TR-514 Carancahua Bay Watershed Protection Plan
Authors: Michael Schramm, Stephanie deVilleneuve, Shubham Jain, Allen Berthold and Uvashree Mohandass
The Carancahua Bay Watershed Protection Plan presents a strategy developed by local stakeholders to restore and protect water quality in Carancahua Bay and its tributaries. Carancahua Bay is on the 303(d) list due to elevated levels of indicator bacteria. Texas Water Resources Institute facilitated meetings and workgroup sessions with local stakeholders to identify potential bacteria load sources and prioritize locally feasible management measures. An 86% annual reduction of indicator bacteria loads is required to meet state water quality standards.
Full implementation of the management measures prioritized in this document could result in a reduction of 6.71 × 105 billion colonies Enterococcus per year. In order to achieve these reductions, stakeholders identified a diverse set of management measures and schedule for implementation. This document provides stakeholder guidance for implementing, tracking progress, and measuring success towards achieving improved water quality in the Carancahua Bay Watershed.