Why participate in the Regional Implementation Plan (I-Plan) for the
Greater Trinity River Bacteria Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Project?
It begins with the Clean Water Act
o Adopted in 1972, the CWA is known
mostly to the public by its mandate
for “swimmable and fishable”
waterways.
o With the CWA, states evaluate all of
their lakes, rivers, streams, and
reservoirs every two years to see if
those waterways meet established
criteria for a variety of potentially
problem causing pollutants.
o In 1996, the state realized the Upper Trinity and Lower West Fork Trinity Rivers
were impaired for bacteria; meaning bacteria levels were too high for people in
direct contact with the water (swimmers, water skiers, waders).
o In 2006, 13 tributaries joined the Upper Trinity and West Fork on the list of
waterways with too much bacteria. Eleven tributaries stem off of the Lower West
Fork Trinity; two others are tributaries of the Elm Fork Trinity.
We are not alone in this effort
Bacteria? Is this our problem?
o The sources of high bacteria are many: wildlife, pets, livestock, sanitary sewer
overflows, malfunctioning septic systems, urban stormwater runoff,
permitted discharges from water treatment plants, and illicit discharges.
o When the bacteria levels are too high, stakeholders
in the watershed come together to develop an
Implementation Plan (I-Plan) to address the
problem.
o This is not just for those directly along the river
or creek – water in a river is the sum of those
creeks flowing into it, so a watershed approach
is needed.
o The area covered by the watersheds of our impaired
river segments and tributaries required a regional
approach to the bacteria problem.
Working as a Region
o In late 2010, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality asked the
North Central Texas Council of Governments to bring together all the
cities and other stakeholders in impacted watersheds to begin to
address the bacteria in the waterways in the form of an I-Plan.
o At the heart of this I-Plan are the implementation strategies appropriate
for reducing bacteria levels in our region. From 2011 to 2012, this city
participated in numerous meetings and discussions hosted by NCTCOG
to determine the best possible – and most flexible strategies to deal
with bacteria from a variety of possible sources.
o Many of the strategies are things we are already doing as part of our
TCEQ-required MS4 stormwater permit. Those strategies proposed in
the I-Plan that not in our permit are voluntary and may be selected by
our community on a menu-style basis.
Implementation Strategy Examples
Wastewater
&
• Sanitary sewer overflow prevention,
effluent monitoring
Stormwater
• Regional stormwater management program
participation
Planning &
Development
• Green infrastructure and low impact
development standards
&
Animals
• Pet and livestock waste control measures
More examples
Onsite Sewage
Facilities
&
Monitoring
Coordination
Education & Outreach
&
Best Management
Practices Library
• Septic system education for homeowners
and real estate agents
• Evaluating water testing results to see if
Best Management Practices are working
• Bacteria-specific outreach and adding
information about bacteria to existing
education materials
• Online BMP Library for stakeholders with
information on the topics above
Where are we now?
o The I-Plan, formally referred to as the, “Implementation Plan for
Seventeen Total Maximum Daily Loads for Bacteria in the Greater Trinity
River Region,” has now been reviewed at two levels. Locally by the
stakeholders who helped create it and by the TCEQ.
o In July, the I-Plan will go out for public comment and should be approved
by TCEQ’s Commissioners by the end of the calendar year.
o The Commissioners would like to see that the stakeholders who helped
create this I-Plan also support it and would like a letter of support or
resolution from our city.
Why support the I-Plan?
The city has been an active
participant in this voluntary
regional initiative.
We’ve helped make it a very
flexible tool that will enable us to
‘do the right thing’ by doing the
things we already do.
We can expand if we want, or not,
but this partnered effort enables us
to take advantage of the
experiences of the other
stakeholders to have the best water
quality programs possible – within
budget.
The Trinity River has the potential to be a tremendous draw to the
region, meaning more visitors, who will stay longer and take
advantage of all the region has to offer.