Garcitas and Arenosa creeks are part of the larger Matagorda Bay watershed along the Texas Gulf Coast. Arenosa Creek, the major tributary to Garcitas Creek, is currently listed by the state as impaired due to elevated bacteria levels. The tidal portion of Garcitas Creek is listed impaired by the state due to depressed dissolved oxygen.
Due to the bacteria impairment, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is currently working with TWRI and local stakeholders to develop a total maximum daily load (TMDL) for the watershed. A TMDL is a scientifically determined “budget” that defines how much of a particular pollutant a water body can handle and still meet water quality standards. The TMDL also refers to the document that describes this budget and allocates the pollutant loads to various permitted and non-permitted sources.
TWRI along with local stakeholders are developing watershed-based strategies that reduce pollutants and improve water quality in the watershed. Together, they are developing a watershed protection plan (WPP) that will:
- identify potential sources of pollutants and other water quality concerns,
- identify feasible voluntary solutions,
- develop milestones and implementation schedules, and
- develop measurebale progress indicators.
TWRI and stakeholders are also developing a TMDL implementation-plan (I-Plan) alongside the WPP. The I-Plan is a document that describes how the TMDL will be achieved and is specific to the bacteria impairment in Arenosa Creek.
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