Annual Update on Water Quality for the Rio Grande and the Clean Rivers Program

(1)

Annual Update on Water Quality

for the Rio Grande

and the Clean Rivers Program

USIBWC Citizens

’

Forum

and Upper Rio Grande Basin Advisory Meeting

September 29, 2009

Elizabeth

Elizabeth VerdecchiaVerdecchia and Leslie and Leslie GrijalvaGrijalva Texas Clean Rivers Program

Texas Clean Rivers Program

U.S. Section, U.S. Section,

International Boundary and Water Commission International Boundary and Water Commission

(2)

Texas Clean Rivers Program

History

¾

1991 Texas Clean Rivers Act

¾

1998 TCEQ

-

USIBWC partnership

¾

2009 monitoring sites on Rio Grande:

z

CRP

–

48 sites

z

(3)

What is the Clean Rivers Program?

¾ A state fee-funded program

¾ A group of federal, state and local organizations that have an interest in the health of our states streams, rivers and lakes.

¾ The USIBWC Clean Rivers Program collects water quality data from the Rio Grande and Pecos Rivers.

¾ We then use that data to:

z identify and evaluate water quality issues z establish priorities for corrective actions z work to implement those actions.

(4)

CRP Activities

¾

¾ Water Quality Monitoring_{Water Quality Monitoring}

z

z Routine monitoringRoutine monitoring

z

z Special studiesSpecial studies

¾

¾ Water Quality AssessmentWater Quality Assessment

¾

¾ PublicationsPublications

z

z Annual Basin Highlight ReportAnnual Basin Highlight Report

z

z 55--year Basin Summary Reportyear Basin Summary Report

¾

¾ Outreach and EducationOutreach and Education

¾

(5)

FY09 CRP Accomplishments

¾

¾ Submitted all data through Nov Submitted all data through Nov 2008 for TCEQ 2010 Assessment

2008 for TCEQ 2010 Assessment

¾

¾ Laboratory accredited for bacteria_{Laboratory accredited for bacteria}

¾

¾ More outreach activitiesMore outreach activities ¾

¾ Participation in projects such as Participation in projects such as Big Bend workshops &

Big Bend workshops & saltcedarsaltcedar biological control meetings

biological control meetings

¾

¾ Funded 5 water quality/education _{Funded 5 water quality/education}

projects

¾

¾ CRP in charge of USIBWC CRP in charge of USIBWC Adopt

Adopt--aa--River ProgramRiver Program ¾

(6)

Funded Projects in the Upper RG

¾

¾ EPCC Early College Program EPCC Early College Program - -Supplies/equipment research in

Supplies/equipment research in

salinity in water and riparian

plants

¾

¾ RiGo_RiGo –– supplies for river supplies for river

cleanups with community groups

¾

¾ UTEP UTEP -- Equipment for Equipment for

continuous water quality station

in Forgotten Stretch

¾

¾ EPCC RISE Program EPCC RISE Program –– supplies supplies for bacteria source

for bacteria source--tracking ontracking on- -going research

(7)

Other funded projects throughout

the Basin

¾

Printed manuals

and brochures for

soil erosion

training in Lower

Rio Grande

Valley

(8)

Interested in Monitoring?

¾

Texas Stream Team

-

Volunteer WQ

Monitoring Program

¾

Great for teachers

¾

http://txstreamteam.rivers.txstate.edu/

¾

(9)

Local Partnerships

¾

7 partners in the Upper Rio Grande help

monitor, collect, & analyze samples:

z

z USIBWC Field Offices at El Paso and PresidioUSIBWC Field Offices at El Paso and Presidio

z

z University of Texas at El PasoUniversity of Texas at El Paso z

z El Paso Community CollegeEl Paso Community College

z

z University of Texas at BrownsvilleUniversity of Texas at Brownsville z

z TCEQ El Paso Field OfficeTCEQ El Paso Field Office

z

z Big Bend National Park Big Bend National Park

z

z TCEQ Continuous Water Quality MonitoringTCEQ Continuous Water Quality Monitoring

¾

Use TCEQ sampling procedures and an

accredited laboratory for analysis

(10)

2009 Monitoring Sites

(11)

2009 Upper RG Monitoring Sites

31 Upper RG Sites:

17 - IBWC CRP 14 - TCEQ

(12)

Water Quality Uses and Standards

¾

¾ TCEQ uses these standards to assess the river and TCEQ uses these standards to assess the river and determine if any segments are impaired (303d List)

determine if any segments are impaired (303d List)

¾

¾ 2308 Non_{2308 Non}--contact usecontact use

¾

(13)

Bacteria Bacteria Chloride TDS Chloride TDS

Impairments on the 2008-10 Texas

Water Quality Inventory and 303(d) List

(14)

