Daily News Update, Dec. 4, 2007

TCEQ to host meeting on Leon River water quality

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will host a public meeting Dec. 12 to update stakeholders on the status of the Leon River Total Maximum Daily Load for bacteria.

The meeting will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Lee Conference Center, 114 E. Main Street in Hamilton, Texas.

The goal of a TMDL is to determine the amount (or load) of a pollutant that a body of water can receive and still support its beneficial uses. TMDLs are required for some impaired water bodies under the 1972 federal Clean Water Act.

The Leon River below Proctor Lake was identified as impaired due to elevated levels of bacterial indicators for pathogens, specifically fecal coliform and E-coli. The counties within the watershed include Comanche, Coryell, Erath, Hamilton and Mills.

Information on the project, past meeting summaries, a list of current stakeholder representatives and a project overview can be found online at http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/implementation/water/tmdl/34-leon_group.html . 

Interested parties will have an opportunity to learn about efforts to improve water quality and develop plans specific to this segment of the river. The agenda includes additional discussion on the TMDL project prior to release for public comment. 

The Brazos River Authority is forming a steering committee to develop a Watershed Protection Plan for the Leon River watershed. Contact Jay Bragg at (254) 761-3135 or e-mail jbragg@brazos.org for details.

A copy of an EPA publication to help organizations develop watershed plans is available at http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/watershed_handbook .