You are here:

Adams Bayou and Cow Bayou Watersheds: A Community Project to Protect Aquatic Life and Recreational Uses

A project to reduce bacteria concentration and increase levels of dissolved oxygen to protect recreational and aquatic life uses. Total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) were developed and adopted for bacteria, dissolved oxygen, and pH. Stakeholders developed the approved implementation plan (I-Plan), which together with the TMDLs is the road map for improving water quality.

See Also:

red bullet TMDL Calendar

red bullet TMDL News

red bullet Participating in TMDL Projects

red bullet TMDL Home

red bullet TMDLs and How They Are Implemented

Communities Working Together

Counties: Orange, Jasper, Newton
Parameters: Bacteria, dissolved oxygen, pH
River Basin: Sabine River
Segments: 0508, 0508B, 0508C, 0511, 0511A, 0511B, 0511C, 0511E
Assessment Units (AUs): 0508_01, 0508_02, 0508_03, 0508_04, 0508B_01, 0508C_01, 0511_01, 0511_02, 0511_03, 0511_04, 0511A_02, 0511B_01, 0511C_01, 0511E_01

Project Overview

On this page:

Project Description and Goal
Get Involved
Implementation Status
I-Plan (Approved August 2015)
Revised TMDLs (Adopted August 2020)
Original TMDLs (Adopted June 2007)
Reports and Other Documents
Contact the TMDL Program

Project Description and Goals

Adams Bayou and Cow Bayou are located in southeast Texas. Their combined watersheds cover almost 250 square miles in the coastal area of the Sabine River Basin. Water flow in the bayous is intermittent, and periods with no flow are very common.

Between 1992 and 2002, TCEQ found that bacteria levels in the bayous and their tributaries may pose a health risk for swimmers. Low concentrations of dissolved oxygen in some areas indicate that conditions are not optimal for aquatic life.

The goals of the project are to:

Reduce bacteria levels in the bayous to ensure that recreational use is safe.
Maintain levels of dissolved oxygen and pH that will sustain aquatic life.

The Sabine River Authority Exit the TCEQ and other stakeholders worked with TCEQ to develop the plan for improving water quality in the project watersheds.

Back to the top of the page Back to top

Get Involved

The Sabine River Authority Exit the TCEQ , in partnership with TCEQ, coordinates efforts to implement the I-Plan and improve water quality in Adams and Cow bayous.

Back to the top of the page Back to top

Implementation Status

Tracking of implementation progress allows stakeholders to evaluate actions taken, identify actions that may not be working, and make any changes as necessary.

Year 5 Status, June 2021
Year 4 Status, September 2019
Year 1 Status, September 2016
- Agenda
- Meeting Presentation

Back to the top of the page Back to top

I-Plan

Community stakeholders worked together to create the I-Plan. On August 5, 2015, the Commission approved the stakeholders' plan.

Back to the top of the page Back to top

Revised TMDLs

The Commission adopted the revised TMDLs on August 26, 2020. EPA approved them on October 9, 2020, at which time they became part of the state's Water Quality Management Plan.

Twenty-three Total Maximum Daily Loads for Indicator Bacteria, Dissolved Oxygen, and pH in Adams Bayou, Cow Bayou, and Associated Tributaries
AUs 0508_01, 0508_02, 0508_03, 0508_04, 0508B_01, 0508C_01, 0511_01, 0511_02, 0511_03, 0511_04, 0511A_02, 0511B_01, 0511C_01, 0511E_01
Response to Public Comment on the Revised TMDLs for Adams and Cow Bayous and Tributaries

Back to the top of the page Back to top

Original TMDLs

The Commission adopted these TMDLs on June 13, 2007. EPA approved them on August 28, 2007, at which time they became part of the state's Water Quality Management Plan (WQMP).

Seventeen Total Maximum Daily Loads for Bacteria, Dissolved Oxygen, and pH in Adams Bayou, Cow Bayou, and Their Tributaries
Segments: 0508, 0508A, 0508B, 0508C, 0511, 0511A, 0511B, 0511C, and 0511E.
Response to Public Comment on the TMDLs for Adams and Cow Bayous and Tributaries

Updates to TMDLs

From time to time, it is necessary to revise TMDLs to account for changing conditions in the watershed, such as new or amended permits, or urban growth, or to correct oversights in the original TMDL report. Updates to the load allocations in TMDLs are made via the state’s WQMP, which is updated quarterly.

The WQMP provides projected effluent limits for use in planning and permitting activities under the Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (TPDES). TCEQ reviews all applications for new and amended permits for conformance with applicable portions of the WQMP, including adopted TMDLs.

Revisions to the TMDLs are documented in the approved WQMP updates listed below.