Impaired Waters Mapping Application

When a water body or stream segment is identified as impaired (not meeting water quality standards for a give parameter) for a beneficial use (e.g. contact recreation, aquatic life, oyster waters), that stream segment is placed on the 303(d) list of state impaired waters. Waters on the 303(d) list require some action to restore the waterbody to conditions that will allow it to meet its beneficial uses. Once on the 303(d) list, the water body becomes the subject of a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study. The TMDL process uses stakeholder input, existing data, and additional field studies to determine the amount (or load) of a pollutant that the body of water can receive and still support its beneficial uses. The load is then allocated among all the potential sources of pollution within the watershed. Measures to reduce pollutant loads are developed as necessary. Once the goal of restoring the waterbody to fishable and swimmable conditions is met, the stream segment is removed from the 303(d) list.

Open the impaired waters mapping application to view local water bodies on the listed on Texas 303(d) List in 2002 and 2004 along with data describing Texas Parks and Wildlife Department streams of ecological significance.

Additional information describing impaired waters can be found on the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality website.