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TMDL and watershed monitoring projects: TCEQ, TWRI and ANRA outline next steps for multiple tributaries
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Summary
Presentations by TWRI, TCEQ and ANRA staff reviewed TMDL development and implementation in the basin, described addenda TMDLs and an in-house TMDL development pilot at TCEQ, and summarized monitoring projects for Hurricane Creek, Biloxi Creek, Bayou Carrizo, Sandy Creek, the Atoyac (Attoyac) Bayou WPP and Lanana Bayou work funded by state grants.
Shay Postma of the Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) and Wyatt Eason of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) presented on Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) implementation and monitoring updates for multiple tributaries in the ANRA basin. Postma described the TMDL process (TCEQ sets standards; monitoring and watershed characterization follow; TMDLs or watershed protection plans are developed and implemented) and summarized activity in Lufkin-area tributaries identified as impaired for bacteria.
TCEQ program manager Wyatt Eason said the agency and partners adopted four initial bacteria TMDLs for the upper and mid portions of the basin in 2022 and added an April 2024 addendum for a Cedar Creek assessment unit. Eason said TCEQ plans to partner with TWRI on additional addendum TMDLs for Hurricane Creek and Biloxi Creek but that late funding cuts forced the agency to drop one contracted addendum and instead pilot an “in-house” TMDL development project as a cost-saving and training exercise.
Why it matters: TMDLs and watershed protection planning guide the actions — from livestock buffers to septic fixes and feral hog management — needed to reduce bacteria loads to meet state criteria. Presenters said the bacteria problems in several tributaries are driven primarily by runoff after rain events rather than only treated wastewater discharges.
Project updates and methods: TWRI and ANRA staff described several monitoring projects now underway or planned: - Bayou Carrizo project: ANRA plans to add two additional monitoring sites to the single historical station and to increase sampling to monthly for 18 months to produce a more representative dataset. - Sandy Creek and Cedar Creek: ANRA-led monitoring began in mid‑2025 at Sandy Creek; an Upper Cedar Creek addendum was added to the TMDL work and will be targeted for monitoring and characterization. - Atoyac Bayou watershed protection and implementation work: TWRI and SFA staff described continuation of monitoring and outreach tied to an existing watershed protection plan; staff are seeking Clean Water Act Section 319 funding from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board to intensify monthly monitoring at prioritized stations and support implementation actions. - Lanana Bayou: a 2024–2026 implementation project funded by the same 319 program includes monitoring, education and a hydrologic modeling task to identify priority locations for best-management practices to reduce bacteria and nutrient inputs.
Presenters described results of bacterial source-tracking work completed during earlier watershed planning that found wildlife (feral hogs, deer) and cattle can be important contributors in some watersheds; human sources (failing septic systems, sewer overflows) were generally a smaller component in those analyses but are addressable and therefore a focus for local implementation. TWRI reported that in some subwatersheds, modeled reductions of 61–95% in bacteria loads would be needed to meet state thresholds and that work since plan approval in 2023 has had limited uptake in agricultural conservation planning and septic repair; volunteer monitoring and forestry BMPs have continued.
No formal regulatory decisions were taken at the meeting; staff outlined monitoring schedules, steps to draft or revise TMDL/implementation documents and anticipated internal review timelines: TCEQ said an internal draft review was penciled in for February 2026 with guidance documents and SOPs by August 2026 and final approvals by October 2026 in the in-house pilot schedule.
