The Sunset Advisory Commission has been reviewing the mission and performance of the Angelina & Neches River Authority of Texas (ANRA) and welcomes public comments on ideas to improve its operations and services. The Texas Sunset Act requires the Sunset Commission to periodically review ANRA and recommend whether to change state law to improve the authority’s efficiency and effectiveness. The Legislature ultimately will decide whether to adopt Sunset’s statutory recommendations. The Sunset Commission also may adopt management directives for ANRA that do not require statutory change.
The Sunset process has three stages. First, Sunset staff will evaluate ANRA, seek public input, and issue a report recommending solutions to problems found. Second, the Sunset Commission will hold two public meetings: a hearing on the staff report and the authority, and a decision meeting to adopt recommendations to the Legislature based on the report and public comments. Third, the Legislature will convene in January 2025 and will consider Sunset’s statutory recommendations in a Sunset bill for ANRA.
The Sunset Staff Report may be viewed or downloaded below, but if a member of the public would like to make public comment in response to the Sunset Staff Report, please visit https://www.sunset.texas.gov/reviews-and-reports/agencies/angelina-and-neches-river-authority.
The Angelina & Neches River Authority has issued a Notice to Proceed for a construction project for its North Angelina County Regional Wastewater Facility.
Project Name: Regionalization of the Angelina County Fresh Water Supply District No. 1 (District) Wastewater Treatment Facility
Community Served: Rivercrest and Duncan Slough communities
State Agency Administration: Texas Water Development Board
Project Funding: Project was wholly or partially funded with State Revolving Funds funding through the EPA
Project Description: The project consists of decommissioning the existing Angelina County Fresh Water Supply District No.1 WWTF, installation of lift stations with associated line work to transfer flow to the ANRA’s North Angelina County Regional Wastewater Facility (NACRWF), and improvements to the chlorination and disinfection system at NACRWF as an additive bid option.
Water Quality Benefits: Regionalization of the project will take the District’s wastewater treatment plant offline and reroute that flow stream to a modern regional wastewater treatment facility. The wastewater treatment plant being offline and decommissioned is located approximately 300 yards from the Angelina River.
The Angelina & Neches River Authority (ANRA) will host its annual Texas Clean Rivers Program Steering Committee Meeting at 1:00 p.m. on July 30, 2024, at the Texas Forestry Association, located at 1903 Atkinson Drive, in Lufkin. An online option will be available to those unable to attend in-person.
The meeting will feature presentations from ANRA staff, Texas Water Resource Institute staff, Keep Nacogdoches Beautiful Director, Ashley Villarreal, Texas Conservation Alliance Community Conservation Coordinator, Jose Lopez, The Citizen Nac Building and Booking Manager, Sam Hernandez, and Independent Filmmaker, Curtis Craven.
ANRA’s Clean Rivers Program Coordinator, Andrew Henry, said, “This meeting is a chance for the public to get involved and voice their concerns about water quality in our basin and learn about what we’ve been doing, where, and what is planned for the future.”
Attendees will have opportunities to ask questions, discuss water quality issues and potential solutions, and learn about ways that they can further become involved in decision-making, regarding these issues and solutions.
“Without stakeholder (public) input, ANRA must decide which watersheds to prioritize and conduct work in, and while we do our best to ensure we monitor and remediate the areas in our basin with the greatest need first, this has a possibility of not aligning with the priorities of the public. With stakeholder input, we can prioritize areas the public wants to see action in. Our stakeholders have the ability to steer ANRA toward water quality improvement projects they want to see done,” Henry said.
The Texas Clean Rivers Act of 1991 was enacted by the Texas State Legislature to ensure the comprehensive regional assessment of water quality in each river basin through a local, watershed-based approach. As a partner in the Texas Clean Rivers Program (CRP), the Angelina & Neches River Authority is the lead agency for regional water quality assessments in the Upper and Middle Neches River Basin Study Area.
