About Estuaries:
Insights on the NEPs - Galveston Bay

Galveston Bay is the largest and most productive estuary in Texas, and sits adjacent to one of most heavily urban industrialized areas in the nation. It is a complex system that supports a wide range of uses, including commercial fishing, recreation, tourism, wastewater discharge, shipping and transportation, and industry and petroleum. The Galveston Bay Plan identifies 82 action items to protect and restore the health and productivity of the estuary while supporting continued economic growth and public use of the bays. Given the multitude of laws that are carried out by many different agencies at different levels of government, and the complex-nature of estuaries, such as Galveston Bay, comprehensive management that coordinates a broad range of interests is necessary.

The Galveston Bay Estuary Program (GBEP) is a program of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), charged with implementing The Galveston Bay Plan, the Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan for Galveston Bay. To provide comprehensive management, GBEP works cooperatively with local governments, businesses, ports, commercial fisheries, recreational anglers, environmental organizations, and state and federal natural resource agencies to leverage resources and address the priority problems facing Galveston Bay.

Priority Issues:

• Habitat Protection and Restoration. Galveston Bay has lost over 30,000 acres of wetland habitat (almost 20%) since the 1950's. Nearly 90% of the bay=s sea grasses have been lost. The losses are due to severe winter storms, human development, subsidence, erosion and other factors. Declines in habitat threaten future seafood productivity.
  
  
• Non-point sources of pollution from urban areas. Contaminated runoff from NPS degrades water and sediment of the bay tributaries and some near shore areas. Over half of the sediment, phosphorous, fecal coliform bacteria, and oxygen demanding substances originate from NPS found in the watershed. The watershed covers some 33,000 square miles with 4,238 square miles being in the 5 county area immediately surrounding the Bay. Population in the 5-county areas surrounding the Bay has grown from 3.3 million in 1990 to an estimated 3.8 million in 2000.
  
  
• Seafood Safety. Seafood from some areas in Galveston Bay may pose a public health risk to subsistence or recreational consumers as a result of the potential presence of toxic chemicals.
  
  
• Invasive Species. Some exotic species (e.g. nutria, grass carp, Chinese tallow, introductions from ballast water) threaten desirable native species, habitats, ecological relationships, and in some cases could pose a public health.
  
  
• Freshwater Inflow. Over 1.4 billion gallons are used each day in the five counties bordering the Bay. Texas Legislation passed in 1999 created regional watershed planning groups in Texas.
  

The GBEP has:

• restored and protected over 5,500 acres of vital habitat
  
  
• increased local government involvement in non regulatory activities that improve water quality fostered stakeholder involvement critical to implementing cross jurisdictional environmental programs
  
  
• completed a invasive Species Risk Assessment for Galveston bay
  
  
• conducted a comprehensive risk assessment of Galveston Bay seafood, better protecting public health
  
  
• educated thousands of citizens and children, increasing public stewardship
  
  
• assembled a Galveston Bay Freshwater Inflow group to address specific freshwater needs to ensure a healthy, productive bay system and provide management recommendations
  
  
• established effective award-wining state and local partnerships that result in more efficient use of tax dollars
  
  
• directly leveraged over $13 million to implement bay improvement projects
  
  
• indirectly leveraged an additional $50 million, as a result of the collaborative process we have been able to sustain in the Houston-Galveston area.

Please visit our website at http://www.gbep.state.tx.us