Points of Interest:
In the early 1900’s the Trinity River was so choked with pollution that it was referred to it as the “River of Death.” Today the river has largely recovered, and supports a diverse fish population. What was once seen as nothing more than a sewage ditch is now considered a valuable asset which the cities of Fort Worth and Dallas are capitalizing upon by developing small lakes and parks along the river's banks.

The key tasks of the Clean Rivers Program are based on suggestions from the Steering Committee and statewide priorities identified by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). These activities, as well as all other facets of the Clean Rivers Program are discussed at regular meetings held throughout the year. To view a list of CRP meetings, click here: CRP Meetings.

For the current two-year cycle, which includes fiscal years 2008 and 2009, CRP Activities include the following:

Basin-wide Fixed Monitoring
This is long-term routine monitoring which is necessary to provide a continuous overview of the entire watershed and to show improving or deteriorating trends. It is the basis for deciding where intensive studies or regulatory actions are necessary. In the Trinity basin, there are several local entities which have conducted fixed monitoring programs for years. Each one is concentrated in an area for which the entity has some direct responsibility, such as the watershed of a water supply lake or the city limits of a city. These programs have each been initiated, funded, and operated by the separate entities for their own purposes, but together they cover most of the Trinity River Basin. The Clean Rivers Program works with each "Within-Basin Participating Agency" to document their quality assurance program and get the data they produce included in one database. This multiplies many-fold the amount of data available.

Database Management
Data from all Fixed Monitoring and Special Studies are computerized, checked for errors and entered into an Access database for the Trinity River basin. Data are also submitted to the TCEQ for incorporation into TRACS, TCEQ’s statewide water quality database. Data in TRACS are used in important decision making and regulatory processes, making the quality of the data therein contained paramount.

Public Education and Involvement
Support is provided for locally organized stream cleanups, citizen monitoring, and educational activities throughout the basin. Volunteer monitoring is supported via funding of the Texas Watch program in the basin. The activities of this volunteer group are organized and monitored by a CRP funded Texas Watch Coordinator, who also conducts training classes and gives educational presentations. Major stream cleanups sponsored this biennium include:

Educational activities sponsored this biennium include:

•  
  Water-borne Education Center
  • River Legacy Foundation
  • Texas Watch Volunteer Monitoring

  Special Studies
  These are more intensive monitoring efforts designed to answer specific questions in a certain area.  This biennium, the major special studies are:

  • Automated Continuous Monitoring
  • Fish Population Summary and Survey

  Automated Continuous Monitoring - A continuous water quality monitoring station is located on the
  Trinity River at Liberty in the southern end of the basin.  This station collects nutrient and field
  parameters and has been installed and maintained by Texas A&M.  The TRA CRP will provide support
  to continue this monitoring station for an additional year.   

  Fish Population Summary and Survey - The TRA CRP has contracted with the University of Houston -
  Clear Lake to prepare a bibliography of data and reports on fish populations in the Trinity Basin,
  from the earliest available up to the present.  From these data and reports, an electronic data set
  has been compiled and will be analyzed to determine historical trends in fish communities and
  populations in the mainstem Trinity River.  This analysis will help determine where there are data
  gaps and help guide future monitoring and assessments.