MINUTES DRAFT 1 – Printed 8/17/2004 12:21
PM
Orange County
TMDL Project, SAG Meeting #4
Sabine River
Authority of
Authority
General Office,
Tuesday, April 27, 2004, 2:00 – 5:00 PM
Welcome & Introductions
(Ann Galassi,
Notebook Handouts (Miles
Hall, SRA)
Meeting notes unanimously approved.
Project Status Reports (Ward
What will the
Three day samplings at each Bayou will include dissolved oxygen (DO), flow, nutrients and other water quality parameters. Sampling will be conducted by SRA and Parsons.
Will the TMDL Project
identify loads or sources?
Both.
What station was
changed for the amended QAPP and why?
Hudson Gully was changed to Adams Bayou at 1078 due to inability to distinguish rainfall affects from tidal influences.
Aren’t there tidal
influences on other sites, and if so will they be accounted for?
Yes, there are tidal influences on other sites (though not as extreme as for Hudson Gully), and they will be accounted for in the sampling for the Intensive Surveys.
Demonstration of experimental Sediment Oxygen Demand (SOD) sampling device.
Sampling Results (John Payne, SRA)
Status of rainfall event sampling
Cow Bayou: Two rainfall events sampled; Adams Bayou: awaiting rainfall event.
Are E coli samplings most problematic in rainfall event samples?
Yes.
Discussion of voluntary vs. regulatory remediation. Voluntary programs have been successful for other TMDL Projects (e.g. the Aquilla Reservoir Project[1]).
Discussion regarding the dangers of jumping to conclusions and trying to fix problems at this stage in the TMDL Project.
Discussion of possible courses of action and funding if leaking septic tanks are identified as a problem.
Discussion of schedule. Year 2004 is a critical year; development of Draft TMDL Report will begin in 2005.
Discussion of status of modeling effort. There was a concern that the model may not have enough data to determine specific sources (point and non-point), especially upstream. There are 27 nodes on Cow Bayou and 17 on Adams Bayou, which should be enough to make a good decision.
Discussion of possible affects on sampling due to I-10 construction projects; Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will continue to coordinate with SRA).
Discussion of possibly applying for Texas General Land Office (GLO) Texas Coastal Management Program Grants.[3]
Texas Watch[4] wants to partner with TMDL Projects; this is a good source to help publicize public meetings and educate students.
Discussion of public acceptance of water quality problems on Cow and Adams Bayous and importance of educating the public to change this acceptance. At this stage of the TMDL Project, there is a need for a broader public education effort. Several SAG members volunteered to form a Communication Sub-committee tasked to contact the local media, write newspaper articles and letters to the editor, and research Texas Watch resources.
Public Comment/ Discussion (Ann Galassi, SRA)
No comments.
Planning for Next Meeting (Ann Galassi, SRA)
The next SAG/TAG meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 31, 2004, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM at the SRA Authority General Office. Potential presentations and topics of discussion include funding sources, sampling and modeling effort updates, future public meetings and a report from the Communication Sub-committee.