There’s a popular saying that goes, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.”
The wisdom flows perfectly into the work for a clean river. Every day we use water, often mindlessly, spinning the tap for a drink or a quick scrub, as if water were some endless magic trick that will always be there and always be clean without effort or consequence.
Flashback to 1991, the Texas Legislature passed the Texas Clean Rivers Act. It aimed to move Texas toward comprehensive water resources planning and management to ensure the long-term integrity of the state's water supply. The Act established the Texas Clean Rivers Program under the Texas Water Commission (now the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, or TCEQ.) Funding comes from fees assessed on wastewater discharge permittees, water rights holders and TCEQ’s own appropriations.
The Brazos River Authority has participated in the Texas Clean Rivers Program (CRP) for more than 20 years. The state designated the Brazos River Authority as the lead partner agency to conduct water quality monitoring and CRP planning in the Brazos River watershed. The TCEQ implements the program by contracting with 15 partner agencies — 12 river authorities, one water district, one federal agency, and one council of government — to monitor and assess water quality in the 23 river and coastal basins of Texas, according to the TCEQ.
The BRA environmental team monitors more than 100 sites across the Brazos River Basin through the CRP for everything from temperature and salinity to dissolved solids and chemical contaminants, said Cory Scanes, BRA aquatic sciences manager.
The data collected by the BRA and other Clean Rivers partners follows a stringent set of protocols to produce consistent and reliable water quality data. All the data the BRA collects is sent to TCEQ and used as part of the Texas Integrated Report of Surface Water Quality, an overall assessment of Texas water quality produced every two years. The report describes the status of Texas surface waters and the extent to which they meet surface water quality standards, based on data collected by the BRA and other CRP partners.
“TCEQ has set standards for dissolved oxygen, bacteria, and nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, which are detectable through the tests we run on the water we collect,” Scanes said.
If the assessment indicates there’s a problem, the Clean Water Act requires that the TCEQ take action. If it is warranted, one action that may be taken by TCEQ is to create a Watershed Protection Plan (WPP) as a means for the community to voluntarily come together to discuss and plan ways to resolve water quality issues, Scanes said.
“Right now, in our basin, there are several WPPs that are either active, have been wrapped up, or are about to start,” Scanes said.
The BRA makes all Clean Rivers monitoring data that it collects available online, with links to each monitoring location available via map points. That information can be viewed at brazos.org/clean-rivers. Each monitoring location is indicated by either a blue or red dot. The red dots indicate stations tested by the BRA in the current fiscal year. Once a site is selected, data can be filtered by several factors, including time range and parameters such as basic water quality chemistry, nutrients, and bacteriology.
“The Clean Rivers Program is there to maintain and improve water quality, and that's what it all comes down to,” said Ryan Byrge, BRA aquatic scientist. “Pre-1970s, a lot of our rivers and streams were massively polluted and just in terrible shape. This is important because we need to maintain and improve those water bodies because ultimately, that's all of our drinking water.”
The BRA also produces a Basin Summary Report every five years, which includes assessments of waterways within the basin, recommendations, stakeholder input, and public outreach activities.
The BRA holds annual meetings of its Texas Clean Rivers Program Steering Committee to review water quality-related activities in the basin. These meetings are open to the public, and members include representatives from the public, government, industry, business, education, agriculture, and environmental groups. The focus is to ensure local concerns are communicated to planning agencies and to aid in prioritizing water quality objectives.
Go here to sign up as a member of the Clean Rivers Program Steering Committee or request more information.
From water snake wrestling matches to why a banana on a boat is a ticket to a bad day, tune in to hear why the number of bugs in a given spot affects the water in your favorite fishing location or kayaking trail. We’ve lured in some aquatic scientists who are sharing tales from across the Brazos River Basin and who will make you see your favorite waterway in a whole new light. Join us for a BRA podcast, "Unpacking the Brazos River" by clicking here.