plan as a possible model for the BIG Residential Workgroup.
Adapted Interim Bacteria Reduction Plan Harris County (DOC) 64K
Harris County's adjusted version of the Draft Interim Bacteria Reduction Plan for the BIG, information divided up by BIG workgroups
News Articles
States Join E.P.A. Study of Pathogens in Ohio River (PDF) 149K
By Bob Driehaus, January 21, 2009, The New York Times, New York, NY
The analysis, which officials plan to finish next year, will identify how much bacteria can discharge into the river without exceeding safety standards.
Can Stormwater BMPs Remove Bacteria? (PDF) 229K
By Jane Clary, Jonathan Jones, Ben Urbonas, Marcus Quigley, Eric Strecker, and Todd Wagner, May/June 2008, Stormwater Magazine, Santa Barbara, CA
This paper provides a brief background regarding bacteria in urban runoff, summarizes the bacteria data available in the BMP Database, provides analysis results and suggests how these findings may affect the selection and design of BMPs to assist in meeting TMDL goals. The underlying data set used in this analysis can be downloaded from the BMP Database website at: http://www.bmpdatabase.org/
American Rivers Has Released Local Water Policy Innovation (HTM) 96K
By Gary Belan, Director of Healthy Waters Campaign American River, October 27, 2008, River News, Washington, D.C.
Local Water Policy Innovation is a road map for community based stormwater solutions, a report to help you protect clean water and healthy streams in your community.
CAFO Final Rule and Webcast (PDF) 98K
Nicos Singelis, November 17, 2008, Office of Wastewater Management, US EPA, EPA NPDES News, Washington, D.C.
On October 31, 2008, EPA finalized a rule helping to protect the nation's water quality by requiring concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) to safely manage manure.
Keeping it Real (PDF) 97K
By Jill Moon, March 12, 2009, The Telegraph, Alton, IL
Water watchdog Mike Bush takes preserving and protecting the Mississippi River seriously. So seriously that the retiree became a St. Louis Confluence Riverkeeper who watches rivers full-time. Not only does Bush of Richmond Heights, Mo., cover the St. Louis confluence but also the confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. Bush is the executive director of the newly formed St. Louis Confluence Riverkeeper organization.
Good Things From Small Packages - Decentralized Reclamation Systems Can Help Conserve Potable Water Supplies
by Ron Crites and Rob Beggs, March 2009, Water Environment & Technology, Alexandria, VA
Water reuse does not have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. Even small-scale projects can have notable effects on potable water supplies. In the two case studies, decentralized reclamation systems extended or conserved the community’s potable water supplies.
Group Hopes to Reduce Bacteria in Creeks (PDF) 114K
by Suzanne Jacobson, April 10, 2009, Payson Roundup, Payson, AZ
Bacteria has been seeping into the Tonto and Christopher Creeks through generations of cesspools and failed sewer systems, among other things, and a group is forming to help clean the water.
Pasadena City Council Awards Contract to Coastal Testing Laboratories (PDF)
By Ashley Ayala, April 10, 2009, Guidry News, Galveston, TX
Pasadena City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to award a contract of $4,785 to Coastal Testing Laboratories, Inc. for professional services to be rendered in connection with testing for the Richey Road Trunk Sewer Rehabilitation - Phase I Project.
50 Attend Watershed Meeting
John Hacker, April 24, 2009, Carthage Press, Carthage, MO
Approximately 50 people met Thursday to give opinions, express fears and generally discuss the quality of water in the Spring River as it flows through Carthage.
Farmers Cite Concerns of Impact of Watershed Plan on Agriculture (PDF) 126K
Susan Redden, April 23, 2009, The Joplin Globe, Carthage, MO
Farmers may not have been the largest group in numbers, but they were vocal on Thursday night in raising concerns that agricultural interests might be the target of a watershed management plan for Spring River. About 50 people attended a gathering at the Carthage Vo-Tech School to discuss concerns about the condition of Spring River in Carthage and what might be done to improve the quality of the water.
Input Sought on Spring River's E-Coli Problems
Michele Skalicky, April 23, 2009, KSMU Ozarks Public Radio, Springfield, MO
Residents along parts of the Spring River in and around Carthage are being asked to provide input to help clean up the waterway.
Going to the Hogs
By Angelina Joiner, April 4, 2009, Abilene Reporter-News, Abilene, TX
Wildlife Services working to reduce water pollution by feral hogs. Feral hogs are polluting watersheds with pathogenic E. coli, according to recent studies
Properties Sued to Find Sewage Leaks
John Tompkins, May 7, 2009, The Brazosport Facts, Angleton, TX
As health officials tied a rare case of U.S.-contracted cholera with sewage leaks in the Demi-John area, the Brazoria County District Attorney’s office filed suit Wednesday to force a solution to the years-long problem.
