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Neches River Tidal

This is a project to reduce bacteria and protect recreational safety in the Neches River Tidal. The stakeholders and TCEQ have developed 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
See Also:

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

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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 developed TMDLs to reduce bacteria in Neches River Tidal and a coordinated I-Plan for the Neches River Tidal and Hillebrandt Bayou watersheds.

Watershed Description

The watershed lies in the gulf coast region of east Texas in the Neches River Basin. The Neches River Tidal is a 27-mile tidal stream that flows from the confluence with Sabine Lake in Orange County to the Neches River Saltwater Barrier, about one-half mile downstream of the confluence of Pine Island Bayou in Orange County. The Neches River Tidal segment consists of four stream assessment units. All four AUs are impaired for the contact recreation use due to elevated levels of indicator bacteria.

The Neches River Tidal watershed is about 211 square miles. The dominant land cover includes woody wetlands (24%), developed (20%), forest (17%), and open water (12%). The cities of Beaumont, Vidor, and Port Neches are located in the watershed, which includes portions of Jefferson and Orange counties.

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 implementing 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 .

Meeting Records

photo of stakeholders at August 2019 meeting photo of presenter and stakeholders

Reports

Approved I-Plan

Community stakeholders worked with TCEQ and TWRI to create the draft I-Plan below. The I-Plan was approved in August 2023. 

Adopted TMDLs

Community stakeholders worked with the TCEQ to develop the TMDL. On July 19, 2023, the Commission adopted the TMDL for bacteria in Neches River Tidal. EPA approved these TMDLs on Oct. 11, 2023, at which time they became an update to the state's Water Quality Management Plan.

For More Information

Please email tmdl@tceq.texas.gov, and mention the Neches River Tidal bacteria project in the subject line. Or call us at 512-239-6682.

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