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Town Creek: Developing a Watershed Characterization

Texas Water Resources Institute will collect and analyze water quality data to identify potential sources of pollution contributing to water quality impairments in the Town Creek watershed.

Map of the Town Creek watershed showing stream segments.

Project Area

River Basin: Trinity 

Water Body: Town Creek (0804L), Basset Creek (0804M) 

Location: City of Palestine

Background

The Town Creek watershed consists of two stream segments in Anderson County. The first,  Town Creek, is a 16-mile perennial stream that runs from SH 256 in Palestine to the confluence with Keechi Creek. The second, Basset Creek, a 4.8-mile perennial stream running from Blue Lake to join Town Creek south of Palestine’s wastewater treatment facility. Town Creek does not meet water quality standards for primary contact recreation due to elevated bacteria levels and has concerns for nitrate and total phosphorus. Basset Creek does not meet standards for aquatic life use due to low levels of dissolved oxygen.

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Project Description

October 2023 – August 2026

Texas Water Resource Institute (TWRI) will create a more robust water quality dataset to characterize the Town Creek watershed and for future watershed planning efforts. TWRI will combine and analyze new and existing data on water quality, streamflow, wildlife densities, livestock estimates, septic systems, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure within the watershed. The analyses will be used to estimate the amount of pollutants entering the watershed and identify improvements needed to meet state standards.

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For More Information

Texas Water Resource Institute

To find out more about the NPS Program, call 512-239-6682 or email us at nps@tceq.texas.gov.

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