Background—Meetings—Additional Information—Contact
Background
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has determined that Clear Creek 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 Clear Creek 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. |
The TMDL document was adopted by the TCEQ on September 10, 2008, and approved by the EPA on March 6, 2009. The document is available on the TCEQ's project website: www.tceq.state.tx.us/implementation/water/tmdl/68-clearcreekbacteria.html.
Meetings
The focus of the Clear Creek Bacteria TMDL project is now on developing an implementation plan. 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
2008 June 11: Draft TMDL (PDF) 9.8M | Request for Comments (PDF) 15K
2008 March 6: Agenda (PDF) 158K | Summary (PDF) 3K | Presentation (PPT) 21M
2007 November 15: Agenda (PDF) 190K | Summary (PDF) 13K
2007 February 7: Agenda (PDF) 41K | Summary (PDF) 10K
2006 September 21: Agenda (PDF) 190K | Summary (PDF) 41K
2006 April 5: Agenda (PDF) 9K | Summary (PDF) 16K | PPT 1 572K | PPT 2 125K | PPT 3 813K
Links and Additional Information
The TCEQ maintains a webpage for the Clear Creek Project: http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/implementation/water/tmdl/68-clearcreekbacteria.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: September 1, 2009