Salado Creek: A TMDL Project for Dissolved Oxygen
A completed project to improve water quality by increasing dissolved oxygen in Salado Creek. The total maximum daily load (TMDL) is adopted. Although no Implementation Plan (I-Plan) was developed and approved, stakeholders in the watershed are engaged in activities to improve dissolved oxygen levels and general water quality in the creek.
County: Bexar
Parameter: Dissolved oxygen
Basin: San Antonio River
Segment: 1910
On this page:
Background and Goals
Salado Creek is a tributary of the San Antonio River in Bexar County. The upper portion is normally dry, flowing only after rains within the watershed. The lower portion has well-maintained parks and is an important recreational site for many people. Water-quality tests in the late 1990s showed that low concentrations of dissolved oxygen in Salado Creek were not optimal for the support of fish and other aquatic life. The goal of the project was to determine the cause of the low dissolved oxygen in Salado Creek in order to protect aquatic life.
Status
Project staff determined that there was additional capacity in Salado Creek to assimilate oxygen-demanding materials; therefore, an implementation plan for the TMDL is unnecessary.
Local organizations have taken action to preserve and enhance water quality in Salado Creek. Measures include the introduction of reused water to supplement the base flow in the stream, the rehabilitation of the sewage-collection system in the watershed, the establishment of additional park areas along the creek, public education, and continued water-quality monitoring.
Adopted TMDL
The commission approved the TMDL in October 2001. The EPA approved it on August 8, 2003, at which time it became part of the state's Water Quality Management Plan.
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One TMDL for Dissolved Oxygen in Salado Creek
Segment 1910 - Response to Public Comment on the Salado Creek TMDL
Contact the TMDL Program
Please email tmdl@tceq.texas.gov and mention Salado Creek in the subject line. Or call us at 512-239-6682.
