The Commissioners chose to retain 126 E.coli per 100 milliliters as the standard for primary contact recreation, asked to continue to be informed about further scientific developments for nutrient criteria, and to consider mechanisms to streamline the process for determining what level of recreation use a water body supports, through a site-specific use-attainability analysis. Further, the Commissioners urged the staff to continue to collect data and evaluate proper protection levels and ensure the public is protected while state resources are utilized as efficiently as possible.
“The TCEQ has historically evaluated its water rules periodically to make sure they keep pace with changes in science and technology,” said Office of Water Deputy Director L’Oreal Stepney.
These revisions establish criteria for nutrients for reservoirs, update numerous toxic criteria, and create new categories for recreation standards so that Texas’ waters are protected and classified based on appropriate recreational uses. Before proposing the new revisions, the TCEQ analyzed extensive scientific information to determine the mechanisms that protect the environment and public health and promote efficient and effective water quality management.
Under the previous rules, most water bodies in Texas—even intermittently flowing creeks, which are too shallow for swimming—must adhere to recreation standards that are often inappropriate and make it difficult to protect those water bodies in most need of correction. Consequently, the new rules establish several new categories of recreational water standards that more realistically classify water bodies. There are now four tiers of recreational standards which include primary contact, secondary contact 1 and 2, and non-contact. Public participation will be an integral part of the use attainability process for the classification of water bodies for secondary contact.
In Texas, there are approximately 191,000 miles of rivers and streams. All but about 85 of those river miles are currently classified for swimming (primary contact designation). Of those 191,000 miles of rivers and streams, about 144,600 miles are considered intermittent streams, which are typically too shallow for swimming. These are shallow streams, which flow infrequently and only during heavy rains, and are more appropriately classified as secondary contact.
Also, in the context of water quality management, TCEQ now extensively monitors surface waters in Texas, and the agency rigorously identifies and takes remedial actions to address water bodies that do not attain all assigned water quality standards. Consequently, the TCEQ is focusing efforts on water bodies that genuinely need restorative actions.
Additionally, for the first time the TCEQ has established numerical nutrient criteria for 75 reservoirs in Texas. This new criteria will protect many major reservoirs by inhibiting excessive growth of aquatic vegetation. The TCEQ worked extensively with an advisory group to develop these nutrient criteria. These criteria are a major step to further TCEQ’s water quality management program to protect reservoirs in Texas.
Texas is one of the leading states in evaluating water quality standards for individual water bodies. For this revision, TCEQ has devoted extensive effort to establish 119 tailored site-specific standards for aquatic life, dissolved oxygen, toxic criteria, and aquatic recreation.
Contact:
Terry Clawson
Phone 512-239-0046
Pager 512-657-0738