Section 319
NONPOINT SOURCE PROGRAM SOCGESS STORY
Addressing Illegal Dumping Reduces Bacteria in Tres Palacios Creek
Watprbodv Imnrovpd Bacteria leaching from illegal dumpsites caused Tres Palacios
1 " Creek in Texas to violate the state's bacteria water quality
standards. As a result, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) placed Tres
Palacios Creek Above Tidal (segment 1502) on the state's 1996 Clean Water Act (CWA)
section 303(d) list of impaired waters for not meeting the contact recreation criteria for
bacteria. TCEQ and the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) launched dumpsite cleanup
efforts and conducted an education and enforcement campaign. Bacteria levels declined
and now meet water quality standards, prompting TCEQ to remove this segment from the
state's list of impaired waters for bacteria in 2010.
Problem
Tres Palacios Creek flows through Wharton and
Matagorda counties in south-central Texas and
eventually empties into Tres Palacios Bay (Figure 1).
The watershed encompasses an area of approxi-
mately 322 square miles extending from the city of
El Campo to the city of Palacios.
Tres Palacios Above Tidal (segment 1502) is approx-
imately 47 miles long. It begins as an intermittent
stream with flow that coincides with rain events
and effluent from the City of El Campo's waste-
water treatment plant. As it flows into Matagorda
County, segment 1502 becomes a more perennial
stream used for contact recreation (swimming,
water skiing and fishing).
In the mid-1990s, monitoring data showed that
bacteria levels in segment 1502 violated the state's
water quality standards. As a result, in 1996 TCEQ
added this segment to the state's CWA section
303(d) list of impaired waters for not attaining its
contact recreation use criteria because of elevated
bacteria levels.
A 1999 LCRA bacteria monitoring study on Tres
Palacios Creek indicated that bacteria were
introduced into the creek through runoff, rather
than from constant sources such as leaky or failing
septic systems. In 2002 public concern about
illegal dumpsites in the Tres Palacios watershed
focused attention on those areas as a possible
source of the bacteria problems. Illegal dumpsites
can harbor the bacteria found in medical waste,
dead animals, used diapers, domestic sewage
waste and pet feces.
— Stream Segments
— Tres Palacios Creek
res Palacios Watershed
Figure 1. The Tres Palacios Creek watershed is in south-
central Texas.
Project Highlights
In 2003 LCRA received CWA section 319 funds
to develop an anti-dumping public education and
enforcement campaign. LCRA established an
illegal dumping hotline through a partnership with
Matagorda County Crime Stoppers. LCRA also
installed "No Dumping" signs at 37 bridge cross-
ings, placed billboards with the hotline number and
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Figure 2. An illegal dumpsite in Tres
Palacios Creek.
anti-dumping slogans in
24 locations, and aired a
30-second radio spot on
12 radio stations.
The enforcement portion
of the project included
installing security cameras
at common dumpsites
and conducting mul-
tiple investigations of
illegal dumping activities.
Throughout the project
period, the Matagorda
Health Department inves-
tigated 49 illegal dump-
ing sites after receiving
phone calls to the illegal
dumping hotline (Figure 2).
The Department con-
ducted some minor cleanups at those dumpsites
in response. An article in the August 2003 issue
of Matagorda County's Tribune News provided an
overview of the illegal dumping campaign and high-
lighted the public support for the enforcement cam-
paign conducted by the Bay City Police Department
and Matagorda County Sheriff's Department.
In May 2005, TCEQ provided additional CWA sec-
tion 319 funds to LCRA to expand the anti-dumping
program up the Colorado River Basin to McCullough
County, northwest of Austin. New project tasks
included conducting an aerial survey of dumpsites
along the Colorado River and several tributaries,
developing an interactive DVD with maps showing
dump locations, creating additional public service
announcements, and holding public cleanup events.
During 2006 and 2007, the Gulf of Mexico
Foundation coordinated three streamside cleanup
events—one in Wharton County (March 2007) and
two in Matagorda County (March 2006 and February
2007). More than 400 volunteers participated in
the events, removing more than 1,000 pounds of
illegally dumped trash along Tres Palacios Creek.
Results
The anti-dumping public education campaign, local
cleanup events, and investigations of illegal dump-
ing sites by the Matagorda Health Department and
local law enforcement helped to increase aware-
ness and reduce illegal dumping. The campaign not
only had a positive effect in Matagorda County but
also reached thousands of people in several other
counties across the state.
E.Coli
126 - f. Co//Geomean Standard \-
Date
Figure 3. E. co/i grab samples taken between 2003 and 2010 at
TCEQ station 12517 on segment 1502. One outlier sample taken
on 6/16/2004 (9,208 cfu/100 ml) was removed from the graph
because of its large value.
Monitoring data indicate that the campaign has
helped to reduce bacteria in Tres Palacios Creek.
The periodic high levels in bacteria typically seen
in the wet winter months have declined steadily
over the years, particularly beginning in 2006 as
cleanup events took place. Since 2009, the creek
has consistently met the applicable water quality
standard of 126 colonies of Escherichia coli (E. co/i)
bacteria per 100 milliliters (ml) of water (Figure 3).
As a result, TCEQ removed segment 1502 from the
state's 2010 CWA section 303(d) list of impaired
waters for bacteria.
Partners and Funding
Funding for this project involved multiple in-kind
sources and the cooperation of many partners.
TCEQ provided approximately $60,000 in U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) CWA
section 319 funds to LCRA to support the project
beginning in 2003. LCRA and its partners provided
$40,000 in matching funds. The Capital Area
Council of Governments (CAPCOG) and LCRA
provided another $79,000 in additional funding
to support the project activities. TCEQ provided
additional CWA section 319 funds to LCRA in
2005 to expand the anti-dumping program.
Key project partners included the Matagorda
Health Department, Matagorda County Sheriff's
Department, Bay City Police Department, Gulf of
Mexico Foundation, LCRA, TCEQ and CAPCOG.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-12-001M
May 2012
For additional information contact:
Jack Higginbotham
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Jack.Higginbotham@tceq.texas.gov • 512-239-6699
Tim Cawthon, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Tim.Cawthon@tceq.texas.gov • 512-239-0845
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