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Subwatershed 1.03 includes Adams Bayou and covers 51 square miles in the coastal area of the Basin. The lower portion of Adams Bayou is designated as Segment 0508 in the Texas Surface Water Quality Standards (TSWQS) and is tidally influenced.

The Sabine River Authority (SRA) 1996 Assessment of Water Quality identified the Adams Bayou Subwatershed as an area of concern due to poor water quality.  Water quality concerns or possible concerns in this Subwatershed include dissolved oxygen, ammonia nitrogen, fecal coliform, and ambient toxicity. The problems in Subwatershed 1.03 appear to be due to the impacts from the large human population in the drainage area and the combined influence from point and nonpoint sources on a tidal waterbody with limited assimilative capacity.  Tidal waterbodies typically have limited assimilative capacity, because of low flows and high dissolved solids.  These conditions are made worse by the Subwatershed’s high turbidity due to a heavy clay substrate and a large amount of detritus from the deciduous trees common in the area.

Due to the extensive use of this waterbody for contact recreation, an intensive study was conducted on the Adams Bayou Subwatershed to identify the sources of water quality impairments. Monitoring included frequent sampling to document both point and non-point sources of fecal coliform, ammonia, and oxygen depleting materials. Sampling was also conducted to substantiate non-compliance with TSWQS.

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Prepared in Cooperation with the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission Under the Authorization of the Texas Clean Rivers Act.