Symposium Tackles Malibu's Water Quality Issues
Olivia Damavandi, May 6, 2009, The Malibu Times, Malibu, CA
After recently issuing notices of wastewater discharge permit violations to more than 30 Malibu businesses and public facilities in the Civic Center area, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board took part in the Malibu Water Quality Symposium last Thursday to discuss the latest in septic system regulations and water quality technology in Southern California.
Swimmers Warned of Bacteria at Sunset Harbor
Shelby Sebens, May 6, 2009, Star News Online, Wilmington, NC
The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources has issued two swimming advisories in Brunswick County.
Testimony of Lisa P. Jackson, Administrator US EPA (PDF) 357K
Betsaida Alcantara, May 12, 2009, News Release, US EPA, Washington, D.C.
Testimony of Lisa P. Jackson, Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Hearing on EPA’s 2010 Budget Proposal Environment and Public Works Committee United States Senate (As prepared for delivery)
The testimony can also be accessed from the EPA website
Cleanup Efforts Make Difference at Beaches
By Mike Lee, May 21, 2009, The San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego, CA
At the start of the decade, runoff from the heavily developed watershed of Cottonwood Creek routinely fouled Moonlight Beach in Encinitas with bacteria. The beach's fortunes have improved after the city built a facility to capture creek flows, kill the bacteria with ultraviolet radiation and then send the processed water to the beach.
New Plan Targets Pollution at Branchport Creek
By Daniel Howley, May 21, 2009, The Hub, Freehold, NJ
Since 2006, the Branchport Creek has been off limits to recreational use by residents due to high levels of fecal bacteria deposited into the waterway by Monmouth Park.
Belle Isle Water Pollution Levels Cause Concern
By Jim Lynch, May 21, 2009, The Detroit News, Detroit, MI
There are no state laws requiring regular testing of public beaches, however some government agencies clearly give monitoring for E.coli bacteria a higher priority than others.
Unsafe Sewage Levels in Canal Bacteria Count High in Gowanus
By Erin Durkin, June 11, 2009, New York Daily News, New York, NY
New tests have found sky-high levels of a bacteria found in human waste in the Gowanus Canal. Water quality tests conducted by Riverkeeper, a self-described "environmental neighborhood watch program," late last month found levels of enterococcus up to 17,329 cells per 100 milliliters.
New Online Feral Hog Reporting Tool to Help with Plum Creek Watershed Water Quality
By Paul Schattenberg, June 3, 2009, AgNews, Texas A&M Agrilife News and Public Affairs, College Station, TX
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.
From the Ashes of '69, a River Reborn
By Christopher Maag, June 20, 2009, The New York Times, New York, NY
The first time Gene Roberts fell into the Cuyahoga River, he worried he might die. The year was 1963, and the river was still an open sewer for industrial waste.
Hearings Tonight on Local Creeks - State Agencies Seek Comment on Plans to Improve Quality
By Jenny Jones, June 18, 2009, Daily News-Record, Harrisonburg, VA
Those interested in the conditions of Mossy Creek, Long Glade Run and Naked Creek will have a chance to weigh in on the matter during a meeting tonight. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation will hold a public meeting at 7 p.m. in the cafeteria of North River Elementary School in Mount Solon. During the meeting, representatives of the two state agencies will seek comments on the draft Total Maximum Daily Load Implementation Plan, which is aimed at improving the quality of the three creeks that wind through Rockingham and Augusta counties.
Swimming Advisory in Effect
By Carissa Etters, June 18, 2009, WNCT, Greenville, NC
An advisory against swimming was posted today at a sound-side site in Pamlico County, where state environmental health officials found bacteria levels in the water that exceed the state and Environmental Protection Agency’s recreational water quality standards.
Swimming Advisory for Parts of the Chesapeake Bay
WTKR-TV, June 2009, Norfolk, VA
he Virginia Beach Department of Public Health is telling people not to swim or wade in the Chesapeake Bay between Mortons Road and Little Creek Amphibious Base. Bacteria levels in the area are over State Water Quality Standards. This advisory does not affect the Virginia Beach oceanfront or resort area.
Drumlin Farm Project Reduces Impact on Wetlands
By Ben Aaronson, June 25, 2009, Lincoln Journal, Concord, MA
A new green project could help solve a green problem at Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Lincoln.
Until recently, storm water runoff has carried animal waste and other pollutants from the nearby barn into Poultry Pond.
Contact with Beach Sand among Beachgoers and Risk of Illness (MHT) 243K
By Christopher Heaney et al., June 18, 2009, American Journal of Epidemiology,
Cary, NC
Recent studies of beach sand fecal contamination have triggered interest among scientists and in the media. Although evidence shows that beach sand can harbor high concentrations of fecal indicator organisms, as well as fecal pathogens, illness risk associated with beach sand contact is not well understood.
What Science Says About Beach Sand and Stomach Aches
By Richard L. Whitman and Diane Noserale, August 10, 2009 News Release,
US Geological Survey, Reston, VA
By washing your hands after digging in beach sand, you could greatly reduce your risk of ingesting bacteria that could make you sick. In new research, scientists have determined that, although beach sand is a potential source of bacteria and viruses, hand rinsing may effectively reduce exposure to microbes that cause gastrointestinal illnesses.
