Program Overview
Watershed Approach
Watershed Action Planning
2012 Revision to the Management Program
Nonpoint Source Grant Program
CWA §319(h) Grant Funding
Request for Proposals - FY2012 CWA §319(h) Grant Funding
State General Revenue Grant Funding
Environmental Data Quality Management
Initiatives
Active Projects
Completed Projects
Program Reports
For More Information

Program Overview

The federal Clean Water Act (CWA) requires States to develop a program to protect the quality of water resources from the adverse effects of nonpoint source (NPS) water pollution. NPS pollution is all water pollution that does not originate from regulated point sources. Types of regulated point sources include wastewater treatment facilities, municipal stormwater systems, and concentrated animal feeding operations. NPS pollution occurs when rainfall flows off the land, roads, buildings, and other features of the landscape. This diffuse runoff carries pollutants into drainage ditches, lakes, rivers, wetlands, bays, and aquifers. Common NPS pollutants include:

• Fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides from agricultural lands and residential areas;
• Oil, grease, and toxic chemicals from spills, roads, urban areas, and energy production;
• Sediment from construction sites, crop and forest lands, and eroding stream banks; and
• Bacteria and nutrients from livestock, pet wastes, and leaking septic systems.

The Texas NPS Management Program is the State's comprehensive strategy for addressing NPS pollution. The program publication is updated every five years. The most recent revision was submitted to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by the Governor in December 2005. The Texas NPS Management Program is jointly administered by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

The Texas NPS Management Program utilizes baseline water quality management programs and regulatory, voluntary, financial, and technical assistance approaches to achieve a balanced program. NPS pollution is managed through assessment, planning, implementation, and education. The TCEQ and TSSWCB have established goals and objectives for guiding and tracking the progress of NPS management in Texas. Success in achieving the goals and objectives are reported annually in the Annual Report on Managing NPS Water Pollution in Texas, which is submitted to EPA in accordance with the CWA.

Implementation of the Texas NPS Management Program involves partnerships among many organizations. With the extent and variety of NPS issues across Texas, cooperation across political boundaries is essential. Many local, regional, state, and federal agencies play an integral part in managing NPS pollution, especially at the watershed level. They provide information about local concerns and infrastructure and build support for the kind of pollution controls that are necessary to prevent and reduce NPS pollution. Soil and water conservation districts (SWCDs) are vital partners in working with landowners to implement best management practices (BMPs) that prevent and abate agricultural and silvicultural NPS water pollution. By establishing coordinated frameworks to share information and resources, the State can more effectively focus its water quality protection efforts.

Watershed Approach

Protecting the State’s rivers, streams, lakes, bays, and aquifers from the impacts of NPS pollution is a complex process. Texas uses the Watershed Approach to focus efforts on the highest priority water quality issues of both surface and ground water. The Watershed Approach is based on the following principles:

• Geographic focus based on hydrology rather than political boundaries;
• Water quality objectives based on scientific data;
• Coordinated priorities and integrated solutions; and,
• Diverse, well-integrated partnerships.

For groundwater management, the geographic focus is on aquifers rather than watersheds. Otherwise, the approach is the same. Wherever interactions between surface and ground water are identified, management activities will support the quality of both resources.

The TSSWCB applies the Watershed Approach to managing NPS pollution by channeling its efforts to restore and protect water quality through the development and implementation of watershed protection plans (WPPs) and total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) in those watersheds where agricultural and/or silvicultural NPS pollution is contributing to a water quality impairment or concern to an extent which TSSWCB believes is sufficient to justify expenditure of agency resources. A list of these watersheds, including links to on-going restoration projects within those watersheds, is available.

Watershed Action Planning

Watershed Action Planning is a new process for coordinating, documenting, and tracking the State’s water quality management programs, including the activities of the Texas NPS Management Program. The Watershed Action Planning process coordinates planning and activities among TCEQ, TSSWCB, the Texas Clean Rivers Program partners, and stakeholders at the watershed level. The process can have significant implications for regional and local residents. The major objectives of Watershed Action Planning are to:

• engage stakeholders more fully in determining strategies that restore water quality,
• improve access to state agencies’ water quality management decisions and increase transparency of decision-making, and
• improve accountability of state agencies’ commitments to improve water quality.

The Watershed Action Planning process recognizes a range of tools and options for abating and preventing water pollution. The Watershed Action Planning process provides for a stakeholder-led evaluation of watershed-specific circumstances and a deliberative and collective decision as to the comprehensive strategy for improving the quality of impaired waters and protecting waterbodies of special interest. Those strategies are summarized in the Watershed Action Planning Strategy Table which is maintained by TCEQ.

