joint groundwater report - Texas Commission on Environmental ...

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TGPC. The executive administrator of the <strong>Texas</strong> Water Development Board serves as the TGPC’s vicechairman.TGPC members and their designated representatives are listed in Appendix 1.Federal Involvement and CoordinationIn March 1985, the <strong>Texas</strong> Department of Water Resources, predecessor to the <strong>Texas</strong> Natural ResourceConservation <strong>Commission</strong> and the <strong>Texas</strong> Water Development Board, received a grant from the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to improve the coordination of <strong>groundwater</strong> protection activitiesundertaken by state agencies. In response to this federal mandate, the interagency Groundwater ProtectionCommittee, predecessor to the <strong>Texas</strong> Groundwater Protection Committee, was formed. Since that time, thecoordination of <strong>groundwater</strong> protection activities of the various state programs and agencies and thedevelopment of a <strong>groundwater</strong> protection strategy have been guided and funded through EPA grantsadministered under the Clean Water Act, Section 106. During fiscal year 1991, the EPA required each state toreassess its <strong>groundwater</strong> protection strategies in a process called profiling the respective state’s <strong>groundwater</strong>protection program. The TGPC completed this profile for submission to the EPA.Comprehensive State Groundwater Protection ProgramIn evaluating the states’ activities under the <strong>groundwater</strong> protection strategy initiative begun in the early1980s, the EPA concluded that additional efforts were needed to protect the nation’s <strong>groundwater</strong>. Duringfiscal years 1992 and 1993, the EPA developed and published draft guidance for the development of acomprehensive state <strong>groundwater</strong> protection program (CSGWPP). The CSGWPP guidance encourages thestates to further their efforts in developing existing programs into a more comprehensive approach. The finalguidance was published early in 1993.The EPA’s guidance first calls for the development of a core protection program, a basic program from whichstates would work with the EPA over the next few years to build a fully integrated protection program. Whilethis is a voluntary program, the EPA has promised greater program flexibility for states with endorsedprograms. The TGPC feels that the existing components of <strong>Texas</strong>’ program should meet the EPA’s criteriafor a core program.Because <strong>groundwater</strong> protection programs are a patchwork of federal, state, and local efforts that focus onindividual sources of contamination rather than protection of the resource as a whole, the TGPC has begun todevelop a comprehensive state <strong>groundwater</strong> protection program. The CSGWPP consists of six strategicactivities:< establishing a common protection goal;< establishing priorities to achieve the most efficient and effective means of achieving the goal;< defining roles and responsibilities of all program areas;< implementing all necessary efforts to accomplish the goal;< coordinating information; and< improving public education and participation.The TGPC prepared a core program assessment and submitted it to the EPA for endorsement in October1993. The core assessment compared the State’s <strong>groundwater</strong> protection program, as strengthened andcoordinated by the TGPC, to federal CSGWPP guidance. The TGPC feels that the assessment demonstrated12
core program compliance, thus providing the base from which to develop the fully integrating CSGWPP. TheEPA provided comments on the core assessment in February 1995. The TGPC has initiated efforts to addressthe EPA’s comments and finalize the <strong>Texas</strong>-specific core program assessment. The TGPC will develop thesix strategic activities of the CSGWPP, including milestones for achieving a fully integrated <strong>groundwater</strong>protection program.MeetingsThe TGPC meets quarterly; meeting times and agenda are published in the <strong>Texas</strong> Register and on theTGPC’s World Wide Web site at . The public is invited to attend all TGPCmeetings and to participate on subcommittees. The TNRCC maintains audio tapes and written records of allTGPC meetings. The TNRCC maintains a mailing list of TGPC members, designated and alternate members,agency staff, and interested parties for meeting notification.Groundwater Protection PolicySection 26.401 of the <strong>Texas</strong> Water Code establishes the state’s <strong>groundwater</strong> protection policy. The policysets out nondegradation of the state's <strong>groundwater</strong> resources as the goal for all state programs. The policyrecognizes the variability of the state's aquifers, the importance of maintaining water quality for existing andpotential uses, the protection of the environment and the public health and welfare, and the maintenance andenhancement of the long-term economic health of the state. Further, the policy recognizes that <strong>groundwater</strong>contamination may result from many sources, including current and past oil and gas production and relatedpractices, agricultural activities, industrial and manufacturing processes, commercial and business endeavors,domestic activities, and natural sources that may be influenced by, or may result from, human activities. Theuse of