Clean Rivers Program

What Is The Clean Rivers Program?

The Texas Clean Rivers Program (CRP) was implemented to maintain and improve the quality of surface water resources within each river basin in Texas. The CRP is a partnership involving the TCEQ, other state agencies, river authorities, local governments, industry, and citizens. Using a watershed management approach, CRP partner agencies work with the TCEQ to identify and evaluate surface water quality issues and to establish priorities for corrective action. The CRP provides a vehicle for local, regional, and statewide interests to examine water quality issues on a watershed basis. Planning and management by watershed allows the examination of complex relationships between water resources and human activity. The water quality assessments performed under the CRP focus on the cumulative effects of a variety of potential pollutant sources within the context of the natural setting of a particular watershed.

How Does the Clean Rivers Program Work?

In 1991 the Texas Legislature passed the Texas Clean Rivers Act in response to growing concerns that water resource issues were not being addressed in a holistic manner. This legislation requires that water quality assessments be conducted for each river basin in Texas using an approach that integrates water quality issues within a river basin or watershed. To fund the program, the TCEQ assesses a fee from permit holders for water use and wastewater discharges. The legislation directs the TCEQ to summarize basin-wide assessment report in even-numbered years. The Act also requires the TCEQ to develop rules and to implement a program to issue wastewater discharge permits on a watershed basis. All permits within a given watershed are issued in the same year.

The TCEQ implements the Program by contracting with 15 regional agencies, including river authorities, and councils of government, to conduct regional water quality assessments in the 23 river and coastal basins of Texas. In each basin, the designated partner agency (SRBA) has primary responsibility for surface water quality assessment its basin. For more information visit the Clean Rivers Program web page for links to water quality assessments, guidance, and partner information.

In order to accomplish it’s goals the TCEQ has compiled a set of Deliverables (reports, data, etc.) of which all partner agencies are responsible. These Deliverables are divided into Tasks in order to be received in an organized manner.

• Task 1 – Project Administration
• Task 2 – Project Planning and Quality Assurance
• Task 3 – Water Quality Monitoring
• Task 4 – Data Management and Watershed Inventories
• Task 5 – Water Quality Issues
• Task 6 – Public Participation and Outreach
• Task 7 – Special Projects