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Dickinson Bayou: Meeting the Requirements for a Watershed-Based Plan

A project that supplemented the existing TMDL implementation plan and draft watershed protection plan (WPP) for Dickinson Bayou with a bridge document to meet the federal requirements for a watershed-based plan.

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Background

Dickinson Bayou has consistently failed to meet state water quality standards for bacteria and dissolved oxygen. To address these water quality issues, stakeholders and the TCEQ have created:

  • a draft WPP
  • a total maximum daily load (TMDL) for bacteria
  • a TCEQ-approved implementation plan for the TMDL
  • a TMDL support document

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires that specific elements must be addressed in a watershed-based plan that is eligible for Section 319 funding. The four existing documents do not contain all the required elements.

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Project Description

This project created a "bridge document" in coordination with stakeholders to supplement and link the existing plans, in order to meet EPA's funding criteria for a watershed-based plan. This provided the analytical framework for evaluating water quality conditions and actions to address bacteria impairments. However, it did not meet the current EPA requirement that WPPs address all of the water body's impairments. The project final report noted that recovery efforts after major storms like Hurricanes Harvey and Ike, which occurred during this project period, provide new opportunities for habitat restoration, incorporation of green infrastructure, and better backup features to prevent inundation and overflows of wastewater systems.

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Documents

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For More Information

To find out more about the Nonpoint Source Program, call 512-239-6682 or e-mail us at nps@tceq.texas.gov.

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