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TCEQ and TWRI outline monitoring ramp‑up and TMDL work as bacteria remain a concern in East Texas creeks
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Summary
Presenters from TCEQ and the Texas Water Resources Institute said bacteria impairments in several basin tributaries are delivered mainly by rainfall runoff, noted models require substantial reductions (roughly 61%–95%) to meet state thresholds, and described new monitoring projects and an in‑house TMDL initiative amid recent funding cuts.
State and university officials reported monitoring updates and planned TMDL work for several impaired creeks in the Angelina/Neches basin, and described next steps to better characterize sources and implement remedies.
Shay Postma, research specialist with the Texas Water Resources Institute, summarized the TMDL process and monitoring results, telling the group, “The results of the report found that bacteria in both watersheds is primarily delivered by rainfall runoff rather than wastewater discharges.” She said modeling suggests bacteria sources will need to be reduced by roughly 61%–95% for streams to meet the state geometric‑mean threshold.
Postma and partners identified activities that could reduce bacteria loads, including feral hog management, improved forestry practices, conservation practices on grazed land, reduction of sanitary sewer overflows and unauthorized discharges, volunteer monitoring expansion, and public education about pet waste and proper on‑site sewage systems.
Wyatt Eason, program manager at the state environmental agency who is leading an in‑house TMDL development effort, said the agency is shifting some projects to be developed internally both to capture cost savings and to train new staff. “We’re initiating this what we're calling our in house TMDL project,” he said, and outlined an internal review and SOP timeline with a draft penciled in for February 2026 and final guidance by August–October 2026 for use in future TMDL work.
Eason also said late funding cuts forced the agency to drop a planned addendum project; presenters emphasized prioritizing addenda where they can be folded into existing watersheds to streamline the process.
Multiple monitoring projects were discussed: ANRA/TWRI will expand sampling on Bayou Creek (adding two sites and switching to monthly sampling for an 18‑month period), TWRI described continued monitoring in Hurricane Creek and Biloxi Creek with plans for addendum TMDLs, and grant‑funded efforts (Clean Water Act §319) were described for Atolla Bayou and Lanana Bayou with proposed monthly staff monitoring and hydrologic modeling to locate candidate best‑management practices.
Presenters repeatedly noted that while wastewater discharges are regulated, rainfall‑driven nonpoint sources remain a dominant challenge and that implementation to meet targets requires a mix of landowner practices, outreach and regulatory compliance.
Several presenters advised stakeholders that project pages, TMDL documents and QAPP templates are available on TCEQ and TWRI pages; WYatt and TWRI requested additional stakeholder input as projects progress.
