Section 320 of the clean water act (CWA) authorizes the administrator of the environmental protection agency (EPA) to convene management conferences to develop comprehensive conservation and…

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 awarded $1.7M to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) under the National Estuary Program (CFDA 66.456) for a three-year project (September 1, 2025–August 31, 2028) supporting implementation of the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for Galveston Bay. The award funds ecosystem-based management activities designed to protect and restore water quality and estuarine resources, with direct benefits to the Galveston Bay area and all Texas residents. Key deliverables include maintaining two public websites for stakeholder participation and environmental education; updating the Galveston Bay Resource Management Database, an interactive web-based data portal assessing hydrologic connectivity and groundwater contamination risks at the San Jacinto River Waste Pit Superfund site; baseline microplastics assessments in lower Galveston Bay watersheds and evaluation of green infrastructure treatment potential; habitat preservation and management efforts for wetlands and coastal ecosystems; and support for black rail population monitoring and related wildlife studies.

The project involves four federal sub-awards to regional partners: Texas A&M University at Galveston (January 12, 2026) conducting hydrologic connectivity assessments; Houston Galveston Area Council (November 21, 2025) providing microplastics data and green infrastructure recommendations; University of Houston System/University of Houston Clear Lake (October 16, 2025) supporting the annual Texas Envirothon environmental education competition for high school students; and City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department (September 30, 2025) developing a master plan for nature trail improvements. These coordinated efforts support the National Estuary Program's goal of protecting estuarine resources across 28 designated waters of national significance through ecosystem management and community engagement.

Section 320 of the clean water act (CWA) authorizes the administrator of the environmental protection agency (EPA) to convene management conferences to develop comprehensive conservation and management plans for estuaries of national significance that are threatened by pollution, development, or overuse. The agreement provides funding to texas commission on environmental quality (TCEQ) for the national estuary program (NEP) to support implementation of the NEP comprehensive conservation and management plan (CCMP) and EPA pillar 1: clean air, land, and water for every american. Direct beneficiaries of this program include galveston BAY area, human health, the environment and all state residents and occupants, both permanent and temporary.activities:activities to be performed include: - support or maintain two websites for public participation, education, and outreach. - provide stakeholders with understanding of galveston BAY and associated habit - update and expand the functionality of the galveston BAY RMD, an interactive, web-based data portal aims to (1) assess the extent of hydrologic connectivity between aquifers and surface water in the sjrwp site, (2) quantify the concentration of persistent and emerging contaminants in pore water, surface water, and private well water in areas surrounding sjrwp, and (3) educate well owners and stakeholders regarding groundwater pollutants associated with sjrwp and their wells' susceptibility to contamination. - provide critical data on baseline microplastics loading in lower galveston BAY watersheds and quantify the treatment potential of nbsi projects to reduce microplastic loading in surface waters from stormwater runoff - support stakeholder efforts to preserve wetlands, prairies, and other important coastal habitats to protect the long-term health and productivity of galveston BAY - evaluate habitat management techniques and response effects on black rail populations, as well as conducting mark-recapture studies and fecal metagenomics to understand their diet. - support stakeholder efforts to develop and promote a community-based initiative to couple citizen science with novel noninvasive genomic tools to determine how environmental conditions preserve the ghost wolves in the galveston BAY ecosystem. - host the three-day texas envirothon program and support the selected teachers and students participating in the project by providing workshops, training, and supplies. - understand the existing trail systems, to develop consistent approaches to design, construction, and maintenance of nature trails, and to develop a pathway for stewardship groups to partner with hpard for ongoing maintenance and engagement. - trash bashreg; is to promote environmental stewardship of the watershed through public education and to provide a means to clean up waterways in the houston-galveston area. - overarching goal of this project is to assess the relationships between standard success metrics (plant cover), key restoration project design features, and ecosystem service provision in older (10+ year) restoration sites. - develop and assess species-specific molecular tools to identify sea turtle presence/absence and habitat use.subrecipient:activities to be performed include: - support or maintain two websites for public participation, education, and outreach. - provide stakeholders with understanding of galveston BAY and associated habit - update and expand the functionality of the galveston BAY RMD, an interactive, web-based data portal aims to (1) assess the extent of hydrologic connectivity between aquifers and surface water in the sjrwp site, (2) quantify the concentration of persistent and emerging contaminants in pore water, surface water, and private well water in areas surrounding sjrwp, and (3) educate well owners and stakeholders regarding groundwater pollutants associated with sjrwp and their wells' susceptibility to contamination. - provide criti