CRP Steering Committee Process

Membership

Program guidelines specify the steering committee should include stakeholder volunteers from across the ANRA's area of responsibility (Upper Neches River Basin), representing the following groups:

• Private citizens
• Fee-payers (identified in Texas Water Code TWC 26.0135(h)
• Political subdivisions (including local, regional, and state officials)
• Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board
• Other appropriate state agencies including: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas Water Development Board, Texas General Land Office, Texas Department of Health, Texas Department of Agriculture, Texas Railroad Commission and Texas Department of Transportation.
• Other entities interested in water quality matters including: Texas Commission on Environmental Quality regional staff, business and industry, agriculture, environmental and other public interest groups.

Role

The steering committee serves as the focus for public input and assists with:

• Creation of specific achievable water quality objectives and basin priorities
• Review and development of work plans and allocation of resources
• Development, review and approval of major reports
• Establishing monitoring priorities and developing monitoring plans
• Identification of priority problem areas and development of actions to address these problems and pollutant sources

Goals

The CRP Long-Term Action Plan established CRP goals for the steering committees to support and enhance public participation by:

• Improving awareness of water quality, water resource, and pollutant source issues
• Increasing opportunities for citizens to identify pressing issues and concerns, and contributing ideas to the CRP process
• Expanding the public’s role in water quality management issues

Participation

If you are interested in participating in the Clean Rivers Program and would like to be a member of the Upper Neches Basin Steering Committee, please contact Brian Sims at (936)-633-7527 (or e-mail bsims@anra.org).