The City of Houston Clean Rivers section of the Water Resources Protection Bureau is a partnering agency with the Texas Clean Rivers Program. This is a statewide program that aims to protect the health of river basins and watersheds through water quality monitoring conducted by local partner agencies. It is overseen by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and managed locally by the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC).
Water quality and bacteria levels can fluctuate greatly from day to day. Thoughthere are many contributing sources to the variance of water quality, two of the most influential are heavy rain and Houston’s aging underground infrastructure. Urban and residential storm runoff and sewage overflows are major contributors to elevated levels of bacteria in streams and bayous. All Houston-area streams and bayous have been classified as “impaired” either currently or at some point in the past. This means that bacteria levels in the water have exceeded the designated standard, and the water is potentially unsafe for human contact.
The Clean Rivers Program aims to provide sufficient and reliable information regarding the water quality in our area while maintaining a focus on ensuring safe, clean water resources for the future of our city. Surface water samples are taken throughout the year from the streams and bayous around the city and surrounding counties. The samples are analyzed at City of Houston laboratories for:
Note * Water-borne bacteria levels tend to significantly increase after heavy rain events. During long periods of heavy rain, it is common for municipal sewer systems to become overwhelmed and for manholes to overflow…
The above photo shows an overflow of a sanitary sewer
AVOID letting children or pets play in or walk through rain water that has been standing for a long period of time.
We also conduct investigations of citizen complaints regarding issues that could potentially impact the health and quality of local water bodies. If you have any questions or concerns about the water quality in your area, or if you see something that concerns you, please call 713-640-4399.
Below photos show, left, illegal dumping and right, fish kill in waterway
