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Questions or Comments: tmdl@tceq.texas.gov

Participating in TMDL Projects

How people and communities can work together to protect their streams, lakes, and bays by getting involved in developing TMDLs and their implementation plans
photo of stakeholders from the Arroyo Colorado Watershed Watershed Steering Committee
Stakeholders working on the
Arroyo Colorado Watershed Protection Plan

We believe the best decisions are made by people closest to the source. Who better to be involved in cleaning up local water bodies than those who have lived or worked in the area, who know it, who have raised their families there, and who care about their future?

Who Participates

We call these people stakeholders. They are individuals, organizations, and communities. They represent government, agriculture, business, environmental and community groups, and themselves.

It is these stakeholders who decide what happens in their communities and their state. By participating in the key decisions made during development of TMDLs and implementation plans, stakeholders have the opportunity to provide critical information and perspective about their watersheds. Because ultimately, it is stakeholders who implement the plans to clean up their rivers, lakes, and bays.

Commitment

Participating in governmental decisions requires you to commit time and resources. This commitment is as important to the success of improving water quality as the technical aspects of a project. We ask you to sustain that commitment over several years, because it is difficult to predict how long it will take for all parties to agree on restoration plans and then to improve water quality.

How to Get Involved

TCEQ works with stakeholders primarily at the public meetings of community stakeholder groups. Meetings about TMDL projects are open to everyone. To find a project in your area of interest, see Projects of the TMDL Program.

Meetings are ordinarily held in the watershed and are designed to support collaborative decision-making that engages stakeholders in deciding how to improve water quality.

The TMDL Team works with local organizations and government agencies to identify and involve appropriate stakeholders in a particular project. TCEQ also uses notices in print and electronic media to let people know about projects in their area.

Stakeholder Groups

Find a current group by choosing an individual current project, and check out the "Get Involved" section to learn more.

We publish information about meetings, along with links to the stakeholders' website (if applicable), on our project pages and our TMDL Calendar.

Contact the TMDL Program

To find out more about getting involved in projects, browse our Projects of the TMDL Program to find out about projects in your area. Email us at tmdl@tceq.texas.gov, or call 512-239-6682.

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