Environmental Flows for the Galveston Bay Estuary. Scott A. Jones Environmental Policy & Outreach Galveston Bay Foundation

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1 Environmental Flows for the Galveston Bay Estuary Scott A. Jones Environmental Policy & Outreach Galveston Bay Foundation

2 Galveston Bay Foundation Mission: To preserve, protect, and enhance the natural resources of Galveston Bay and its tributaries for present users and for posterity. Four target areas: Advocacy Education Research Conservation

3 Galveston Bay facts Largest bay in Texas 7 th largest in U.S. 600 square miles (384,000 acres) Averages about 7-feet deep

4 Galveston Bay watershed 24,000 square mile watershed (62,000 sq. km) Half of the population of Texas lives in our watershed

5 Galveston Bay estuary Where the rivers meet the sea. fed by freshwater inflows from Trinity and San Jacinto rivers Highly productive Nature s nursery

6 Why is the bay important? 2 nd most productive in the U.S. Texas leading commercial & recreational fishery Ecotourism

7 The bay s key challenges 1. Habitat loss 2. Water pollution 3. Environmental Flows

8 The environmental flows challenge is tied to population

9 Environmental Flows are made up of Instream flows Freshwater inflows

10 What do instream flows look like?

11 Why are instream flows important? Sound Ecological Environment Subsistence Flows Base Flows High Flow Pulses Overbank Flows Conserve biological function Conserve biological / habitat diversity and water quality Life history / geomorphic processes Floodplain maintenance Water quality tolerances met Key habitat thresholds maintained Habitat for flow dependent species Bank storage/moisture Suitable temperatures / dissolved oxygen Fish spawning cues Maintain channel Sediment/nutrient transport Moisture and nutrients to floodplain Riparian recruitment

12 Why are freshwater inflows important? Proper salinity for plants and animals Nutrients Sediments

13 Salinity in the bay

14 Nutrient input

15 Sediment input

16 Freshwater Inflows and Oysters Oysters are located where there is suitable salinity range and moving current

17 Environmental Flows what is the concern? Most of the water in our rivers has already been appropriated Environment on the lowest rung in permitting decisions Prior inflow studies based on maximizing harvest, not protecting the bay ecosystem. Prior planning focused for human needs

18 Bays in Peril National Wildlife Federation (2004)

19 Senate Bill 3! Passed in 2007 Water for the environment Created the Environmental Flows Allocation process Will result in environmental flows standards

20 Senate Bill 3 Process Basin and Bay Planning

21 Senate Bill 3 Environmental Flows Allocation Process Basin and Bay Expert Science Team Basin and Bay Stakeholder Committee TCEQ

22 The Science: Turning this

23 Into this Instream Flow Regime

24 Instream Flow Regime

25 Turning this Freshwater Inflows

26 Freshwater Inflows maintain salinity zones

27 Freshwater Inflows protect species needed salinities Source: USGS Source: NOAA

28 Senate Bill 3 Protect Species Common Name Scientific Name Criterion Period of Concern Habitat Indicator Wild Celery Vallisneria americana <5 psu for germination and establishment Spring <10 psu for survival Summer and Fall Low Salinity Indicators Atlantic Rangia Rangia cuneata 2 10 psu for spawning and larval survival Spring and Fall Gulf menhaden Brevoortia patronus 5 15 psu for occurrence as forage fish Winter and Spring Oyster Health Indicators Dermo and oyster drill impacts on oyster Dermo= Perkinsus marinus Oyster drill= Stramonita haemastoma Oyster= Crassostrea virginica psu to prevent excessive parasitism and predation July - September <5 psu to remove parasite load from reefs 2 weeks at 10 year intervals

29 Into this Freshwater Inflow Regime Trinity River Season Spring Summer Fall Winter Flow (ac-ft) Periodicity within season 1 of 3 mo. 2 of 3 mo. 2 of 3 mo. 1 of 3 mo. Periodicity among seasons 1 in 2 yrs. 1 in 2 yrs. 1 in 3 yrs. 1 in 2 yrs. Indicator Vallisneria Vallisneria Vallisneria Menhaden San Jacinto River Season Spring Summer Fall Winter Flow (ac-ft) Periodicity within season 1 of 3 mo. 2 of 3 mo. 1 of 3 mo. 1 of 3 mo. Periodicity among seasons 1 in 2 yrs. 1 in 5 yrs. 1 in 2 yrs. 1 in 2 yrs. Indicator Rangia Oyster Rangia Menhaden Coastal Streams Season Spring Summer Fall Winter Flow (ac-ft) Periodicity within season 1 of 3 mo. 2 of 3 mo. 1 of 3 mo. 1 of 3 mo. Periodicity among seasons 1 in 2 yrs. 1 in 4 yrs. 1 in 4 yrs. 1 in 2 yrs. Indicator Rangia Oyster Rangia Menhaden

30 Senate Bill 3 What s happened so far? What s next? Expert Science Team submitted two recommendations - Regime Group and Conditional Group Science Advisory Committee critiqued recommendations Stakeholder Committee submitted two recommendations to TCEQ TCEQ has published a proposed rule that GBF feels is inadequate.

31 Trinity River at Romayor, compare environmental flow recommendations for April Flow (cubic feet / sec.) Wet Avg Dry 0 Historic Median Science team majority "base" flows TCEQ Proposed "base" flows

32 Flow(cubicfet/sec.) Trinity River at Romayor, compare subsistence flow recommendations for April. 6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 0 Historic 5th percentile flow Science t eam majority "subsistence" flow TCEQ Proposed "subsistence" flow

33 TCEQ s Proposed Galveston Bay Inflow Standards 28% 54%????????

34 Galveston Bay Inflow Criteria: State Methodology MinQ Sal MinQ MaxH Inflow (ac ft/month) JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

35 TCEQ s Proposed Inflow Standards Implementation Problem A water right application in the Trinity or San Jacinto river basins, or coastal basins shall not reduce the long term frequency at which the following volumes of freshwater inflows occur.

36 Senate Bill 3 Rulemaking and You November 19* proposed rule published in Texas Register November 19* public comment period begins December 16* public hearing December 20* public comment period ends *tentative dates

37 Senate Bill 3 How You Can Help Provide comments on TCEQ s proposed environmental flows standards Contact your elected officials Write letters to the editor; place an article in your organization s newsletter

38 Let us help you help the bay! Sign up on the Texas Living Waters Project mailing list!

39 What you can do for Environmental Flows Find out more See the Texas Water Matters Environmental Flows webpage at Click on Trinity

40 What you can do for Environmental Flows Conserve Save water at home inside and outside! Save water at your business

41 Join the GBF team as an individual or corporate member Volunteer with GBF!

42 Acknowledgements National Wildlife Federation Houston Endowment, Inc.

43 Questions? Comments?