Non-point Source Watershed Protection. Threats addressed: Altered Hydrology, Water Quality, Degradation, Loss, and Fragmentation of Habitat As described in Section 4.1.1, the Covered Parties represent only a fraction of the threats to water quality in the basin because the water in the system is a mix of urban and agricultural non-point source runoff and WWTP effluent (discharges from the Covered Parties’ WWTPs, other municipal WWTPs, small package plants, and local OSSFs). To benefit the Covered Species, both point and non-point sources of pollution need to be addressed (Section 6.2.2). The Covered Parties currently manage or participate as stakeholders in five large-scale watershed protection plans (WPPs), discussed later in this section, which are designed to reduce pollution through planning, public outreach, and on-the-ground projects. The Covered Parties are not required to create these programs but do so to help address water quality issues that improve the quality of water supplies and the environment, to include the Covered Species. Some of the Covered Parties’ WPPs are partially funded by the TCEQ Non-point Source Program, which is a federally funded program usually requiring a 40% local match under Clean Water Act Section 319(h) to reduce and prevent water pollution caused by runoff from urban and other non-agricultural non-point sources. Others are funded by an adjacent program within the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB) which is a federally funded program designed to reduce and prevent water pollution caused by runoff from agricultural and silvicultural non-point sources. Other WPP efforts are funded entirely by the Covered Parties’ internal funds. Unlike WWTPs, non-point source pollution is challenging to manage since it cannot be traced back to a single point of origin. Pollutants are dispersed over the land (either through human activity or natural processes) and carried into waterways with runoff from storm events. Sources of pollutants may include excess agricultural or residential fertilizers; fluids from leaking vehicles; pet waste from yards or urban public areas; leaking septic facilities; or waste from wildlife, livestock, and feral hogs. Overall, water quality can be improved by reducing sediment because excess and suspended sediment in waterbodies is known to harbor bacteria and nutrients, decrease die-off of bacteria, impact dissolved oxygen levels, alter flow regimes, and decrease water supply and flood control capacity. Future growth, expansion,...