On January 13, 2012, TCEQ published the first iteration of the Watershed Action Planning Strategy Table (December 2011). During 2011, participating agencies initiated this complex and evolving process and recommended strategies for nearly 1,190 impairments and over 30 special interest waterbodies.

2012 Revision to the Management Program

The Texas NPS Management Program is the State’s comprehensive strategy to protect and restore water quality in waterbodies impacted by nonpoint sources of water pollution. The State must have a federally-approved Management Program in order to continue receiving CWA §319(h) grant monies from the EPA.

The Texas NPS Management Program was last approved by EPA in December 2005 for a five year planning period. EPA extended the applicability of the current document through July 2012. Significant events have occurred in the program since the approval of the current document. The State must now update the Texas NPS Management Program to provide for new initiatives and to specify program goals for the upcoming planning period.

The draft 2012 Texas NPS Management Program document has been jointly developed by staff of the TCEQ and TSSWCB consistent with regulatory guidance from EPA to satisfy requirements of the federal CWA. The draft document incorporates EPA’s nine components of an effective program; establishes long- and short-term goals for the program; provides for the coordination of NPS-related programs and activities conducted by federal, state, regional, and local entities; and prioritizes assessment, planning, and implementation activities in priority watersheds and aquifers. The document also describes the mechanisms for tracking and reporting success in achieving the goals and objectives of the program.

The TSSWCB and TCEQ requested informal comments on a preliminary draft document in September-October 2011. This preliminary draft was discussed at a public meeting on September 28, 2011 in Austin. The agenda (PDF, 10 kB) and presentation (PDF, 989 kB) from the meeting are available. Informal comments received during the meeting and comment period were addressed and integrated into a new draft document.

On January 19, 2012, the TSSWCB approved publishing the draft 2012 Texas NPS Management Program (PDF, 3.63 MB) for official public comment. The TCEQ took similar action on January 25, 2012. The document is also available on the TCEQ website.

Official notice of the availability of the document for public review and comment has been published in the Texas Register. The public comment period extends from February 10, 2012 through March 12, 2012. Comments may be submitted by email to Arthur Talley at arthur [dot] talley [at] tceq [dot] texas [dot] gov on behalf of both agencies. TSSWCB and TCEQ staff will discuss the draft document and receive comments at a public meeting scheduled for February 23, 2012 at 9:00 a.m. at the TCEQ offices in Austin (12100 Park 35 Circle, Building F, Room 2210).

After the public meeting and comment period, the TCEQ and TSSWCB will address comments received and incorporate them into a final document that will be considered for approval by the State Board and Commission in May 2012. Once the document is approved by both agencies, it will be submitted to the Governor and then to EPA for approval.

Nonpoint Source Grant Program

The NPS Grant Program is administered by the TSSWCB for the purpose of providing funding as grants to cooperating entities for activities that address the goals and objectives stated in the Texas NPS Management Program. The Texas Legislature and the U.S. Congress (through the EPA) provide funding to the TSSWCB to administer the agricultural and silvicultural components of the Texas NPS Management Program through the TSSWCB NPS Grant Program.

Agricultural and silvicultural NPS pollution prevention and abatement activities that can be funded through the NPS Grant Program include: implementation of WPPs and the NPS portion of TMDL Implementation Plans (I-Plans), surface water quality monitoring, demonstration of innovative BMPs, technical assistance and financial incentives for the development and implementation of TSSWCB-certified water quality management plans (WQMPs), public outreach and education, development of WPPs, and monitoring activities to determine the effectiveness of specific pollution prevention methods.

CWA §319(h) Grant Funding

Congress enacted §319(h) of the CWA in 1987, establishing a national program to control NPS water pollution. Through §319(h), federal funds are provided annually through the EPA to States for the development and implementation of each State's NPS Management Program. The §319(h) funding in Texas is divided equally between the TCEQ and the TSSWCB. Over the past several years, the State's allocation has been approximately $9 million.

Request for Proposals - FY2012 CWA §319(h) Grant Funding

This request for proposals closed October 14, 2011. However, the information below is retained to assist potential interested cooperating entities in preparing for the next grant cycle.

The TSSWCB is requesting proposals for projects seeking funding under the FY2012 CWA §319(h) NPS Grant Program. Proposed projects should focus on agricultural and/or silvicultural NPS pollution prevention and abatement activities within the boundaries of impaired or threatened watersheds but may also include unimpaired watersheds.

