Houston-Galveston Region: Implementing a Plan to Protect Recreational Uses
Watch the BIG video 
on YouTube. For three years, a 31-member group known as the Bacteria Implementation Group or the BIG, met every month to develop a plan to improve water quality in the Houston-Galveston area as part of this TMDL project. The BIG is a diverse group of committed and concerned folks, representing a cross-section of professionals and concerned citizens from many disciplines. The BIG Implementation Plan was approved by the TCEQ in January of 2013. The group continues to work for better quality water in the 2,200 square-mile area covered by their plan.
- Overview
Get Involved- Partners
- Status and Activities
- I-Plan and TMDLs
The road map for restoring water quality - Reports and Other Documents
- Contact Us
Overview
Water quality testing found that bacteria concentrations are elevated in numerous waterways in the Houston–Galveston region. High bacteria concentrations might pose a risk to people who swim or wade in natural waters. Swimming and wading are called “contact recreation” in the state’s standards for water quality; the term refers to all recreation in which people are likely to swallow natural waters.
The goal of this project is to reduce bacteria concentrations and protect recreational safety. This project includes 72 TMDLs for 60 waterway segments in 10 counties. The project area is 2,204 square miles including all or part of 56 cities and a population of about four million people.
Watershed Counties: Brazoria, Harris, Fort Bend, Grimes, Liberty, Montgomery, San Jacinto, Walker, and Waller
Parameter: Bacteria
River Basin: San Jacinto
Segments: 1004E, 1006D, 1006I, 1006F, 1006H, 1006J, 1007B, 1007C, 1007D, 1007E, 1007F, 1007G, 1007H, 1007I, 1007K, 1007L, 1007M, 1007N, 1007O, 1007R, 1008, 1008H, 1009, 1009C, 1009D, 1009E, 1010, 1011, 1013, 1013A, 1013C, 1014, 1014A, 1014B, 1014E, 1014H, 1014K, 1014L, 1014M, 1014N, 1014O, 1016, 1016A, 1016B, 1016C, 1016D, 1017, 1017A, 1017B, 1017D, 1017E, 1101, 1101A, 1101B, 1101C, 1101D, 1101E, 1102, 1102A, 1102B, 1102C, 1102D, 1102E, and 1102G
Get Involved
The Bacteria Implementation Group (BIG) 
is a regional governing body whose creation was facilitated by the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC). The BIG was formed to develop and implement a regional plan to reduce bacteria concentrations in impaired lakes, bayous, and streams in the Houston metropolitan area.
The BIG is coordinating public participation in improving Houston-area waterways. Meetings of the BIG are open to everyone. Meeting records are available on the BIG’s website .
Business Meetings
Business meetings are held twice annually, at the H-GAC offices . See the BIG’s website for more information about work groups and steering committee meetings.
Partners
San Jacinto River Authority
Houston-Galveston Area Council
Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Harris County
Montgomery County
Harris County Flood Control District
Harris County Soil & Water Conservation District #442
Buffalo Bayou Partnership
City of Conroe
City of Houston
City of League City
City of Webster
Cypress Creek Flood Control Coalition
Nottingham Country
Municipal Utility District
Gulf Coast Waste Disposal Authority
Bayou Preservation Association
Galveston Bay Foundation
Greater Houston Partnership
Houston Audubon Society
Dodson & Associates, Inc./HCEC
Pate Engineers
The Woodlands Joint Powers Agency
AECOM
Schwartz, Page, & Harding, LLP
LDP Consultants Inc.
Texas Coastal Partners
Lone Star College
US Geological Survey
Contact Us
For information regarding this project, please contact Todd Running at the H-GAC by phone at 713-993-4549 or by e-mail at todd.running@h-gac.com. Or e-mail the TCEQ’s TMDL Program at tmdl@tceq.texas.gov, and mention the Houston-Galveston bacteria project in the subject line. Reach the TMDL Program by phone at 512-239-6682.