Breaking Ground with a $1.6 Billion Plan to Tame Water
By Sandy Bauers, Alliance for Community Trees, October 5, 2009, College Park, MD
Philadelphia has announced a $1.6 billion plan to transform the city over the next 20 years by embracing its stormwater- instead of hustling it down sewers and into rivers as fast as possible. The proposal, which several experts called the nation's most ambitious, reimagines the city as an oasis of rain gardens, green roofs, thousands of additional trees, porous pavement, and more.
Bacteria Meetings
TCEQ Water Quality Advisory Workgroup, January 20, 2009 (PDF)
Topic: Update on Barton and Onion Creek Stakeholder Group, Permit Updates
TCEQ Drinking Water Advisory Group, January 20, 2009
TCEQ Bacteria Limits Rule Project Stakeholder Group, January 23, 2009 (PDF)
Discussion of rulemaking that resulted from the TCEQ's agreement with the EPA to add E. coli or Enterococcus effluent limits to TPDES permits that cover domestic wastewater and industrial wastewater with a domestic component. Will include phase-in strategies, bacteria testing hold times, availabilty of certified laboratories, variances.
Requests for Proposals
Informing the Risk-Based Framework for Recreational Waters: (PDF) 61K
Quantification of Microbial Pathogens and Indicators from Various Sources
Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF), RFP PATH1R08 , October 2008
WERF was seeking expert assistance in understanding and addressing critical short- and longer-term research needs with respect to wastewater- and stormwater-borne microbes, risk assessment, and public health, especially as such research pertains to the science behind EPA’s current recreational water quality criteria and the pending criteria update.
Water Quality Research and Workshops
Pathogens and Human Health (PDF) 65K
Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF)and US EPA will hold a Workshop on waterborne pathogens in inland waters in 2009. The workshop is being organized through WERF's Pathogens and Human Health Program and EPA's Office of Water. Twenty experts have been invited to meet for three days in February 2009 to address research gaps and priorities regarding waterborne pathogens in recreational waters.
US Environmental Protection Agency: Recreational Water Quality Criteria
US EPA is in the process of collecting input from the scientific and technical community on research and science needs to develop up-to-date, scientifically defensible criteria to protect people from exposure to contaminated recreational waters. Near-term needs were defined as specific research and science activities that could be accomplished in 2 to 3 years to support development of new or revised criteria by 2012.
EPA Critical Science Plan, August 2007 (PDF) 503K
The Critical Path Science Plan describes the high priority research and science that EPA intends to conduct to establish the scientific foundation for the development of new or revised recreational water quality criteria recommendations.
EPA Conducts Studies to Improve Safety of Swimming at Beaches
EPA is conducting two health (epidemiological) studies to help determine when water quality is safe for swimming. These studies will be used by EPA to develop new water quality criteria. One study will be conducted at a beach in a tropical region and another study will be conducted in marine waters impacted by urban runoff in a temperate region. For more information visit: http://www.epa.gov/nheerl/neear/
Online Module - Human Health Ambient Water Quality Criteria
The Water Quality Standards Academy Online (WQSA Online) posted its online module about human health ambient water quality criteria, called "Basic Course: Supplemental Topics" . The module introduces concepts used in the development of human health ambient water quality criteria (AWQC) and the methods for deriving these criteria, all presented in text-based information with links to further resources. More information on WQSA online is available through Bryan "Ibrahim" Goodwin (202-566-0762). More on the Water Quality Standards Academy at: http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/standards/academy.html
EPA Releases Two Literature Review Documents
Related to Recreational Water Quality Risks
EPA conducted two literature reviews to help inform development of new or revised recreational water quality criteria by 2012. The first document, Review of Published Studies to Characterize Relative Risks from Different Sources of Fecal Contamination in Recreational Waters, describes the existing information available to characterize the relative risks of human illness from various sources of fecal contamination in recreational waters. The second document, Review of Zoonotic Pathogens in Ambient Water, provides a summary of information on waterborne zoonotic pathogens that come primarily from warm-blooded animals. Both documents are available on EPA's Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/criteria/recreation/
Impaired Waters and TMDL Program Results Analysis
The development of Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) has increased markedly in recent years and over 37,000 TMDLs have now been completed. The TMDL Program Results Analysis Project is a multi-year EPA effort directed at measuring and analyzing programmatic and environmental results from the TMDL Program.
Funding for Water Quality Projects
City of Sugar Land and San Jacinto River Authority (PDF) 164K
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has allocated financial assistance totaling $169,555,000 for water-related projects
Urban Water Management
Catching Up: Aligning Management, Law, and Regulation with the Watershed Approach (PDF) 116K
Keynote address delivered by G. Tracy Mehan, III, Principal, Cadmus Group at the Urban Water Management 2009 Conference, March 2009, Overland Park, Kansas
"...you cannot improve water quality without sustainably managing the landscape, the watershed if you will, in both the rural and urban contexts.."