Tarkington and Luce Bayous TMDL

The Houston-Galveston Area Council is working with stakeholders in the Tarkington and Luce Bayous Watershed to improve water quality by characterizing, identifying bacteria sources, and developing a TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load) for the watershed.

Watershed Characteristics

The Luce Bayou watershed, including Tarkington Bayou, covers 206 square miles of rural and developing areas within Harris, Liberty, and San Jacinto Counties. The watershed inhabits the southern extent of the Pineywoods Ecoregion, includes a portion of the Sam Houston National Forest, and much of the watershed is used as managed timberland. The city of Cleveland is the largest city within the watershed.

Like much of the outer Houston Region, the Luce Bayou watershed is in transition with new roads, including the completion of State Highway 99/the Grand Parkway, serving a growing population and new subdivisions. The western portion of the watershed has seen the largest increase in suburban development, particularly within unincorporated Liberty County. 

About the Project

Streams and tributaries within the Luce Bayou watershed face potential water quality challenges like many Houston area waterways including contact recreation impairments due to elevated pathogen indicator bacteria concentrations. Depressed dissolved oxygen levels and elevated nutrient concentrations impede the waterway’s ability to support its designated uses.

Because of these water quality issues, the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) was tasked by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to draft a Watershed Characterization Report and Technical Support Document to assess the status and potential means to address water quality challenges in the creek. This approach sought to quantify and describe water quality trends, identify potential sources of pollution (particularly fecal bacteria) and develop information on which to base decisions about future approaches to improving water quality. The Watershed Characterization Report appears in the H-GAC 2025 Basin Highlights Report.

Additionally, the next steps include public outreach to inform local stakeholders and seek feedback on subsequent steps of addressing water quality in the watershed. This will be followed by the development of a TMDL study and subsequent Implementation Plan, with the potential for developing a locally led watershed protection plan (WPP) to address additional stakeholder and TCEQ-identified water quality concerns.

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