You are here:

Navasota River: A Community Project to Protect Recreational Uses

A project to reduce bacteria and protect recreational safety in the Navasota River. The community has developed an Implementation Plan (I-Plan), which together with total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) developed by the TCEQ with community feedback, provide the road map for improving water quality. The commission has adopted the TMDLs and approved the I-Plan.

Click on the map for a larger view

Triangle right blue transparent TMDL Projects

Triangle right blue transparent TMDL News

Triangle right blue transparent TMDL Calendar

Counties: Brazos, Grimes, Leon, Limestone, Madison, Robertson
Parameter: Bacteria
River Basin: Brazos
Segment: 1209

On this page:

Background and Goals
Status of Activities
Get Involved
I-Plan
TMDLs
Reports
Contact the TMDL Program

Background and Goals

The Navasota River, Segment 1209, begins below Lake Limestone and flows until it connects with the Brazos River southwest of the town of Navasota. It is a predominately rural watershed in the larger Brazos River Basin. Bryan and College Station are the largest urban areas.

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

The goal of this project is to improve water quality to protect recreational uses. Toward that goal, TCEQ and stakeholders have developed TMDLs and an I-Plan to reduce bacteria in the Navasota River.

Back to the top of the page Back to top

Status of Activities

TCEQ provides opportunities for stakeholders to report on progress and changes in the watershed. Tracking of implementation progress allows stakeholders to evaluate actions taken, identify actions that may not be working, and make any changes as necessary.

Year One Implementation Status Update, October 2020

Back to the top of the page Back to top

Get Involved

Staff from the Texas Water Resources Institute Exit the TCEQ worked with stakeholders to distribute information about this project and develop their plan. All public meetings about this project are open to anyone interested. Contact the TMDL Program about ways you could be involved.

Back to the top of the page Back to top

I-Plan

Stakeholders in the watershed worked with TWRI and TCEQ to develop the I-Plan. The commission approved the I-Plan on August 28, 2019.

Back to the top of the page Back to top

TMDLs

The commission adopted these TMDLs on August 28, 2019. The EPA approved them on October 25, 2019, at which time they became part of the state's Water Quality Management Plan.

Two Total Maximum Daily Loads for Indicator Bacteria in the Navasota River Below Lake Limestone
Segment: 1209; Assessment Units: 1209_03 and 1209_05
Response to Comment on the TMDLs

Revisions 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. Revisions 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). The TCEQ reviews all applications for new and amended permits for conformance with applicable portions of the WQMP, including adopted TMDLs.

Learn more about WQMP updates and about opportunities to comment on revisions to them.

Update

January 2022, Appendix VII, pages 24-25

WQMP updates may be viewed in person at the TCEQ Library, Building A, 12100 Park 35 Circle, Austin, Texas. Electronic versions of updates published from 2014 through 2020 are available on the Texas State Library and Archives Commission website Exit the TCEQ .