In 1991, the Texas Legislature passed the Texas Clean Rivers Act [Senate Bill 818]. The Act was intended to move Texas towards comprehensive water resources planning and management to ensure the integrity of the state’s water supply over the long term. The Clean Rivers Act requires an ongoing assessment of water quality issues and management strategies statewide. The Act established the Texas Clean Rivers Program (CRP) under the Texas Water Commission (now the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, or TCEQ). The program is funded by fees assessed on wastewater discharge permittees and water rights holders as well as through TCEQ’s own state appropriations.
For more information on the Clean Rivers Program please visit the TCEQ CRP website. This website has information about the statewide program and links to Clean Rivers Program partner websites.
San Antonio River Basin Clean Rivers Program Goals
- Provide quality-assured data
- Identify and evaluate water quality issues
- Promote cooperative watershed planning
- Recommend management strategies
- Inform and engage stakeholders
- Maintain efficient use of public funds
Coordinated Monitoring Schedule
The objective of the Coordinated Monitoring Schedule is to provide a process by which Planning Agencies will coordinate their monitoring activities with the TCEQ and other qualified monitoring organizations within the basin. The coordinated monitoring schedules are developed each spring in order to implement the new schedules for the coming fiscal year.
Further information may be found at the Lower Colorado River Authority’s Lower Colorado River Authority’s website. Please note that the Coordinated Monitoring Schedule includes stations monitored by other entities.
Quality Assurance Project Plan
The Clean Rivers Program requires a Quality Assurance Project Plan in order to provide the level of consistency and scientific validity of data needed for decision-making across the state. Quality Assurance Project Plans are crucial for documenting how the San Antonio River Authority (River Authority) plans, implements, and assesses the quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) activities related to water quality monitoring.
CRP Partners
As part of the Texas CRP, the San Antonio River Authority partners with the Bandera County River Authority and Groundwater District to monitor the entire San Antonio River Basin.
The Texas Stream Team is a volunteer monitoring program that conducts monitoring throughout Texas using volunteer citizen scientists.
Steering Committee Meeting Information
Information about the River Authority’s Clean Rivers Program (CRP) Steering Committee, including agendas and presentations, can be found by following the link for the Environmental Advisory Committee (EAC). If you would like to contact a member or would like more information about the committee, please click contact us.
Water Quality Data
The San Antonio River Authority’s Environmental Sciences Department, along with its partners, conduct water quality monitoring, biological community and habitat assessments throughout the San Antonio River Watershed. This data is submitted to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), and is used to assess whether streams are meeting their designated use(s). The River Authority Regional Environmental Laboratory, a TCEQ Accredited Laboratory, conducts analysis of the surface water samples. Biological and habitat assessments are completed by the Watershed Monitoring Aquatic Biologists. The data can be viewed and downloaded through a Geographic Information System (GIS) application.
Basin Impairments and Concerns
Basin Summary Reports
The San Antonio River Basin Summary Report provides an overview of monitoring and assessment activities in the San Antonio River Basin and is published every five years. These reports are prepared by San Antonio River Authority staff in coordination with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and in accordance with the state’s guidelines. Each report discusses land use and special projects throughout the basin as well as trends in data across a 10-year history of the levels of bacteria, nutrients, aquatic life use and other water quality parameters at more than 180 sites throughout six watersheds in the basin, covering various periods.
Basin Highlight Reports
The Basin Highlights Report provides annual updates of the findings and activities conducted by San Antonio River Authority for the San Antonio River Basin in cooperation with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and other partners under the State of Texas Clean Rivers Program (CRP). This report includes an overview of basin water quality monitoring activities, a review of water quality data, a discussion of activities and findings for special studies, maps showing the location of sampling sites, a discussion of participation of other organizations in the basin monitoring program, and public outreach activities.