The goal of the Clean Rivers Program is to maintain and improve the quality of water resources within each river basin in Texas through an ongoing partnership involving the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), other agencies, river authorities, regional entities, local governments, industries and citizens. Long-term goals, include: provide quality-assured data to the TCEQ for use in water quality decision-making, identify and evaluate water quality issues, promote cooperative watershed planning, inform and engage stakeholders, maintain efficient use of public funds, and adapt the program to emerging water quality issues.
The program’s watershed management approach is designed to identify and evaluate water quality issues, establish priorities for corrective action, work to implement those actions, and adapt to changing priorities.
Visit www.anra.org for more information about ANRA’s partnership with the Texas Clean River Program and water quality information in the Neches River Basin.
For more information about the meeting, call (936) 632-7795 or email ahenry@anra.org.
To join the meeting virtually, please use the Microsoft Teams link below.
Meeting ID: 231 605 367 943
Passcode: tmdpyc
The 24th Annual Neches River Rendezvous, which was scheduled to be held on May 18, 2024, has been cancelled due to unsafe river conditions. The Neches River Rendezvous is a family-friendly 10-mile paddling adventure down the Neches River.
This is the first year that the Angelina & Neches River Authority was scheduled to host the event. It was previously hosted by the Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce. Held for the first time in 1997, it quickly became a popular annual event, with up to 300 people participating, however, due to Covid-19, weather conditions, and supply chain issues, the event had not been held since 2018.
“With unpredictable weather patterns in East Texas, it’s tricky trying to schedule a date for an event of this nature. There’s a short window of opportunity to host this event between weather extremes, flooding events and high heat indexes, so timing this event has proven to be challenging. By the time river conditions improve to a safe level, it will likely be too hot to hold the event, especially since most participants are novice paddlers,” Kelley Holcomb, the Authority’s general manager said. “While we are disappointed that we have to cancel the event in our first year, safety is our first priority.”
At the time of this release, the National Weather Service Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Services indicated that it could be weeks before river depth and discharge velocities decrease to safe enough levels for recreational activity. Both the event launch area, the Neches River at Anderson Crossing, between Houston and Cherokee counties, and the takeout area, the Neches River at Highway 7, in Angelina County are experiencing discharges of 20,200 cfs (cubic feet per second).
To put that into perspective, between the launch and takeout areas, the river is flowing at about 151,096 gallons per second. While there is not a river gauge at Anderson Crossing, the gauge at the Neches River at Highway 7, shows a depth of about 27 feet. While this location has limited historical data since it is a new gauge, the upstream gauge near Alto and the downstream gauge near Diboll, indicate major and minor flooding. The Alto gauge indicates a depth of 20.2 feet and rising. The record crest for this location is 28 feet in 1884. The Diboll gauge indicates 16.4 feet and rising. The record crest for this location is 21 feet.
The river is more than ½ mile out of its banks in some areas and has washed out the county roads leading to Anderson Crossing. In addition to high water levels and fast-moving currents, even getting to the river may prove to be difficult for quite some time until county officials can make repairs.
The Authority would like to thank all of the event sponsors, supporters, volunteers, and participants. First, Platinum Sponsor, Stella-Jones, Gold Sponsors; Kyncey Developments, LLC, Lufkin Gears, and Soil Therapy Compost; Silver Sponsor, Texas Conservation Alliance; Bronze Sponsors, Cadence Bank and Hackberry Bunkhouse and Kayak Rentals; Rendezvous Crew Sponsors, Sarabella’s Jewelry, Texas Conservation Alliance, River Bottom Cap Company, and the Law Office of Maira F. Carrillo, PLLC; and in-kind sponsors, Brookshire Brothers, Millenia Water & Ice, Mudbelly Outdoor Supply, Railblaza, and Visit Lufkin. Additional support is appreciated from Classic Country Willy 103.3, Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce, Texas Master Naturalist – Longleaf Ridge Chapter, Dos Amigos Taco Truck, I’ve Got Your Dog, Heaven’s Rita, B&T Vans and Shuttles, Real Graphics, Keep Nacogdoches Beautiful, and Angelina Beautiful/Clean.