The 2010 Texas Integrated Report describes the current water quality conditions for waterbodies in the state. All proposals must focus on the restoration and protection of water quality. Up to $1.6 million of the TSSWCB’s FY2012 CWA §319(h) grant will be eligible for this request for proposals. Approximately $1 million will be targeted to implementation and education and approximately $600,000 will be targeted to watershed planning and assessment. No more than 10% of the available funds may be utilized for groundwater projects.

The types of agricultural/silvicultural NPS activities that can be funded with §319(h) grants include the following: development of nine-element WPPs including the formation and facilitation of stakeholder groups, surface water quality monitoring, data analysis and modeling, implementation of nine-element WPPs and the NPS portion of TMDL Implementation Plans, demonstration of innovative BMPs, technical assistance to landowners for conservation planning, public outreach/education, and monitoring activities to determine the effectiveness of specific pollution prevention methods. For more information, download the Proposal Submission Packet (MS Word, 674 kB).

State General Revenue Grant Funding

The 80^th Texas Legislature appropriated general revenue funds to the TSSWCB for the purpose of planning, implementing, and managing programs and practices for preventing and abating agricultural and silvicultural NPS water pollution in impaired watersheds. The 81^st and 82^nd Texas Legislatures renewed this appropriation. TSSWCB is committed to funding projects encompassing monitoring, assessment, modeling, planning, education and implementation that address the goals and objectives stated in the Texas NPS Management Program. On September 17, 2009, the State Board approved a revised TSSWCB Policy on TMDLs and Watershed Planning, Assessment, and Implementation Activities (PDF, 26 kB) which provides guidance to agency staff on directing these state appropriations for the NPS Grant Program.

Environmental Data Quality Management

The TSSWCB, along with its cooperating entities and laboratories, is committed to the application of sound science, appropriate quality assurance standards, and practicality in all environmental data programs supporting agricultural and silvicultural NPS water pollution abatement and prevention activities. Quality assurance activities are conducted by the TSSWCB and its cooperating entities to ensure that all environmental data generated and processed are scientifically valid; of known precision and accuracy and acceptable completeness, representativeness and comparability; and legally defensible regarding methodology.

• Environmental Data Quality Management

Initiatives

• Statewide NPS Management Program Initiatives

Active Projects

• Active TSSWCB Nonpoint Source Grant Projects

Completed Projects

• Completed Nonpoint Source Grant Projects

Program Reports

• 2005 Texas Nonpoint Source Management Program (PDF, 1.70 MB)

• 2011 Annual Report Managing Nonpoint Source Pollution in Texas (PDF, 3.48 MB)
• 2010 Annual Report Managing Nonpoint Source Pollution in Texas (PDF, 3.04 MB)
• 2009 Annual Report Managing Nonpoint Source Pollution in Texas (PDF, 44.5 MB)
• 2008 Annual Report Managing Nonpoint Source Pollution in Texas (PDF, 63.1 MB)

• Other archived reports

For More Information, Contact:

John Foster, Statewide Programs Officer, 254-773-2250 ext. 235, jfoster [at] tsswcb [dot] texas [dot] gov

TJ Helton, NPS Program Coordinator, 254-773-2250 ext. 234, thelton [at] tsswcb [dot] texas [dot] gov

Aaron Wendt, Statewide Watershed Coordinator, 254-773-2250 ext. 232, awendt [at] tsswcb [dot] texas [dot] gov

Pamela Casebolt, NPS Grant Coordinator, 254-773-2250 ext. 247, pcasebolt [at] tsswcb [dot] texas [dot] gov

Mitch Conine, Project Management Coordinator, 254-773-2250 ext. 233, mconine [at] tsswcb [dot] texas [dot] gov

Ashley Alexander, NPS Project Manager, 254-773-2250 ext. 249, aalexander [at] tsswcb [dot] texas [dot] gov

Jana Lloyd, NPS Project Manager, 254-773-2250 ext. 224, jlloyd [at] tsswcb [dot] texas [dot] gov

Loren Warrick, NPS Project Manager, 254-773-2250 ext. 240, lwarrick [at] tsswcb [dot] texas [dot] gov

Rusty Ray, NPS Project Manager, 254-773-2250 ext. 228, rray [at] tsswcb [dot] texas [dot] gov

David Reeves, Database Administrator, 254-773-2250 ext. 230, dreeves [at] tsswcb [dot] texas [dot] gov

Brian Koch, Regional Watershed Coordinator (Wharton), 979-532-9496, bkoch [at] tsswcb [dot] texas [dot] gov