the best professional judgement by the responsible state agencies in attaining the goal and policy isalso recognized.The policy states that discharges of pollutants, disposal of wastes, and other regulated activities be conductedin a manner that will maintain present uses and not impair potential uses of <strong>groundwater</strong> or pose a publichealth hazard. The programs of the various state agencies are generally administered to attain this goal. Thestate’s <strong>groundwater</strong> protection policy is included in Appendix 2.Groundwater Classification SystemThe <strong>Texas</strong> Groundwater Protection Committee and its member agencies recognize that <strong>groundwater</strong>classification is an important tool to be used in the implementation of the state's <strong>groundwater</strong> protectionpolicy. Through classification, the <strong>groundwater</strong>s in the state can be categorized and protection or restorationmeasures can then be specified by member agencies according to the quality and present or potential use ofthe <strong>groundwater</strong>.The TGPC has developed a <strong>groundwater</strong> classification system for use by state agencies. Four <strong>groundwater</strong>classes are defined based on quality as determined by total dissolved solids (TDS) content. The names andconcentration ranges are based on traditional nomenclature associated with each class. Fresh <strong>groundwater</strong> isclassified as having a TDS concentration range from zero to 1,000 milligrams per liter (mg/L); slightly saline13
Page 5: Table of ContentsACRONYMS .........
Page 8 and 9: ACRONYMSAgencies, Divisions, and Pr
Page 10 and 11: The report further
Page 12 and 13: groundwater qualit
Page 14 and 15: Describing an agency's enforcement
Page 16 and 17: Figure 2a. Groundwater Contaminatio
Page 19: GROUNDWATER PROTECTIONThe following
Page 23 and 24: ability to remove or treat all cont
Page 25 and 26: approach that will expedite remedia
Page 27 and 28: Reporting Unauthorized Discharges a
Page 29 and 30: county judges and county health ent
Page 31 and 32: USER’S GUIDEThe remaining portion
Page 33 and 34: Figure 3. Contamination Case Descri
Page 35 and 36: Figure 4. Enforcement Status Matrix
Page 37 and 38: Activity Status CodesOnce g
Page 39 and 40: GROUNDWATER PROTECTIONPROGRAM DESCR
Page 41 and 42: Status of Groundwater Monitoring Pr
Page 43 and 44: Industrial and Hazardous Waste Divi
Page 45 and 46: Since 1975, when the first Class II
Page 47 and 48: supplies from IHW's Class I Undergr
Page 49 and 50: 29 chemical parameters. Subsequent
Page 51 and 52: due to completed action from this a
Page 53 and 54: Status of Groundwater Monitoring Pr
Page 55 and 56: state agencies which have jurisdict
Page 57: systems have 8,131 entry points sup
Page 60: Figure 7. Texas Wa
Page 63 and 64: The RCT also responds to citizen co
Page 65 and 66: aquifers and stream baseflow. At th
Page 67 and 68: Texas Department o
Page 69 and 70: Texas State Soil a
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Texas Alliance of
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Prior to the plugging of six monito
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egan a research study of the fresh
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High Plains Underground Water Conse
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Hill Country Underground Water Cons
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An artesian brine aquifer called th
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Plateau Underground Water Conservat
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effort will allow the district to c
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and methods to better evaluate wher
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Texas Department o
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Table 1Texas Natur
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TABLE 1GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION CA
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Table 2Railroad Commission<
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Table 3Texas Allia
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APPENDICESAppendix 1. Texas
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Appendix 1. Texas
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Texas State Soil a
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Appendix 2. Texas
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Appendix 3. Groundwater Classificat
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Figure 15. Groundwater Classificati
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Appendix 4. Texas
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Appendix 5. TNRCC Spill Prevention
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working days of the discovery of th
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A-19
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A-21
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Appendix 7. Agency and District Con
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Edwards Aquifer AuthorityEmerald Un
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Appendix 8. Agency Central Records
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Appendix 9. Other Reports and Publi
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impact on the quality of the state'
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