2003 Sabine River Basin Summary Report - Executive Summary

This Executive Summary to the 2003 Basin Summary Report, Sabine River Basin, Texas, was prepared in cooperation with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) under the authorization of the Texas Clean Rivers Act.

Activities and Accomplishments

Since initial operational activities began in 1954, the Sabine River Authority of Texas (SRA) has taken an active role in water quality matters and over the years has expanded its services to meet increasing needs throughout the Sabine River Basin. The SRA was established with responsibilities to control, store, preserve, and distribute the waters of the Sabine River and its tributary streams for useful purposes.

The water quality laboratory services and field programs are conducted by the Environmental Services Division (ESD) which operates a modern, well-equipped water quality testing laboratory near Orange. The SRA provides these services because they fulfill demonstrated needs and have proven to be beneficial for the SRA and its customers in managing and protecting the water resources in the Sabine Basin.

As part of its commitment to serve the evolving water resource needs of the Sabine Basin, SRA reorganized the Water Resources Branch (WRB) creating a new division, Resource Management/ Project Development (RMPD). The focus of the RMPD is to assist in water resource planning and development activities such as water supply, water resources protection, water quality issues, information management, and environmental services support.

The SRA uses a watershed approach to assess water quality conditions in the Sabine Basin. This methodology includes all available information in the SRA Watershed Inventory. In addition to water quality data collected by the SRA, datasets for the inventories have been received from a number of sources including municipalities, government agencies (local, state, and federal), and universities. Water quality data was not available for some subwatersheds, but assessments were possible due to the information available in the subwatershed Inventories. Data from September 1998 through August 2003 (5 years) were analyzed for this summary report. Trend analyses were also conducted for representative sites using water quality data collected from September 1993 through August 2003 (10 years). Spatial analyses were performed by subwatershed to correlate the water quality conditions with environmental factors.

Significant Findings

Water quality assessment summaries were developed by analyzing water quality data and all other available information for each subwatershed. The primary water quality issues are elevated bacteria levels and low dissolved oxygen. The problems tend to be in small streams with low elevation gradients. In most cases the problems occur infrequently and do not appear to significantly impact the designated use of the water body. Some of the impacts are due to excessive loading from point sources, but many of the concerns are the result of non-point source pollution or natural conditions. Assessments are presented below for each subwatershed in the Sabine Basin.

