Guadalupe, San Antonio, Mission, and Aransas Rivers and Mission, Copano, Aransas and San Antonio Bays: Stakeholder Committee and Expert Science Team

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Basin and Bay Area Stakeholder Committee (BBASC)

Stakeholder committees develop environmental flows recommendations for their river basin and bay system based on their associated science team's recommendations and other factors, including present and future needs of water for other uses.

The Guadalupe, San Antonio, Mission, and Aransas Rivers BBASC was appointed by the Environmental Flows Advisory Group (EFAG) on October 1, 2009.

• BBASC Members and Meetings

Basin and Bay Area Expert Science Team (BBEST)

Science teams develop environmental flow analyses and a recommended environmental flow regime to support a sound ecological environment for their river basin and bay system. The science teams must consider all reasonably available science, without regard for other water use needs, and make recommendations based solely on the best science available.

The Guadalupe, San Antonio, Mission and Aransas Rivers BBEST was appointed by the BBASC on March 1, 2010.

• BBEST Members and Meetings

The Texas Water Code (TWC) required Basin and Bay Area Stakeholder Committees and Expert Science Teams for specific river basin and bay systems. TWC 11.02362

Environmental Flows Recommendation Reports

BBEST Environmental Flow Regime Recommendations Report (Submitted to EFAG March 1, 2011)

• Environmental Flows Science Advisory Committee (SAC) Review Comments on the Guadalupe and San Antonio Rivers, San Antonio Bay and Aransas-Copano Bay BBEST Report (Submitted to EFAG March 1, 2011)

BBASC Environmental Flow Regime Recommendations Report (Submitted to the EFAG September 1, 2011)

• Report Appendices

Adopted Environmental Flows Rules

On August 8, 2012, TCEQ adopted environmental flow standards for the Guadalupe, San Antonio, Mission, and Aransas Rivers and Mission, Copano, Aransas, and San Antonio Bays. For more information see the Environmental Flows Rules Web page or view the basin rules [30 TAC, 298(E)] .

*The rules the TCEQ makes available on this site as a public service are not a substitute for the official rules as approved and filed with the Office of the Secretary of State. See full disclaimer. The TCEQ assumes no legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any information provided on this site. Official copies of TCEQ rules may be obtained by e-mailing register@sos.state.tx.us.

Work Plan for Adaptive Management

After submitting environmental flow recommendations, the TWC 11.02362(p) requires that the BBASC, assisted by the BBEST, prepare a work plan that:

• establishes a periodic review of the environmental flow recommendations and a schedule for continuing validation or refinement of them
• prescribes monitoring and studies

Once complete, the work plan is submitted to the Environmental Flows Advisory Group (EFAG) for approval.

• Work Plan for Adaptive Management (Submitted May 5, 2012)
• Science Advisory Committee's (SAC) Comments on Report (Submitted November 13, 2012)

Funding Cycles and Projects

FY 2014-2015

The 83^rd Texas Legislature appropriated $2,000,000 to the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) for the continued study of environmental flows and instream flows for Texas river basins.

• $750,000 was approved by the EFAG for projects in the 2012 Guadalupe, San Antonio, Mission, and Aransas Rivers and Mission, Copano, Aransas, and San Antonio Bays BBASC Work Plan
• Studies concluded on August 31, 2015
• Supporting documents:
  • SAC Funding Recommendation Letter
  • EFAG Approval of Appropriation HB4 Contingency Rider
• Final Project Report:
  • Instream Flows Research and Validation Methodology Framework
  • Guadalupe Bayou Flow and Inundation Study
  • Rangia Clam Investigations
  • Assessing the Effects of Freshwater Inflows and Other Key Drivers on the Population Dynamics of Blue Crab and White Shrimp Using a Multivariate Time-Series Modeling Framework
  • Strategy Options for Meeting Attainment Frequencies for the Estuaries

FY 2016-2017

The 84^th Texas Legislature appropriated $2,000,000 to TWDB for the continued study of environmental flows and instream flows for Texas river basins.

• $300,000 was granted by TWDB for projects in the 2012 Guadalupe, San Antonio, Mission, and Aransas Rivers and Mission, Copano, Aransas, and San Antonio Bays BBASC Work Plan
• Studies concluded on August 31, 2017
• Final Project Report:
  • Continuation of instream flows research and validation methodology framework
  • Assessing the effects of freshwater inflows and other key drivers on the population dynamics of blue crab and white shrimp using a multivariate time series modeling framework (Phase II)

FY 2018-2019

The 85^th Texas Legislature appropriated $2,000,000 to the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) to support environmental flow data collection and studies. $1,500,000 was provided for environmental flows studies in basins and bays across Texas.

• Studies concluded on August 31, 2019
• Final Project Report:
  • Using comparative long-term benthic data for adaptive management of freshwater inflow to three estuaries (Colorado-Lavaca, Guadalupe, and Nueces)
  • Influence of freshwater inflow gradients on estuarine nutrient-phytoplankton dynamics in the three estuaries (Upper Laguna Madre, Guadalupe, and Nueces)
  • Seasonal ecological assessment in the Upper Guadalupe delta