The Authority would also like to thank the more than 140 volunteers that signed up to help with the event. “The eagerness we have seen from individuals in the community to help bring this event back has been absolutely astonishing and we cannot thank our volunteers enough for all the work they have put into the Rendezvous already, as well as the time and effort they were willing to give to make the Rendezvous happen on Saturday. It would’ve been an amazing event because of their volunteer spirit and I’m optimistic that next year will be the best Rendezvous yet,” Kimberly Wagner, the Authority’s communications director, said. Special appreciation goes out to the following local entities and volunteer organizations: International Paper’s North Boggy Slough, Deep East Texas Amateur Radio Club, Houston County EMS, Hudson Fire Department Search & Rescue Team, Five Rivers District – Boy Scouts of America, and Trail Life USA, Troop 1807.
Event registration maxed out with a total of 151 individual paddlers expected to launch in more than 100 kayaks and canoes on the river. “The enthusiasm for the comeback of this event was clear and while we are severely disappointed to have to cancel the event, we’re already making big plans for next year, so we encourage the public to stay tuned and follow us on social media,” Wagner said.
Registration fees and rental fees will be refunded to participants within the next 30 days. Participants and volunteers are also encouraged to come by the Authority’s office, located at 2901 N John Redditt Drive, in Lufkin, to pick up their t-shirts and goody bags – filled with great items from Rendezvous sponsors. Those that live out of town can contact the Authority if they would like to have their goody bag mailed to them. The Authority’s office is open Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
“All is not lost, even in cancelling the event. We’ve still been able to bring a lot of recreational and conservation awareness to the public’s attention and that’s the mission of the Rendezvous – awareness of what we have to lose if we don’t take care of our most important and beautiful natural resource – our rivers,” Wagner said. Once river conditions improve, for those who still want to enjoy a day on the river, contact one of the following East Texas area outfitters: Hackberry Bunkhouse and Kayak Rentals, Lake Livingston Kayak Adventures, and Tack-a-Paw Expeditions.
For more information, call the Authority’s Central Office Facility at (936) 632-7795, email recreation@anra.org, visit https://www.anra.org/conservatio…/neches-river-rendezvous/ , or find both the Authority and the Rendezvous’ event pages on Facebook.
Registration for the 24th Annual Neches River Rendezvous is now live!
To register, please use the following link: https://www.anra.org/conservation-recreation/neches-river-rendezvous/participant-information/
Registration for the 24th Annual Neches River Rendezvous will open on Monday, March 18th. The Neches River Rendezvous is a fun and family-friendly 10-mile paddling adventure down the Neches River and will be held on May 18, 2024.
This is the first year that the Angelina & Neches River Authority will host the event. It was previously hosted by the Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce beginning in 1997, and it quickly became a popular annual event, with up to 300 people participating, however, due to Covid-19, weather conditions, and supply chain issues, the event has not been held the past five years.
The Rendezvous will be limited to 100 paddlers for the first year that the Authority hosts the event in 2024, but depending on the available supply of vans, trailers, kayaks, and canoe rentals needed for the event to be successful, the Authority hopes to increase the number of participants back to 300 paddlers within the next few years.
On the day of the event, paddlers will park at International Paper’s North Boggy Slough Conservation Area and will then be shuttled upriver, where volunteers will assist them in launching their kayaks and canoes in the river. There will be four staggered launch times to avoid overcrowding.
After a leisurely 3-4 hours paddling the river, paddlers will end their journey at the Highway 7 bridge, next to Hackberry Bunkhouse & Kayak Rentals, where they will be assisted out of the river and then shuttled back to North Boggy Slough, where they can purchase a meal from one of several food trucks that will be on-site.