Sabine Basin Water Quality Summary

Segment/ Subwatershed ID		Descriptions	TCEQ Draft 2004 Texas 303(d) List	SRA Assessment of Water Quality Issues	Water Quality Condition	Level of Potential Impacts	Recommendations
							TCEQ	SRA
501	1.00	Main-stem		Localized Areas of Elevated Bacteria	Adequate	Low		Additional E. coli Monitoring
	1.01	Black Bayou - LA		No Known Issues	Excellent	Low
511	1.02	Cow Bayou	Low Dissolved Oxygen, High Fecal Coliform, Elevated pH (Segment 0511 & 4 Additional Sub-segments)	Low Dissolved Oxygen, High Fecal Coliform, Elevated pH	Poor	High	Conducting TMDL	Conducting TMDL
508	1.03	Adams Bayou	Low Dissolved Oxygen, High Fecal Coliform, (Segment 0508 & 3 Additional Sub-segments)	Low Dissolved Oxygen, High Fecal Coliform	Poor	High	Conducting TMDL	Conducting TMDL
	1.04	Burton Shell Canal - LA.		No Known Issues		Low
	1.05	Intracoastal Waterway - LA.		No Known Issues	Excellent	Low
	1.06	Conway Bayou - LA.		No Known Issues		Low
	1.07	Phoenix Lake (Oil Field) Confluence - LA.		No Known Issues		Low
	1.08	Old Hwy 90 Canal - LA.		No Known Issues		Low
	1.09	Coopers Gully (City of Orange)		No Known Issues	Adequate	Medium
	1.10	Little Cypress Bayou	Chronic Toxicity in Three Areas of One sub-segment	High Organic Loading	Poor	Medium	Conduct TMDL for Chronic Toxicity	Conduct Sampling After Changes in Discharge Status
	1.11	High-Line Canal - LA.		No Known Issues		Low
	1.12	Big Bayou at Big Eddy - LA.		No Known Issues		Low
	1.13	Old Sabine River Confluence - LA.		No Known Issues		Low
	1.14	Drainage Channel		No Known Issues	Adequate	Low
503	2.00	Main-stem		No Known Issues	Excellent	Low
	2.01	Swift Lake/ Big Cypress Creek		No Known Issues	Excellent	Medium
	2.02	Nichols Creek	Chronic Toxicity, Low Dissolved Oxygen, Elevated Fecal Coliform	Low Dissolved Oxygen, Elevated Fecal Coliform	Adequate	Low	Conduct TMDL for Chronic Toxicity	Natural Conditions - No Further Action Warranted
	2.03	Slaydons Creek		No Known Issues		Low
	2.04	Brushy Creek - LA.		No Known Issues		Low
513	2.05	Big Cow Creek		No Known Issues	Excellent	Medium
	2.06	Big Slough-La.		No Known Issues		Low
	2.07	Dempsey Creek / Davis Creek		No Known Issues	Adequate	Low
	2.08	Old River - LA.		No Known Issues		Low
	2.09	Caney Creek		No Known Issues	Adequate	Low
503	3.00	Main-stem		No Known Issues	Excellent	Low
	3.01	Quicksand Creek		No Known Issues		Low
	3.02	Lost Creek / Rocky Creek		No Known Issues		Low
	3.03	Bayou Anacoco - LA.		No Known Issues	Excellent	Medium
	3.04	Little Cow Creek		No Known Issues	Excellent	Low
	3.05	Mill Creek / Melton Creek		No Known Issues		Low
	3.06	Pearl Creek - LA.		No Known Issues		Low
	3.07	Sandy Creek - LA.		No Known Issues		Low
	3.08	Bayou Toro - LA.		No Known Issues		Low
504	4.00	Toledo Bend Reservoir	Fish Consumption Advisory, Localized Low Dissolved Oxygen	Fish Consumption Advisory	Adequate	Low	Conduct TMDL for Mercury	Conduct Periodic Fish Tissue Sampling
	4.01	Indian Creek / Buck Creek / Mill Creek / Six-Mile Creek		No Known Issues		Low
	4.02	Caney Creek - LA.		No Known Issues		Low
	4.03	Housen Bayou		No Known Issues		Low
	4.04	Yocum Creek / Arnold Creek - LA.		No Known Issues		Low
	4.05	Bayou Negreet - LA.		No Known Issues		Low
	4.06	Lows Creek		No Known Issues		Low
	4.07	Palo Gaucho Bayou	Chronic Toxicity in Water	Slightly Impaired Biological Conditions	Adequate	Low	Conduct TMDL for Chronic Toxicity	Natural Conditions - No Further Action Warranted
	4.08	Patroon Bayou		No Known Issues		Low
