Targeted Bacteria Monitoring Project

Bacteria continues to be one of the most pervasive pollutants in the Houston-Galveston area, with most stream segments having relative bacteria geomeans of E. Coli well above the primary contact recreation standard of 126 MPN/100 mL. Although bacteria levels are consistently monitored by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and its partners, tracking of the actual sources of bacteria is not something that was historically done. The Bacteria Implementation Group (BIG) is now seeking to find and eliminate these sources through the Targeted Bacteria Monitoring Project.

Beginning in 2019, in coordination with Bayou Preservation Association (BPA) and Student Conservation Association (SCA) interns, the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) obtained funding from the Galveston Bay Estuary Program (GBEP) to complete a Targeted Bacteria Monitoring Project, with a goal to significantly reduce bacteria levels in prioritized Assessment Units (AUs) located within the BIG’s Top 10 streams. The focus of the project was to identify relative differences in bacteria levels for the purpose of narrowing down the geographic location of potential sources. When potential sources were identified, the information was then passed on to local authorities for further investigation and remediation

Student Conservation Association interns collecting monitoring samples. Photo courtesy of H-GAC.

Since completion of the GBEP funded project in August 2024, bacteria reductions have been achieved in several of the identified AUs. These successes have been attributed to working together with local authorities rather than reporting them for issues of non-compliance. This structured approach of first identifying the issue (e. g. – sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs), illicit discharges, failing infrastructure, bad connections), and then reporting them, has enabled communities to fix issues that they previously may not have had the resources to go out and locate themselves.

Not only has this project been successful in fixing sources of bacteria but it has also created the framework for a cost-effective approach to tackling the issue of point source pollution across the watershed by utilizing available resources such as Texas Stream Team protocols for bacteria testing.