No experience is needed to participate in the event, however, anyone under the age of 18, must have a legal guardian present. Since safety is the top priority of the event, life jackets must be worn by all paddlers. Paddlers must provide their own life jackets. A multitude of local organizations will assist with logistics and safety during the event, including the Deep East Texas Amateur Radio Club, Hudson Search & Rescue, Houston County EMS, Boy Scouts of America, and Trail Life USA.
The Authority is still seeking volunteers and sponsors for the event. A volunteer guide and a sponsor information packet can both be found on the Authority’s website.
Early bird registration begins Monday, March 18th and ends Friday, April 19th. Late registration begins on Saturday, April 19 and ends on Friday, May 3rd. Registration is based on a first-come, first-served basis. Paddlers are highly encouraged to register online, but paper registration forms can be downloaded from ANRA’s website or picked up at ANRA’s office at 2901 N John Redditt Drive, in Lufkin, Texas. Forms and registration fees can be submitted via mail or at ANRA’s office.
For more information, call the Authority’s Central Office Facility at (936) 632-7795, email recreation@anra.org, visit https://www.anra.org/conservation-recreation/neches-river-rendezvous/ , or find both the Authority and the Rendezvous’ event pages on Facebook.
Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Opportunities in East Texas
January 9th, 2024 – Lufkin, Texas
Water Finance Exchange (WFX) and RSAH2O, in partnership with T.L.L. Temple Foundation, Communities Unlimited, and the Angelina & Neches River Authority, are hosting an invitation-only workshop, Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Opportunities in East Texas, of public and private sector leaders to discuss the needs and opportunities to support communities in need of financial and technical assistance for water and wastewater infrastructure.
This one-day workshop will focus on the water infrastructure and economic development challenges of rural communities in East Texas. We would like to extend an invitation to attend this workshop, which will be held in the Pitser Garrison Convention Center in Lufkin, Texas. The address for the event is 601 N 2nd Street, Lufkin, TX 75901.
The workshop will be on January 9th, 2024 beginning at 9:00am. A draft agenda for the workshop can be found below. Speakers and panelists will include state and federal agency officials, community representatives, and other thought leaders in the water and wastewater sectors.
This workshop will be an intimate conversation of 50-75 water sector leaders, communities seeking to address sustainable water management needs, and public officials. The informational exchange will identify primary challenges facing smaller and underserved East Texas communities, outline financing opportunities, and generate ideas for collaboration going forward.
Registration Instructions
- Click here to go to the registration page
- In the dropdown menu labeled “Workshop”, select East Texas – Lufkin, Texas – Jan. 9th, 2024
- Fill in the remaining information on the page
- Click “Send”
- You will receive further information and updates as the event gets closer
If you any other questions on the workshop, please reach out to Josh Clement, WFX’s Director of Programs and
Development, at Jclement@waterfx.org or 763-226-3461.
The Angelina & Neches River Authority will host the 24th Annual Neches River Rendezvous, a fun and family-friendly 10-mile paddling adventure down the Neches River, on May 18, 2024.
The Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce first held the Rendezvous in 1997, and it quickly became a popular annual event, with up to 300 people participating, however, due to Covid-19, weather conditions, and supply chain issues, the event has not been held the past five years.
The Authority, a long-time sponsor of the Rendezvous, was approached by the Chamber in 2022, about possibly hosting the event in the future. “It’s a perfect opportunity and perfect timing,” said Kelley Holcomb, the Authority’s general manager. “At the time we were approached, we had just begun to expand our conservation and recreation education and outreach program and I can’t think of a better way to fulfill the conservation part of our legislative mission.”
The Rendezvous will be limited to 100 paddlers for the first year that the Authority hosts the event in 2024, but depending on the available supply of vans, trailers, kayaks, and canoe rentals needed for the event to be successful, the Authority hopes to increase the number of participants back to 300 paddlers, as it was in it’s prime.
