UP SH*T CREEK: How Texas wants to allow more water pollution

TCEQ and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board have devised a process to decide what level of bacteria protection to assign the state’s creeks, rivers and lakes

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By Forrest Wilder
Published on Wednesday April 14, 2010
Texas Observer

IN MARCH, THE TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY unveiled a sweeping proposal to overhaul the state's water quality standards that would allow up to 100 times more bacteria in some of the state's creeks, rivers and lakes. Environmental groups are excoriating the plan as a gift to wastewater dischargers and big agricultural interests.

The EPA must still sign off on the proposal, a lengthy process.

For environmental groups the most troubling change is a wholesale loosening of bacteria pollution standards for virtually every body of water in Texas. If the revisions go through, a total of 293 stream segments would have less stringent bacteria standards, according to TCEQ's analysis.

Here's how it would work: Currently, the vast majority of Texas rivers and lakes are classified as "contact recreation" waters, where activities such as swimming and kayaking are presumed to take place.

The standard for these waters is 126 colonies of E. coli bacteria per 100 milliliters of water. (E. coli is an indicator of shit in the water, which - as you can imagine - can make people sick if ingested.) A handful of places, like the profoundly-polluted Houston Ship Channel, are allowed up to 605 colonies.

TCEQ now wants to create a tiered system, dividing Texas streams into four different categories. The most stringent category, called "primary contact recreation," would be reserved for rivers and lakes where people swim, water-ski, tube, etc. The bacteria standard for these waters would be loosened from 126 to 206 bacteria colonies per 100 ml. Lakes and rivers where people frequently fish or boat but don't swim could have as many as 630 colonies. Other places with infrequent use, such as small creeks with limited public access, would be allowed up to 1,030 colonies. Finally, the standard for "non-contact" water would rise to 2,060 colonies.

TCEQ refused to make someone available for an interview despite repeated requests, instead responding to questions by email. Agency spokeswoman Andrea Morrow said the current water quality standards were "optimistically assigned" at a time when little data was available on many bodies of waters. Even for tiny, perennial streams the agency assumes that fishing and swimming are taking place, for example.