Trinity and San Jacinto Rivers and Galveston Bay: Stakeholder Committee and Expert Science Team

Next Meeting

• Date and Time: Wednesday, May 1, 2024 at 1:00 p.m.
• Location: San Jacinto River Authority Office at 1577 Damsite Road, Conroe, Texas

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 Trinity BBASC was appointed by the Environmental Flows Advisory Group (EFAG) on August 1, 2008.

• 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 Trinity BBEST was appointed by the BBASC on December 1, 2008.

• 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 November 30, 2009)

Two separate recommendations were submitted by the members of the BBASC. They can be found below along with the transmittal letter to the Environmental Flows Advisory Group and a list of the members who endorsed each recommendation.

• BBASC Transmittal Letter (Submitted to the EFAG May 28, 2010)
• BBASC Endorsement Letter (Submitted to the EFAG May 28, 2010)
• BBASC Environmental Flow Report (Submitted to the EFAG May 28, 2010)
• BBASC Environmental Flow Recommended Strategies and Standards (Submitted to the EFAG May 28, 2010)

Adopted Environmental Flows Rules

On April 20, 2011, TCEQ adopted environmental flow standards for the Trinity and San Jacinto Rivers and Galveston Bay. For more information see the Environmental Flows Rules Web page or view the basin rules [30 TAC, 298(B)].

*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 4, 2012)
• Science Advisory Committee's (SAC) Comments on Report (Submitted August 7, 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.

• $312,500 was approved by the EFAG for projects in the 2012 Trinity 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:
  • LiDAR Acquisition and Flow Assessment for the Middle Trinity River
  • Defining Bioindicators for Freshwater Inflow Needs Studies
  • Determination of Freshwater Inflow Volume from the Trinity River into Galveston Bay

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 Trinity BBASC Work Plan
• Studies concluded on August 31, 2017
• Final Project Report:
  • Evaluation of adopted standards for the Trinity River (Phase II)
  • Defining bioindicators for freshwater inflow needs studies (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:
  • Building and testing the Trinity River delta hydrodynamic model