Water quality planning webinars for water bodies in Jefferson, Orange counties

The Texas Water Resources Institute, or TWRI, in collaboration with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, will host two webinars about water quality planning projects.

The webinars are free and open to anyone interested in water quality in the two water bodies. Both are part of a series of meetings with local stakeholders to address bacterial water quality impairments.

The first webinar, which relates to the Hillebrandt Bayou near Beaumont, will be at 10 a.m. on Aug. 14. It will address recently developed technical documents to support the development of total maximum daily loads, or TMDLs.  

To attend, please register to receive the meeting link and passcode.

The second webinar, which relates to the tidal portion of the Neches River, will be at 10 a.m. on Aug. 19. It will provide detailed information for entities with regulated storm water or domestic wastewater discharges within the affected watersheds.

To attend, please register to receive the meeting link and pass code.  

Michael Schramm, TWRI research specialist, College Station, said both water bodies fail to meet state water quality standards for contact recreation. The elevated levels of bacteria, such as E. coli, that are found in human and animal waste may indicate increased health risk for people who swim or play in the water.

Schramm said TWRI and the commission are jointly working with local stakeholders to develop a plan of strategies that reduce bacteria in the local waterways.

“At these webinars, we will discuss some of the technical aspects behind developing the TMDL for these waterbodies,” he said. “The long-term goal of the project is to develop a regional plan with local stakeholders outlining the path for improving water quality.”

TWRI is part of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University.

For more information, go to the project website or contact Schramm at michael.schramm@ag.tamu.edu.