Chloride TDS

Bacteria

13232

Impairments on the 2008-10 Texas Water

Quality Inventory and 303(d) List

(15)

Concerns on the 2008-10 Texas Water

Quality Inventory and 303(d) List

Total phosphorus Orthophosphorus Total phosphorus Ammonia Nitrate Nitrate Chlorophyll-a

(16)

Salinity Study

¾

Will begin planning phase for salinity

special study this fall

¾

EPCC and UTEP

¾

Intensive monitoring in the Upper Rio

Grande

(17)

Metals Study

¾

CRP will collect total and dissolved metals

at 5 sites in El Paso

¾

Under TCEQ quality assurance plan

¾

(18)

Pesticides Study

¾

Pesticides/Organics in sediment analyzed for 3 years

from 2007 to 2009 semiannually at all CRP stations

¾

23 chemicals tested

¾

Most stations did not detect any organics

¾

Upper Rio Grande had 1 station that detected

DDE/DDT (Alamo Grade upstream of Ft Hancock) in

2008

¾

EPWU collects monthly organics in water

Æ

no

detects

(19)

Clean Water Restoration Act

S

-

787

¾

Currently in Congress, introduced April 09;

June passed committee

¾

Amends the Federal Water Pollution

Control Act (the Clean Water Act) to

replace the term "navigable waters" that

are subject to such Act with the term

"waters of the United States"

(20)

Request for Info: Vehicles

¾

Motorized vehicles prohibited on levee and

in river

¾

(21)

CRP Website has changed

www.ibwc.gov/CRP/Index.htm

(22)

Information

on Website

(23)

~International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) Viewer -Moz1lla FirefoK I

Ejle ~dit 'ijew Hi:;tory ~ookmarl<s Iools t!elp

~ jii!J http://gisdata.usgs.gov/website/ibwc/viewer.htm?Box=·107.052:25.39:-96.147:33.23B

D Envl D gls D html D lBWC Info "(' Hotmall D Links D NMSU Geog D personal D training opp 0 lBWC Home D CRP D UTEP

International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) CRetumto•t.rt••••> Tutorial

..-· . _..._... New Mexico \. , Texas 1 Scale Informati ~ Out Scale- 1:5. ~Water Qualit ~ Real-time ar Monitoring ~ Hydrograph1 ~ Places (Nam ~ Anthropoger ~Transport at I ~ Hydrogeolo~ ~Biology ~Geology ~Census ~ Boundaries ~ Ortholmager ~land Cover ~Elevation

(24)

IBWC Viewer» Site Page

Site Description

Photos Graphs

Complete S1te List

~Water Bul etins ~ Go to Site Data Page:

I enter site number !...§£...J

Also Identified As:

08-4 750.00 (IB WC ID)

13177 (TCEQ ID)

084 75000 (USGS ID)

~ print friendly version

r

08-4750.00 RIO GRANDE AT El JARDIN PUMP Stream Site Description

Location

Latitude 25"52'35", longitude 97 "72'15.01 ", Cameron County, Texas, United States.

Description

Drainage area: not available; Contributing drainage area: not available, Datum of gage: 0 feet above sea level.

Cableway, bubbler gage, water-stage recorders (graphic and digital), and DCP with GOES high data rate telemetry located on the left bank at river kilometer 78.3, 0.3 river kilometer downstream from El Jardin pumping plant, and 11 .2 river kilometers downstream from the international highway bridge (Gateway) between Brownsville, Texas and Matamoros, Tamaulipas. The zero of the gage is at mean sea level, U. S. C.

a G. S. datum.

Available Data

Data Type Be~in Date End Date Count

I Real-Time Data

212812007

I Historical Flow Data 1/1/1934

3014

II Field/lab Water-Quality Samples 1/24/1995 2/21/2007

Photos, Maps, and Graphs

>>Click on an image to view more

(25)

Photo Gallery

(26)

¾

Community groups

adopt a 2

-

mile

section of river for 2

years

¾

Commit to 2

-

3

cleanups per year

USIBWC

’

s

Adopt

-

a

-

River

Program

(27)

Adopt

-

a

-

River

¾

Community groups

leave

trashbags

on

levee

¾

IBWC picks up and

disposes of trash

¾

Sign acknowledging

group posted

(28)

Adopt

-

a

-

River

¾

Many sections available

for adoption

¾

(29)

2010 Calendars

¾

Please sign sheet if

you are interested

in a calendar

(30)

Questions?

USIBWC

-

CRP

Elizabeth

Verdecchia

, 915

-

832

-

4701

elizabethverdecchia@ibwc.gov

Leslie

Grijalva

, 915

-

832

-

4770

legrijal@ibwc.gov

CRP Website

www.ibwc.gov/CRP/Index.htm