The Leon River below Proc- tor Lake was initially placed on the State of Texas Clean Water Act (CWA) §303(d) List of impaired waters in 1996 for having bacteria lev- els that “sometimes exceed water quality standards”. Placement of the Leon River on the §303(d) List caused the TCEQ to initiate the develop- ment of a total maximum dai- ly load (TMDL). In the sim- plest terms, a TMDL is a dai- ly pollution budget that estab- lishes the amount of a particu- lar pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still meet state water quality standards. TCEQ initiated the TMDL process for the Leon River upstream of Highway 281 in January 2002. Based on addi- tional data collection efforts, data analysis and modeling, and a series of stakeholder meetings, a draft TMDL re- port prepared by TCEQ (April 2008) proposed that a 21 per- cent reduction in bacteria loadings in the upper water- shed of the Leon River could restore water quality to meet Texas surface water quality standards (SWQS). In 2006, as a result of the TMDL Project local stake- holders expressed an interest in taking an active role in developing management strat- egies to reduce bacteria load- ings to the Leon River by developing a Watershed Pro- tection Plan (WPP). The Brazos River Authority (BRA) was asked to facilitate this planning effort. The Le- on River WPP identifies im- plementation strategies sup- ported by local stakeholders that will reduce bacteria lev- els in creeks and rivers in the Leon River watershed over time with minimal conse- quence to the livelihoods of the citizens in the watershed. EPA Region 6 completed their review of the latest draft of the Leon River WPP. The original draft of this WPP was first submitted to EPA on October 25, 2011. EPA pro- vided comments to Texas State Soil and Water Conser- vation Board (TSSWCB) on November 27, 2012. The current draft, which was sub- mitted to EPA on February 10, 2015, addresses all EPA comments, and EPA has ac- cepted it as completely ad- dressing all required nine ele- ments in the EPA national guidance for development of Watershed Based Plans (WBPs). The Leon River Watershed Protection Plan has been accepted by EPA! Leon River Watershed Project TEXAS A&M IRNR-TWRI & TEXAS STATE SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION BOARD June 2015 Did you know that 2015 is the Interna- tional year of soils! 1% organic matter in 6 inches of soil can hold up to 19,000 gallons of water! Based on population projections, food pro- duction will need to rise by 70%, but…. Between 1982-2007, 14 million acres of prime farmland in the U.S. were lost to de- velopment Improving soil health is key to sustainable agricultural produc- tion The 5 Principles of Soil Health 2 DIY Game Feeder for Trapping Feral Hogs 3 Feral Hog Trapping Materials 4 How Much Water has Fallen in Texas 5 Inside this issue: Now that the Leon River Watershed has an accepted WPP, EPA has stated that they are looking forward to supporting TSSWCB with Clean Water Act 319 project funding in addressing water quality impairments. Pro- jects in the Leon River Wa- tershed funded by CWA 319 money include the develop- ment of the Leon River WPP, support of a Watershed Coor- dinator and Soil and Water Conservation District Tech- nician, and septic system cost share programs in Hamilton and Coryell Counties. With additional 319 funding, we will look to expand on these existing programs and create other projects that support best management practices aimed at reducing bacteria levels in the Leon River. Some best management prac- tices that will have the great- est impact on reducing bacte- ria based on the accepted WPP are water quality man- agement practices such as prescribed grazing, cross fencing, vegetative filter strips and alternative water sources, feral hog manage- ment, and stormwater strate- gies (e.g. setbacks and buff- ers adjacent to urban creeks).
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Transcript
The Leon River below Proc-
tor Lake was initially placed
on the State of Texas Clean
Water Act (CWA) §303(d)
List of impaired waters in
1996 for having bacteria lev-
els that “sometimes exceed
water quality standards”.
Placement of the Leon River
on the §303(d) List caused the
TCEQ to initiate the develop-
ment of a total maximum dai-
ly load (TMDL). In the sim-
plest terms, a TMDL is a dai-
ly pollution budget that estab-
lishes the amount of a particu-
lar pollutant that a waterbody
can receive and still meet
state water quality standards.
TCEQ initiated the TMDL
process for the Leon River
upstream of Highway 281 in
January 2002. Based on addi-
tional data collection efforts,
data analysis and modeling,
and a series of stakeholder
meetings, a draft TMDL re-
port prepared by TCEQ (April
2008) proposed that a 21 per-
cent reduction in bacteria
loadings in the upper water-
shed of the Leon River could
restore water quality to meet
Texas surface water quality
standards (SWQS).
In 2006, as a result of the
TMDL Project local stake-
holders expressed an interest
in taking an active role in
developing management strat-
egies to reduce bacteria load-
ings to the Leon River by
developing a Watershed Pro-
tection Plan (WPP). The
Brazos River Authority
(BRA) was asked to facilitate
this planning effort. The Le-
on River WPP identifies im-
plementation strategies sup-
ported by local stakeholders
that will reduce bacteria lev-
els in creeks and rivers in the
Leon River watershed over
time with minimal conse-
quence to the livelihoods of
the citizens in the watershed.
EPA Region 6 completed
their review of the latest draft
of the Leon River WPP. The
original draft of this WPP was
first submitted to EPA on
October 25, 2011. EPA pro-
vided comments to Texas
State Soil and Water Conser-
vation Board (TSSWCB) on
November 27, 2012. The
current draft, which was sub-
mitted to EPA on February
10, 2015, addresses all EPA
comments, and EPA has ac-
cepted it as completely ad-
dressing all required nine ele-
ments in the EPA national
guidance for development of
Watershed Based Plans
(WBPs).
The Leon River Watershed Protection Plan has been accepted by EPA!
Leon River Watershed Project
T E X A S A & M I R N R - T W R I & T E X A S S T A T E S O I L A N D W A T E R C O N S E R V A T I O N B O A R D