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TCEQ briefs stakeholders on multiple permit renewals and wastewater design‑criteria rulemaking

Water Quality Advisory Work Group (TCEQ) · January 29, 2026

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Summary

TCEQ staff provided brief updates on the aquaculture, evaporation‑pond, conventional water‑treatment, concrete patch and pesticides general permits and on proposed revisions to 30 TAC chapter 217 (wastewater treatment design criteria), including stakeholder outreach and tentative public‑notice schedules.

Shannon Gibson and Brian Saran presented a set of general‑permit updates and a rulemaking update to the Water Quality Advisory Work Group.

Gibson summarized four permit packages: the Aquaculture General Permit (TXG‑130000), for which EPA provided draft approval on May 27, 2025 and which had a hybrid public meeting on Sept. 22 with no comments received; the Evaporation Pond General Permit (WQG‑1,000,000), which was adopted Aug. 6, 2025 and became effective Sept. 15, 2025 with a 90‑day NOI window for existing permittees; the Conventional Water Treatment General Permit (TXG‑640000), adopted Sept. 10, 2025 and effective Oct. 12, 2025 with an NOI deadline of Jan. 12, 2026; and the Concrete Patch General Permit (TXG‑11,000,000), which includes changes to SWP3 certification, mapping of discharge points with lat/long, training requirements for onsite personnel and deadlines to remedy noncompliance identified in annual reports.

Brian Saran described the Pesticides General Permit (TXG‑870000) renewal and amendments to require Level 1A operators to document pre‑ and post‑application visual evaluations and maintain monitoring records consistent with 30 TAC 305.44. He said the draft received an EPA no‑objection letter and that TCEQ anticipates public notice on Jan. 23, 2026 with a subsequent comment period.

Gibson also summarized the rule update to 30 TAC chapter 217 (wastewater treatment systems design criteria). She reviewed a multi‑year stakeholder process that began in 2020 and noted proposed changes: expanded reclaimed‑water distribution guidance, emergency power requirements for critical collection and treatment components, new nutrient‑removal requirements and the transfer of subsurface drip dispersal system design criteria from chapter 222 into chapter 217 as a new subchapter I. The timeline is under revision due to staff turnover; stakeholders will be notified via future work group meetings.

Next steps: TCEQ will publish public notices and timelines for each package and proceed with comment periods and potential adoption according to standard rulemaking procedures.