TR-456 Attoyac Bayou Bacterial Source Tracking Report
Authors: E. Martin, T. Gentry
The Attoyac Bayou, a sub-watershed within the Upper Neches River Watershed, extends approximately 82 miles through Rusk, Nacogdoches, San Augustine and Shelby counties before emptying into Sam Rayburn Reservoir. With several rural communities in the area, the majority of the land in the watershed is used for cattle and poultry operations, forestry or recreational and wildlife uses. The bayou is listed as an impaired water body on the Texas Integrated Report for Clean Water Act Sections 305(b) and 303(d) due to high levels of E. coli. Three monitoring stations managed by the Angelina & Neches River Authority, U.S. Geological Survey, and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality have provided water quality data on the bayou for a number of years. Beginning in 2000, data collected for E. coli have consistently shown elevated E. coli levels that exceed the applicable Texas Water Quality Standards. Through the Development of a Watershed Protection Plan for Attoyac Bayou project, additional water quality and stream flow data was collected to better understand E. coli loadings to the water body.