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ANRA Clean Rivers Program Activities

Project Administration

ANRA and TCEQ agreed to a new Clean Rivers Program (CRP) contract for the FY 2009-2010 biennium to conduct water quality monitoring activities in the Upper Neches River Basin. This agreement is effective for the period of Sept. 1, 2009 through August 31, 2011. The TCEQ will reimburse ANRA up to $349,164 over the two-year period.

Quality Assurance

ANRA's FY 10-11 Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) for the Upper Neches River Basin was approved by the TCEQ on August 28, 2009. The QAPP must be finalized and approved prior to initiating FY 10 monitoring activities. A copy of the QAPP is available on the ANRA website at the link above.

The ANRA Environmental Laboratory has received accreditation based upon the standards adopted by the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Commission (NELAC) following an on-site assessment by the TCEQ. The TCEQ offers accreditation to environmental laboratories that meet the quality system requirements of NELAC. The TCEQ conducted their NELAC audit June 8 - 11, 2009.

ANRA Environmental Laboratory Fields of Accreditation

Water Quality Monitoring

The FY 2010 Coordinated Monitoring Schedule

The FY 2010 Coordinated Monitoring Schedule has been finalized and is now available to view at the following website:

http://cms.lcra.org/schedule.asp?basin=6&FY=2010

During FY 2010, ANRA is conducting quarterly surface water quality monitoring at 25 routine monitoring stations in the Upper Neches basin. Bimonthly bacteria and flow monitoring will be conducted at one station on Biloxi Creek to address bacteria concerns. The City of Tyler also monitors four stations in the upper basin.

The current FY 10 monitoring schedule, basin maps and a list of monitoring parameters is available in the CRP Monitoring Program section.

Data Management

The Upper Neches Basin surface water quality monitoring data files are submitted to the TCEQ three times per year. The water quality data includes routine conventional, field, flow, bacteriological, and 24 hour data collected over the previous months. The water quality data is available on the TCEQ's website at:

http://www8.tceq.state.tx.us/SwqmisWeb/public/index.faces

ANRA's most recent data submittal was in December 2009.

Data Analysis and Reporting

ANRA has completed the 2010 Upper Neches Basin Summary Report and it is now available on our CRP Reports page. The Basin Summary Report, assembled every five years, provides a comprehensive review of water quality data and water quality related issues for the Upper Neches River Basin.

Stakeholder Participation

The 2010 CRP Steering Committee Meeting was held on April 28, 2010, at 1:30 pm in the Courtyard Marriott in Lufkin. The final agenda & minutes are available below. Copies of presentations given at the meeting are avavilable on the meetings and events page. For more information or to be added to the mailing list, please contact
Brian Sims at 936-633-7527 (or e-mail bsims@anra.org).

Public Outreach

ANRA continues to support Volunteer Environmental Monitoring in the basin. ANRA provides Texas Stream Team (formerly known as Texas Watch) monitoring kits, training, and replacement supplies and reagents to active volunteer monitors in the basin.

For more information about ANRA's Volunteer Monitoring Program, please contact Brian Sims at 936-633-7527 (or e-mail bsims@anra.org).

ANRA's Clean Rivers Program recently supported the Nacogdoches ISD by providing Major Rivers student education materials. Major Rivers is a 4th and 5th grade water education curriculum designed to teach students about the major water resources of Texas, how water is treated and delivered, and how to use water wisely. Originally launched by the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) in 1989, the Major Rivers program was modified in 2003 into a statewide version that integrates water planning, conservation, internet resources, and historical stories about Texas river basins. In 2010, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) is offering an updated version of Major Rivers which incorporates the latest information from the 2007 State Water Plan, includes new outdoor water conservation activities, and has student materials in both English and Spanish. For more information about Major Rivers, please visit the TWDB's Major Rivers page.