Stormwater Pollution

Announcements

Volunteers Needed for Clear Creek Cleanup on February 11 - 25th Anniversary of the Clear Creek Cleanup

This February 11 marks the 25th anniversary of the Clear Creek Cleanup. The first Cleanup was held in 1998, and two years later the Clear Creek Environmental Foundation (CCEF) was formed. The goal of CCEF is to preserve, protect, and enhance Clear Creek and Clear Lake, and the annual cleanup event plays an important role in fulfilling this mission. Every year, people of all ages come together to remove thousands of pounds of trash from the waterway, helping preserve the health and beauty of the creek.

2023 Clear Creek Cleanup Event Details

This year’s Clear Creek Cleanup event will be held on Saturday, February 11 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Individuals and groups will meet at the League City Boat Ramp, located under the FM 270/Egret Bay Boulevard Bridge over Clear Creek (between FM 518 and Nasa Road 1).

Starting at 8 a.m., boat captains will take volunteers and drop them off at select locations where they will collect trash in bags provided by CCEF. Volunteers will be picked up and brought back to the League City Boat Ramp between noon and 1 p.m. Trash collected on barges will be unloaded by volunteers and placed in trash bins at the Boat Ramp location.

What to Bring

Volunteers should be prepared for cold weather and wear layered clothing. It’s always colder on the water. Consider the wind chill while traveling on the water as well. Work gloves and work boots/rubber boots are recommended. Be prepared to get muddy. Every boat will have life jackets, drinking water, and first aid kits. People who would like to volunteer with their boats are also welcome.

How to Get Involved

This event needs volunteers for it to be a success. Anyone interested in volunteering can contact Mike Stone by phone at (281) 830-3419 or by emailing Clear Creek Cleanup. Or, just show up and be ready to help.

For questions and more information, visit the CCEF Facebook page.

At a Glance: Clear Creek Cleanup 2023

• Saturday, February 11
• 8 a.m to 2 p.m.
• Meet at the League City Boat Ramp at FM 270 & Egret Bay Blvd.
• Individuals and groups welcome!

Protecting Our Water Supplies

Water pollution degrades surface waters making them unsafe for drinking, fishing, swimming, and other activities. As authorized by the Clean Water Act, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program controls water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge pollutants into waters of the United States.

Point Sources

Point sources are discrete conveyances such as pipes or man-made ditches. Individual homes that are connected to a municipal system, use a septic system, or do not have a surface discharge do not need an NPDES permit; however, industrial, municipal, and other facilities must obtain permits if their discharges go directly to surface waters.

Administration

In most cases, the NPDES permit program is administered by authorized states. Since its introduction in 1972, the NPDES permit program is responsible for significant improvements to our Nation's water quality. For questions regarding NPDES, contact:

Alex Noel
281-554-1428
Email Alex Noel email Brian

More Information

The following is further information regarding NPDES:

Clean Water, Clear Choice

Storm Water Quality Brochures

MS4 Permit Information

Upper Gulf Coast Oyster Waters

Galveston Bay Foundation
Upper Gulf Coast Oyster Waters TMDL: Additional Segments map (PDF)
- Explanation from TCEQ on the reason for the addition of the segments: "The original TMDL document covered all or part of six of the segments in the Galveston Bay system (2421, 2422, 2423, 2424, 2432, and 2439). However, based on more recent 303(d) lists (and the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) shellfish harvesting maps that they use to list these water bodies), several other bays or parts of bays also need to be addressed.
  
  A couple of other segments have also been added the 303(d) list for impaired oyster waters use. This one is a little more complicated in that it only covers parts of two other segments. In the case of 2433OW (Bastrop Bay/Oyster Lake), the DSHS advisory only pertains to Oyster Lake, which is Assessment Unit 02 by the TCEQ definition.
  
  For the other segment, 2434OW (Christmas Bay), the advisory only pertains to the small assessment 01 adjacent to West Bay. Of course, implementation activities will focus on bacteria sources throughout the bay system and its watershed, so perhaps that level of detail isn’t critical for the I-Plan. As a group, these segments have no permitted dischargers, which will simplify matters as well."