In May 2023, all rights to the Neches River Rendezvous were legally transferred from the Chamber to the Authority. Over the summer, the Authority has been busy planning details and securing logistical elements required to host the event. As has been traditional in the past, the staging area for the Rendezvous will be at International Paper’s North Boggy Slough. Participants and volunteers will park and register at Boggy Slough and will then be shuttled to the launch location upriver. There will be four staggered launch times to avoid overcrowding.
After a leisurely 3-4 hours paddling the river, participants will end their journey at the Highway 7 bridge, next to Hackberry Bunkhouse & Kayak Rentals, where they will be assisted by volunteers, to get out of the river and shuttled back to Boggy Slough.
Several traditional elements of the event will continue, such as lunch on the grounds of Boggy Slough and providing participant with a souvenir t-shirt. However, the Authority will introduce some new, fun ideas in 2024. This includes contests and games, including a t-shirt design contest, allowing a limited number of vendors and food trucks to set up at Boggy Slough, and prioritizing conservation and education-based practices, including the Authority’s Stash Your Trash litter campaign.
“It’s important to get people out on the river, so that they understand what there is to lose if we don’t take care of our natural resources. The Neches River is a gem hidden in our own backyard behind the big pine curtain here in East Texas. A lot of people, especially younger generations, have never gotten out on the river and some don’t even know that it exists. Of course, we don’t want the Neches to suffer from negative environmental impacts from overcrowding and litter, but I think it’s important that everyone should experience the river at least once,” said Kimberly Wagner, the Authority’s executive manager of communications.
No experience is needed to participate in the event, however, anyone under the age of 18, must have a legal guardian present. Life jackets are highly recommended. Safety checkpoints will also be located at several locations along the paddling trail.
Registration for participants will open in early spring 2024.
The Authority is currently seeking volunteers and sponsors for the event. A volunteer guide and a sponsor information packet can both be found on the Authority’s website or via the contact information below. A series of volunteer committee meetings will take place before the event, beginning in October 2023.
The Angelina & Neches River Authority is located at 2901 N. John Redditt Drive, Lufkin, Texas, 75904. For more information, call the Authority’s Central Office Facility at (936) 632-7795, email recreation@anra.org, visit www.anra.org, or find both the Authority and the Rendezvous’ event pages on Facebook.
Sunset Advisory Commission Invites Public Input on the Angelina & Neches River Authority of Texas
The Sunset Advisory Commission is reviewing the mission and performance of the Angelina & Neches River Authority of Texas (ANRA) and welcomes public comments on ideas to improve its operations and services. The Texas Sunset Act requires the Sunset Commission to periodically review ANRA and recommend whether to change state law to improve the authority’s efficiency and effectiveness. The Legislature ultimately will decide whether to adopt Sunset’s statutory recommendations. The Sunset Commission also may adopt management directives for ANRA that do not require statutory change.
The Sunset process has three stages. First, Sunset staff will evaluate ANRA, seek public input, and issue a report recommending solutions to problems found. Second, the Sunset Commission will hold two public meetings: a hearing on the staff report and the authority, and a decision meeting to adopt recommendations to the Legislature based on the report and public comments. Third, the Legislature will convene in January 2025 and will consider Sunset’s statutory recommendations in a Sunset bill for ANRA.
Here are several ways to provide comments and suggestions to Sunset staff on ANRA’s mission, operations, and services:
• Send an email to sunset(a)sunset.texas.gov
• Submit comments online at www.sunset.texas.gov
• Send a letter to Sunset Advisory Commission, Attn: ANRA, P.O. Box 13066, Austin, Texas 78711
• Call (512) 463-1300 to speak to Andrew McConnell, project manager of the ANRA review
Please provide your comments by September 12 to ensure Sunset staff can fully consider your input while conducting their review. Comments submitted before the staff report is published in November 2024 will remain confidential.
Stay informed! Visit www.sunset.texas.gov to sign up for email alerts on the Sunset staff report and the Sunset Commission’s public meetings on ANRA.