2011 Upper Basin Stakeholder Forum

Nueces River Authority

Feb 16, 2011 – Uvalde Feb 23, 2011 – Corpus Christi

1991 Texas Clean Rivers Program• To monitor and assess the

water quality in the 25 basins throughout Texas

• TCEQ developed partnerships to manage CRP

– 15 Partner Agencies • State agencies• River Authorities• Local Governments

NRA’s Area of Responsibility

– Nueces River Basin

– S.A. Nueces Coastal Basin

– Nueces Rio Grande Coastal Basin

– Bays and Estuaries

• 44 Segments• 30,500 Square

Miles

Texas Clean Rivers Program

• $9 Million Allocated Statewide Amongst CRP Partners Over 2 Years:

• NRA: $548,272 Over 2 Years

– NRA CRP Budget By Task• Project Administration – 21%• Quality Assurance – 4%• Water Quality Monitoring – 39%• Data Management – 13%• Data Analysis and Reporting – 9%• Stakeholder Participation and Public Outreach – 13%• Special Projects: Petronila Creek Continuous Monitoring – 1%

Quarterly Routine Monitoring

– pH– DO– Conductivity– Temp– Ammonia– Nitrates– Phosphorus– Chlorophyll-a– Turbidity– Bacteria – Chloride– Sulfate

NRA Database http://www.nueces-ra.org/CP/CRP/SWQM/index.php

Interactive Map http://www.nueces-ra.org/CP/CRP/SWQM/index.php

Coordinated Monitoring Schedulehttp://cms.lcra.org

NRA Coordinated Monitoring Meeting

– Plan Sampling for upcoming Year

– Invite:– TCEQ Regional

Offices– TPWD– CBBEP– Other Interested

Parties

Assessment (Integrated Report)

• Every 2 Years

• Based on 7 Years of Data:– 2010 – December 1, 2001 – November 30, 2008– 2012 – December 1, 2003 – November 30, 2010

Classified Water Bodies Are Assigned Designated Uses

– Aquatic Life • Exceptional• High • Intermediate• Limited

– Oyster Waters– Contact Recreation

• Primary Contact • Secondary Contact 1 and 2 (New)• Noncontact

– Public Water Supply– Fish Consumption– General Use

Water Quality Criteria are Assigned to Designated Uses

• Aquatic Life– Dissolved Oxygen

• Public Water Supply– Chloride– Sulfate– TDS

• Recreation– Bacteria

• General Use– Water Temperature– pH– Ammonia– Nitrogen– Phosphorus

• Fish Consumption– Fish Tissue

Assessment Includes 2 Lists:

– 305(B) List Concerns

– 303(d) List Impairments

Concerns 305(b) List

• Water bodies where 20% of samples > criteria– Ammonia-Nitrogen– Nitrate+Nitrite– Orthophosphorus– Total phosphorus– Chlorophyll-a

Impairments 303(d) List

Water bodies that do not meet the criteria for support of one or more of its beneficial uses

Impairments 303(d) List• TDS, Chloride, Sulfate

– Average > criteria (Public Water Supply Impairment)

• DO: grab samples and 24-Hr average– 10% of samples < criteria (Aquatic Life Impairment)

• pH– 10% of samples outside range (General Use

Impairment)

• E. coli, Enterococcus– Geometric mean > criteria (Recreational Use Impairment)

List of Impairments in the Upper Basin

• 2103 Lake Corpus Christi impaired TDS (New)• 2104 Nueces River Above Frio impaired Fish

and Macrobenthos community (New)• 2106 Nueces River/Lower Frio River impaired

for TDS• 2107 Atascosa River impaired for bacteria, low

DO, Fish, and Macrobethos community• 2108 San Miguel Creek impaired for bacteria• 2109 Leona River impaired for bacteria

2010 List of Impairments in the Upper Basin

• 2110 Lower Sabinal River impaired for nitrates• 2113 Upper Frio River impaired for Macrobenthos

and Fish communities• 2116 Choke Canyon impaired for Low DO• 2117 Frio Above Choke Canyon impaired for

bacteria

CWA Requires State to Take Action to Restore Impaired Waters

• Additional Monitoring - is the impairment real?

• Use Attainability Analysis (UAA)- Are existing criteria and uses appropriate for water body?

• Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)

• Watershed Protection Plan (WPP)

• Special Study

Ongoing Projects to Address the Impaired Water Bodies in the Upper Basin

• Atascosa River– UAAs

• Lower Sabinal – TMDL

• Leona River– Assessment

Atascosa River Segment 2107

• Flows 103 Miles to confluence with the Frio River

• Impaired for:– Bacteria (1996)– Low Do (1996)– Fish Community

(2006)– Macro Community

(2010)

Atascosa River

• TMDL Team-UAAs– Contact Recreation– Aquatic Life Use– Are designated uses

and existing criteria appropriate for the Atascosa?

* Currently Contact recreation and high aquatic life use

Recreational Use Attainability Analysis (RUAA)

• Evaluate the presence or absence of water recreation activities in the Atascosa– Report was

submitted to the standards group

Aquatic Life Use Attainability Analysis

• Data Collection to be completed in Fall 2011

• Technical report will be out in 2012

• The UAAS will assess Current Standards and Criteria on the Atascosa

Lower Sabinal

• Flows 27 miles to the confluence with the Frio

• Listed in 2002 as impaired for Nitrates

Lower Sabinal TMDL

• 2003 TCEQ initiated a TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load)

• TMDL team determined nitrates were from the Sabinal WWTF– Built in 1967 within the 100 year floodplain

TMDL Implementation Plan New WWTF To Be Completed This Spring

• New WWTF in Sabinal thru the use of ARRA Funds

-outside 100 yr. floodplain

-looped aeration

-clarifiers

-UV disinfection

-Mech. Screen

Leona River AssessmentsNikki Jackson

TIAER

Other Studies and Projects

• NRSA Study-EPA Study of streams and rivers across the U.S.

• Determine % of good, fair, and poor conditions

NRSA Study

NRA SEP Application

Supplemental Environmental Project Funding

• Violators can use fine to support an environmental project in their region

• 3rd parties can apply for funding projects

2011 Basin Highlights Report– Assessment Year BHR– a snapshot of every segment and any

impairments or concerns– Year Following the Assessment BHR -any updates and ongoing

projects in each basin– Every 5th year Basin Summary-more in depth and detailed than the

Basin Highlights Report

Comments to Kati Carberry

Email: kcarberry@nueces-ra.org

Fax: 361-653-2115

Mail: Nueces River Authority

1201 N. Shoreline Blvd.

Corpus Christi, TX 78401

Input for FY 2011 Planning

• Additional routine monitoring sites?

• Special studies?

• Additional outreach opportunities?

• Additional web-based information?

Contact Information

http://www.nueces-ra.org

Kati Carberry: kcarberry@nueces-ra.org

361-653-2110

Sky Lewey: slewey@nueces-ra.org 830-278-6810

Rocky Freund: rfreund@nueces-ra.org361-653-2110

Beth Almaraz: balmaraz@nueces-ra.org

361-653-2110