<<Prev Rule

Texas Administrative Code

Next Rule>>
TITLE 30ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
PART 1TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
CHAPTER 298ENVIRONMENTAL FLOW STANDARDS FOR SURFACE WATER
SUBCHAPTER DCOLORADO AND LAVACA RIVERS, AND MATAGORDA AND LAVACA BAYS
RULE §298.310Findings

(a) The Colorado and Lavaca Rivers and their associated tributaries and Matagorda and Lavaca Bays and their associated estuaries are healthy and sound ecological environments.

(b) For the Colorado and Lavaca Rivers, and their associated tributaries, the commission finds that these sound ecological environments can best be maintained by a set of flow standards that implement a schedule of flow quantities that contain subsistence flow, base flow, and high flow pulses at defined measurement points. Minimum flow levels for these components will vary by season and by year since the amount of precipitation and, therefore, whether a system is in subsistence or base flow conditions, will vary from year to year and within a year from season to season, and the number of pulses protected will also vary with the amount of precipitation.

(c) For Matagorda and Lavaca Bays, the commission finds that the sound ecological environment of Matagorda and Lavaca Bays can best be maintained by a set of freshwater inflow standards that include variable freshwater inflow quantities and that incorporate inflow and frequency targets at which specific levels of freshwater inflows occur, which are used for the sole purpose of providing additional freshwater inflows to Matagorda and Lavaca Bays through voluntary strategies.

(d) For East Matagorda Bay, the commission does not adopt environmental flow standards but finds that the sound ecological environment of East Matagorda Bay can be maintained by avoiding further reduction of freshwater inflows, to the extent those reductions can be avoided, and that strategies to provide additional freshwater inflows to East Matagorda Bay should be pursued.


Source Note: The provisions of this §298.310 adopted to be effective August 30, 2012, 37 TexReg 6629

Link to Texas Secretary of State Home Page | link to Texas Register home page | link to Texas Administrative Code home page | link to Open Meetings home page