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Addressing Agricultural and Residential Bacteria Sources Improves Water Quality in the Leon and South Leon Rivers

TEMPLE - High levels of bacteria prompted the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to add the Leon River (in 1996) and South Leon River (in 2006) to the Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) list of impaired waters for not supporting the primary contact recreation use. The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB) provided CWA section 319(h) grant funding to develop a watershed protection plan (WPP) to address the bacteria impairments in the Leon River watershed.

TSSWCB, partnered with the Upper Leon Soil and Water Conservation District, Mills County Soil and Water Conservation District, and the Hamilton-Coryell Soil and Water Conservation District, to develop and implement 13 water quality management plans on 4,058 acres in the impaired watersheds.

In addition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) worked with landowners to implement conservation practices on over 388,600 acres using Environmental Quality Incentives Program and Agricultural Water Enhancement Program funding in the Leon River watershed and over 47,600 acres in the South Leon River watershed. The conservation practices implemented through these collective efforts included prescribed grazing, grass and range planting, alternative water sources, nutrient management, residue management, cross fencing, conservation cover, water wells, water troughs, and ponds.

Stakeholders within the watershed also voluntarily implemented best management practices (BMPs) and conducted public outreach and educational events. Through these efforts water quality was improved and the South Leon River and three assessment units of the Leon River below Proctor Lake were removed from the state's list of impaired waters in 2014.

"We want to thank the local residents and stakeholders of the Leon River watershed for their hard work and commitment to this project. The delisting of these creeks is a direct result of the voluntary efforts of stakeholders within the watershed," said Wesley Gibson, Project Manager at TSSWCB.

The success can be attributed to conservation practice implementation, repaired or replaced failing on-site sewage facilities, and increased stakeholder awareness due to the watershed planning process.

Water quality monitoring continues to track and measure interim progress to implement the Leon River WPP and ensure this restoration effort remains a success.

Click here to learn more and read the full success story on the Leon and South Leon Rivers.

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