How GBEP Backs the Bay
Our community Backs the Bay through a variety of ways from public events to onsite projects with our partners and stakeholders. See what’s going on around the Bay.
Featured Project
The Distribution and Fate of Tire Rubber-Derived Chemicals in Galveston Bay
6PPD is a compound commonly used in tires to prevent degradation and has been found in high concentrations in urban stormwater runoff. 6PPD-Q is a highly toxic compound that is created when 6PPD is exposed to air. Galveston Bay is heavily urbanized with millions of registered vehicles in the greater Houston area. Information about an emerging contaminant that is closely linked with urban stormwater runoff and known to be acutely toxic to some aquatic life is a priority to understanding the health of the bay.
This project was led by Dr. Michael Shields and Dr. Yina Liu at Texas A&M University, and they were focused on the amount of 6PPD-Q in the bay and what happens once it has entered the system.
This project resulted in a two-year time series of 6PPD-Q temporal and spatial distribution throughout the bay and provided useful information on the transport, partitioning, and transformation pathways of this emerging contaminant. Data collected through this project is being used to provide the initial assessments on 6PPD-Q concentrations in Galveston Bay and will contribute to further studies aimed at understanding the effects of 6PPD-Q in the Galveston Bay watershed.
Archived featured projects
Bay Happenings
Come visit with GBEP staff and partners at one of these upcoming events.
GBEP Programs and Events
Bay Ambassador Programs and Events
Texas Association for Environmental Education Annual Conference
October 13 – October 15
Are you looking for resources, activities, programs, or a place to explore Galveston Bay on your own? Find this and more on our Bay Ambassadors page.