	4.09	Bayou La Nana - LA.		No Known Issues	Excellent	Low
	4.1	San Miguel Bayou - LA.		Low Dissolved Oxygen	Adequate	Low
	4.11	Martinez Creek / Brittain Creek / Bayou Siepe		No Known Issues		Low
	4.12	Bayou San Patricia - LA.		Low Dissolved Oxygen	Poor	High
	4.13	Bossier Bayou - LA.				Low
	4.14	Tenaha Creek		No Known Issues	Adequate	Medium
	4.15	Flat Fork Creek		No Known Issues		Low
	4.16	Styles Creek / McFaddin Creek / Wilkerson Creek		No Known Issues		Low
	4.17	Bayou Castor - LA.		No Known Issues		Medium
	4.18	Socagee Creek		No Known Issues	Excellent	Low
	4.19	Murvaul Creek		No Known Issues		Low
509	4.2	Murvaul Lake		No Known Issues	Excellent	Low
	4.21	Murvaul Creek (Above Murvaul Lake)		No Known Issues	Excellent	Low
505	5.00	Mainstem	Elevated Bacteria	Localized Areas of Elevated Bacteria	Adequate	High	Conduct TMDL	Additional E. coli Monitoring
	5.01	Sixmile Creek, Hoggs Bayou		No Known Issues	Adequate	Medium
	5.02	Jackson Creek, Caddo Creek		No Known Issues		Low
	5.03	Irons Bayou		No Known Issues	Adequate	Medium
	5.04	Martin Creek		No Known Issues	Adequate	Medium
	5.05	Martin Lake		No Known Issues		Low
	5.06	Martin Creek above Martin Lake, Dry Branch above Martin Lake		No Known Issues		Medium
	5.07	Cherokee Bayou		No Known Issues		Medium
510	5.08	Lake Cherokee		No Known Issues	Excellent	Low
	5.09	Mill Creek, Tiawichi Creek		No Known Issues	Adequate	Medium
	5.10	Eight Mile Creek, Parker Creek		No Known Issues	Excellent	Medium
	5.11	Potters Creek		No Known Issues	Adequate	Low
	5.12	Brandy Branch		No Known Issues		Low
	5.13	Brandy Branch Lake		No Known Issues		Low
	5.14	Hatley Creek	Low Dissolved Oxygen	No Known Issues	Excellent	Medium	Conduct TMDL	Natural Conditions - No Further Action Warranted
	5.15	Clarks Creek		No Known Issues	Excellent	Medium
	5.16	Mason Creek		No Known Issues	Excellent	Medium
	5.17	Wynns Bayou, Dutchman Creek		No Known Issues		Low
	5.18	Grace Creek	Elevated Bacteria; Low Dissolved Oxygen	Elevated Bacteria; Occasional Low Dissolved Oxygen	Poor	High	Conduct TMDL	Implement Non-point Source Pollution Controls
	5.19	Rabbit Creek, Bighead Creek	Elevated Bacteria	Occasional Elevated Bacteria; Occasional Low Dissolved Oxygen	Adequate	High	Conduct TMDL	Natural Conditions - No Further Action Warranted
	5.2	Hawkins Creek		Occasional Low Dissolved Oxygen	Adequate	Medium		Natural Conditions - No Further Action Warranted
	5.21	Prairie Creek		No Known Issues	Excellent	Medium
	5.22	Moody Creek		Occasional Elevated Bacteria	Adequate	Low		Natural Conditions - No Further Action Warranted
	5.23	Glade Creek		No Known Issues		Low
	5.24	Lake Gladewater		No Known Issues		Low
506	6.00	Main Stem	Elevated Bacteria	Localized Areas of Elevated Bacteria	Excellent	Low	Conduct TMDL	Additional E. coli Monitoring
	6.01	Little White Oak Creek, Rocky Creek	Chronic Toxicity in Water	No Known Issues	Excellent	Low	Conduct TMDL for Chronic Toxicity	Natural Conditions - No Further Action Warranted
514	6.02	Big Sandy Creek		No Known Issues	Excellent	Medium
	6.03	Lake Winnsboro		No Known Issues		Low
	6.04	Harris Creek, Sunstroke Creek, Wiggins Creek	Low Dissolved Oxygen	No Known Issues	Excellent	Medium	Conduct TMDL	Natural Conditions - No Further Action Warranted
	6.05	Little Sandy Creek		No Known Issues	Excellent	Medium
	6.06	Lake Hawkins		No Known Issues		Low
	6.07	Glade, Lynn Creek		No Known Issues		Low
	6.08	Saline Creek		No Known Issues	Excellent	Medium
	6.09	Duck Creek		No Known Issues	Excellent	Low
515