Runoff is that part of precipitation, snow melt or irrigation water that does not sink into the ground but moves from the land into streams or other surface water. It can carry pollutants from the land or air to its destination waters.

The Texas Legislature created the Clean Rivers Program in 1991 when it passed the Texas Clean Rivers Act. Legislators’ goal was to push Texas towards comprehensive water planning and management to ensure the future quality of the water supply.

The state designated the Brazos River Authority as the lead agency to conduct water quality assessment and Clean Rivers Program (CRP) planning in the Brazos River watershed. Every one to three months, the Authority tests water for everything from temperature and salinity to dissolved solids and chemical contaminants at 150 to 200 sites.

If that data indicates there is a problem, officials could respond with a Watershed Protection Plan. A WPP is a means for the community to come together to discuss and plan ways to resolve water quality issues.

More severe issues might call for a government mandated Total Maximum Daily Load Program which limits the discharge of certain contaminants. An example of the program’s success can be found at Lake Aquilla, where officials worked with farmers to reduce levels of herbicide in the water. 

More information on the Clean Rivers Program may be found by clicking here

A watershed protection plan is a coordinated effort among stakeholders of a watershed to determine and implement a plan to ease an environmental issue. The stakeholders often include residents of the impacted community, representatives of governmental and other agencies and local businesses, among others.

The stakeholders work with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to develop a plan and formulate programs to manage the issue.

E. coli is a bacteria normally found in the intestines of humans and other warm blooded animals. It can pollute water bodies and other areas through contact with waste. Researchers have found contact with the bacteria can cause gastrointestinal illnesses.

Giardiasis is an infection of the small intestine by single-celled parasites called giardia. People are typically infected by the parasite through exposure to fecal mater through contaminated water or food. Symptoms, which usually begin about a week after infection, include diarrhea, nausea and abdominal cramps.

Though there are no preventative vaccines, several drugs can be used to treat infections. However, there are ways to avoid becoming infected. First, people should avoid consuming water that may have become contaminated. If one does not know whether water is safe, it should be boiled or treated before consumption. Likewise, avoid foods potentially washed in contaminated water if the food cannot be cooked or peeled. Wash hands frequently with soap, especially after using the bathroom or before eating. Also wash hands after changing diapers. Avoid swallowing water while swimming.

Non-point source pollution are harmful substances that occur as a result of human activities over a wide area rather than from one specific location. These include forms of diffuse pollution caused by sediment, nutrients, organic and toxic substances that wash off city streets, plowed fields or other developed areas. The pollution is carried to lakes and streams by runoff.  Examples of non-point source pollution are oil and gas that leak from cars and trucks onto the pavement or over applicaton of fertilizer on lawns or agricultural fields. 

There are a number of factors that may affect water clarity.  The chief factor in the clarity of lakes and rivers in Texas is sediment. The more sediment in a stream or body of water, the cloudier it appears. This factor can vary depending on geography and climate. Some areas naturally have more sediment drawn from the surrounding land, particularly agricultural areas, where soil is often broken up and exposed. Water tends to be cloudier during rainier seasons when runoff carries topsoil and other matter into lakes and streams.

Separate from sanitary water lines or wastewater sewers, storm sewers carry away surface rain runoff, street wash and snow melt via curb-side drains.  Also unlike sanitary sewers, these systems usually drain directly into a creek, river, or other body of water without treatment.  This is also how a lot of the trash ends up in our rivers and lakes.  Everything thrown out in the street or dumped in a street drain (storm drain) ends up in a nearby river or lake. 

Dumping hazardous substances into these curbside sewers can have a direct negative impact on the environment causing fish kills or killing plants and animals that come in contact with the storm water.

Artesian, spring, well and ground water comes from an underground aquifer and may or may not be treated. Well and artesian water are tapped through a well.

• Spring water is collected as it flows to the surface, and ground water can be either.
• Distilled water comes from steam from boiling water that is condensed. Distilling kills microbes and removes minerals, giving water a “flat” taste.
• Drinking water is simply intended for human consumption and can come from a variety of sources, including public water supplies.
• Mineral water is ground water that naturally contains 250 or more parts per million of total dissolved solids.
• Purified water comes from any source but has been treated to meet the U.S. Pharmacopeia definition of purification. It is essentially free of     chemicals, dissolved solids, and microbes.
• Sterile water comes from any source but is treated to meet U.S. medical standards for sterilization so it contains no microbes.
• Carbonated, seltzer, tonic, sparkling, and soda water are considered soft drinks and are not regulated like bottled water.

Brackish is a term used to describe water that contains more dissolved minerals (see total dissolved solids) than normally acceptable for municipal, domestic and agricultural uses. It has a higher amount of dissolved solids than fresh water but not as high as saltier types such as sea water.

Brackish water includes concentrations of total dissolved solids (TDS) ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 milligrams per liter (mg/l).

Turbidity is the amount of particles suspended in water. It is the factor that causes water to appear cloudy or even opaque.  It is measured by how the particles scatter light rays moving through the water.

Wetlands provide a habitat for a variety of plants and animals that would fare poorly in other environments. They also provide water storage, funtioning like a sponge, storing water and slowly releasing it. This helps ease water’s potential for floooding and erosion. The slow release also contributes to surface water flow during dry periods.

Wetlands also can act as a natural water filtration system. As the water enters the wetland, its movement slows around plants, which allows suspended sediments to drop to the wetland floor. Nutirents and pollutants get absorbed by plants and mircoorganisms. An example of this process is the Lake Waco Wetlands area, where many nutrients carried into the lake from the Bosque River are trapped in the wetland, instead of entering the lake proper, the nearby city’s chief source of water.