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Total Maximum Daily Load Newsletter

Third Quarter - June 2020
Featured TMDL Implementation Strategy: 1.2 - Lift Station Evaluation, and 1.4 - Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) Reporting

For a variety of reasons, lift stations may occasionally cease functioning and may discharge sewage into waterways. Lift stations may cease functioning due to extensive power outages following severe weather, mechanical failures, and/or during routine repairs. Lift stations may also fail to function during circumstances other than power outages, such as due to mechanical failure or during repair. However, unlike many Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs), lift station failures can result in the discharge of large volumes of untreated wastewater into waterways.

Entities are encouraged to survey and evaluate existing lift stations to implement Best Management Practices (BMPs) and to prevent SSOs. A document listing Sanitary Sewer Lift Station Maintenance Tips has been made available on NCTCOGs BMP library page under the Wastewater banner.

In 2019, over 1,400 SSOs were reported in the North Central Texas region. A variety of causes contributed to that number, though the main culprits were: inflow and infiltration (I&I) due to heavy rain events, wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) failure and/or malfunction, and blockages in residential and commercial areas leading to manhole overflow. State law and TCEQ regulations specify reporting requirements for SSOs in Texas Water Code Chapter 26.039 and 30 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) 305.125(9). Without accurate and available information on SSOs, gauging the effectiveness of SSO BMPs becomes difficult. A document modeling SSO Reporting Procedures is available in NCTCOGs online BMP Library for Wastewater that includes regulatory requirements as well as steps for notification and reporting of such events.

Texas Community Watershed Partners (TCWP) Program of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Releases Green Infrastructure Video
The Green Infrastructure for Texas (GIFT) Program, which operates under TCWP, has produced a video that examines three case studies of green infrastructure best practices in the Houston area that can be applied at different scales in coastal and flood-prone areas of Texas and elsewhere. The video, Green Infrastructure: A Nature-Based Solution for Stormwater, features several low-impact designs like rain gardens, green roofs, and porous pavement that help mitigate flooding, improve water quality, and even restore native flora and fauna.

To learn more, click here or visit the Texas Community Watershed Partners web page.
Educational Video Resources!
Due to recent and ongoing public health concerns, now is an especially critical time to share messages about proper disposal of materials that should not go into storm drains and sanitary sewer systems. Check out these educational explainer videos brought to you by the Wastewater and Treatment Education Roundtable (WATER) committee and NCTCOGs Public Education Task Force (PETF). Remember to visit the Defend Your Drains North Texas website or the NCTCOG E&D YouTube channel for more information and great resources.
Annual Program Summary Coming Soon!

The Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Annual Program Summary will be available online soon! The period for feedback will end on June 5, 2020, and all edits will be incorporated before the TMDL Coordination Committee meeting on June 30, 2020. Please email Hannah Allen at hallen@nctcog.org to submit feedback or with questions about the Annual Program Summary.
Upcoming Regional Fall Cleanup Challenge!

NCTCOG will be supporting the Regional Fall Cleanup Challenge to take place during the months of September and October 2020 hosted by Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB). NCTCOG will provide advertising and social media support to entities interested in participating, as well as gather data from reporting forms provided by KTB. If you are interested in taking part in the challenge, would like more information, or to be connected with a KTB affiliate, please email Crysta Guzman at cguzman@nctcog.org.
Save the Date - Upcoming Webinar: Trees are the Answer: The Role of a Healthy Urban Canopy in an Urban Watershed

NCTCOG will host a webinar about the importance of urban forestry to water quality and quantity on Thursday, June 11, 2020 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. An exciting line-up of presenters includes:

  • Mac Martin, Water Resources Forester for the Texas A&M Forest Service in Houston
  • Susan Alvarez, Assistant Director of the Office of Environmental Quality & Sustainability for the City of Dallas
  • Matt Grubisich, Director of Operations & Urban Forestry for the Texas Trees Foundation.

Follow the link below for details about the webinar and to register, or contact Elena Berg at eberg@nctcog.org with questions or to request further information.

Save the Date! 2020 National Nonpoint Source (NPS) Training Workshop

The U.S. EPA Nonpoint Source Management Branch along with U.S. EPA Region 6 will host the 2020 National Nonpoint Source Training Workshop at the El Dorado Hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico from Monday, November 16 to Thursday, November 19, 2020. The workshop will provide all attendees with an opportunity to share stories of challenges and successes, attend sessions covering a variety of NPS issues, receive updates on the national and regional level, and network with other NPS program managers and state NPS coordinators throughout the country.

To view the developing agenda, a list of lodging and transportation options, and to register, click the link below. For further information, please contact Cynthia Curtis at curtis.cynthia@epa.gov.

22nd Annual EPA Region 6 Stormwater Conference - POSTPONED.

Due to the impacts of COVID-19, the 22nd Annual EPA Region 6 Stormwater Conference has been postponed until August 8-12, 2021. The conference will still be held in New Orleans, Louisiana, and unless and abstract is withdrawn, those submitted for the 2020 conference will still be considered in 2021. The EPA Conference Planning Committee is developing a free virtual training session to be held the week of August 10, 2020 to address annual stormwater updates and training needs. Stay tuned for more details.
 
Important Information Regarding the Upcoming 2020 Water Quality Management Plan (WQMP) Update

The 2020 WQMP update is nearing completion and a draft was posted on May 22, 2020 for a 30-day public comment period. After the public comment period has ended, the Water Resources Council will be voting to adopt the update at its next meeting on July 1, 2020. To view the draft during the comment period, visit NCTCOGs Water Resources page and look under the Water Quality banner for the 2020 draft, or to view developing meeting materials and add the WRC meeting to your calendar, please visit the Water Resources Council page on the NCTCOG site.
Upcoming Meetings & Workshops
Wastewater and Treatment Education Roundtable Meeting

June 10, 2020
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
WebEx Call
Link to Join Meeting, or
dial 1-415-655-0002,
access code 661 797 693

Add to Calendar

TMDL Coordination Committee Meeting

June 30, 2020
9:30 - 11:30 AM
WebEx Call
Link to Join Meeting, or dial +1-415-655-0002, access code 127 059 0029

Add to Calendar
Upper Trinity River Basin Coordination Committee Meeting

August 26, 2020
9:30 - 11:30 AM
Tarrant Regional Water District Offices, 800 E. Northside Drive,
Fort Worth, TX 76102


Add to Calendar


For questions or additional information on this newsletter, please contact:
Hannah Allen
(817) 695-9215


The North Central Texas Council of Governments is working with stakeholders to implement bacteria TMDLs throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. To view the I-Plan for Twenty-One Total Maximum Daily Loads for Bacteria in the Greater Trinity River Region, or to utilize available resources, please visit www.nctcog.org/TMDL.

 
 
 
 
 

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