Neches River Tidal

This is a project to reduce bacteria and protect recreational safety in the Neches River Tidal. The stakeholders and TCEQ are developing a total maximum daily load (TMDL) and implementation plan (I-Plan), which together will be the road map for improving water quality.

Neches River Tidal
Photo courtesy of the
Texas Water Resources Institute

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Counties: Jefferson, Orange
Parameter: Bacteria
Basin: Neches River
Segment: 0601
Assessment Units (AUs): 0601_01, 0601_02, 0601_03, and 0601_04

On this page:

Background and Goals
Get Involved
Reports
For More Information

Background and Goals

The Neches River Tidal watershed lies in the gulf coast region of east Texas in the Neches River Basin. The watershed includes portions of Jefferson and Orange counties. Beaumont, Vidor, and Port Neches are some of the cities in the watershed.

High concentrations of bacteria, which are found in both human and animal waste, have been observed in the Neches River Tidal portion of the river (Segment 0601). The presence of these bacteria may indicate a health risk to people who swim or wade in the river—activities referred to as “contact recreation” in the Texas Surface Water Quality Standards.

The goal of this project is to improve water quality in order to protect recreational uses. Toward that goal, the TCEQ and stakeholders are developing TMDLs to reduce bacteria in Neches River Tidal and a coordinated I-Plan for the Neches River Tidal and Hillebrandt Bayou watersheds.

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Get Involved

Staff from the Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) are working with communities, interest groups, and local organizations to distribute information about this project and involve stakeholders in developing the I-Plan for watershed improvement. All public meetings about this project are open to anyone interested. Watch for meeting announcements here and on the TWRI website .

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