Nueces River Watershed Partnership Stakeholder MeetingMarch 5, 2013

Pamela Casebolt,Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board

Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB)

Nueces River Authority (NRA) Nueces River Watershed Partnership

TSSWCB is the lead agency in Texas responsible for planning, implementing and managing programs and practices for abating agricultural and silvicultural nonpoint source pollution

Project Oversight Management of all project activities Ensure coordination of activities between

project partners Provide funding to conduct project◦ $309,727 Federal Funding

Serve as a technical resource through the development and implementation of the watershed protection plan

The TSSWCB works with the 216 Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) in Texas, by using local knowledge to achieve conservation goals that are based on the needs of each specific SWCD

The TSSWCB provides technical assistance and in some cases financial assistance to the SWCDs to help achieve these goals

ProvidingConservation Assistance

to Private Landownersfor 70+ Years

LOCAL = 216 SWCDsSTATE = TSSWCB

FEDERAL = USDA-NRCS

• Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB)• Agricultural and Silvicultural Nonpoint Source

• Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)• Point Source Permitting

• Wastewater Treatment Facilities (WWTF)• Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO)• Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4)

• All other forms of Nonpoint Source

• State’s comprehensive strategy to protect and restore water quality in waterbodies impacted by NPS water pollution

• State must have a federally-approved Management Program in order to continue receiving CWA §319(h) grant monies from USEPA

• Updated/revised May 2012

Geographic focus based on hydrology rather than political boundaries

Water quality objectives based on scientific data

Coordinated priorities and integrated solutions

Diverse, well-integrated partnerships

Watershed Protection Plan

WPPs are mechanisms for voluntarily addressing complex water quality problems that cross multiple jurisdictions

WPPs holistically address all of the sources and causes of impairments and threats to both surface and ground water resources within a watershed

WPPs are coordinated frameworks for implementing prioritized and integrated protection and restoration strategies driven by environmental objectives

WPPs are tools to better leverage the resources of individual landowners and citizens, local governments, state and federal agencies, and non-governmental organizations

WPPs are developed and implemented through diverse, well integrated partnerships with decision-making founded at the local level

WPPs use adaptive management to modify the plan based on an ongoing science-based process involving monitoring and evaluating strategies and incorporating new knowledge into decision-making

a) Identification of the causes and sources of water quality problems

b) Estimate of the load reductions expected to be achievedc) Description of management measures that will need to be

implementedd) Estimate of technical and financial assistance needed to

implement the plane) Information/education component that will be used to

enhance public understanding of the planf) Schedule for implementing management measuresg) Interim, measurable milestones for determining whether

management measures are being implementedh) Set of criteria used to determine whether load reductions are

being achievedi) Water quality monitoring component to evaluate effectiveness

of implementation

TSSWCB = 12TCEQ = 133rd Party = 6

Changes to Wastewater Treatment Facility permits & possible upgrades

Repair & replace failing septic systems Technical assistance & financial incentives to

landowners for voluntary BMPs on agricultural land

Control of invasive species (feral hogs, aquatic plants)

Education on & demonstration of BMPs

Build upon efforts made on the Source Water Protection Plan for the Lower Nueces River

A watershed protection plan is a voluntary, stakeholder driven document that holistically addresses all sources of impairments and concerns to water resources and serves as a roadmap to assure the long-term health of the watershed by developing management strategies and identifying resources for implementation

TSSWCB will serve as a technical resource through the development and implementation of the watershed protection plan

Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board

http://www.tsswcb.texas.gov/

Thank You!

Pamela CaseboltNPS Grants Coordinator254-773-2250 ext 247

pcasebolt@tsswcb.texas.gov

Jana LloydProject Manager

254-773-2250 ext 224jlloyd@tsswcb.texas.gov