Office of Water

L’Oreal W. Stepney, P.E., Deputy Director
Staff: Address/Phone/Fax

Water Quality
Water Quality Planning
Water Supply

The Office of Water is responsible for the implementation of the following major programs:

• Public Drinking Water
• Water Rights
• Districts and Utilities
• Groundwater Protection
• Texas Surface Water Quality Standards
• Non-point Source Program
• Wastewater, Storm Water, and Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation Permitting
• Surface Water Quality Monitoring
• Watershed Protection Plans and Total Maximum Daily Loads
• Galveston Bay Estuary Program

Water Quality

Charles Maguire, Director
Staff: Address/Phone/Fax

The Water Quality Division is responsible for protecting the quality of water in Texas. This division:

• issues wastewater authorizations under the Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System;
• issues sewage sludge permits, registrations, and authorizations;
• develops the Texas Surface Water Quality Standards;
• updates the Water Quality Management Plan;
• issues permits to control pollution from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and storm water runoff;
• reviews state water quality certifications of Section 404 permit applications for federal dredging and filling activities;
• issues authorizations for reuse of treated wastewater effluent; and
• reviews wastewater system plans and specifications to ensure they meet design requirements.

Water Quality Planning

Kelly Keel, Director
Staff: Address/Phone/Fax

The goals of the Water Quality Planning Division are to assess, protect, and improve the quality of Texas surface water resources.

Planning and Implementation Section

The Nonpoint Source Pollution Management Program:

• Works with stakeholders to develop and implement watershed-protection plans for water resources affected by pollution in runoff.
• Administers EPA grants that support prevention and reduction of nonpoint source pollution.

The Total Maximum Daily Load Program:

• Develops TMDLs, which determine the amount of a pollutant that a water body can assimilate daily and still meet water quality standards.
• Works with other TCEQ programs to evaluate the best approach for restoring impaired water resources, and develops plans to meet pollutant-reduction goals in TMDLs.

The Galveston Bay Estuary Program and the Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program:

• Implement 20-year scientific, strategic plans developed by their communities to protect and improve the quality of bay systems.
• Encourage and support wetland and habitat protection.

Monitoring and Assessment Section

The Water Quality Standards Program:

• Develops and revises the standards for surface water quality in Texas.
• Works with TCEQ permitting divisions to implement the standards through permits.

The Surface Water Quality Monitoring (SWQM) Program:

• Coordinates the monitoring and assessment of surface water resources and oversees the statewide network of monitoring sites.
• Reports the status of water quality in the biennial Texas Water Quality Inventory and 303(d) List of Impaired Waters.
• Develops guidelines that ensure data quality and scientifically sound assessment of water quality in relation to the standards.

The Clean Rivers Program:

• Coordinates with the SWQM program and a partnership of regional governmental agencies to monitor water quality and establish priorities for future monitoring and corrective action that are locally driven.
• Promotes cooperative watershed planning and effective resource allocations. 

The Water Data Management and Analysis Work Group:

• Develops and revises the Data Management Reference Guide.
• Manages the Surface Water Quality Monitoring Information System (SWQMIS) and coordinates data management and analysis with all monitoring partners.

Houston Laboratory

Sixteen TCEQ regional field offices and EPA Region VI submit samples to the TCEQ’s Houston Laboratory for analysis. This lab:

• Analyzes samples of water, wastewater, soils, sediments, and sludge.
• Develops analytical procedures and supports special investigations, projects, and monitoring activities through cooperative agreements with other agencies.

Water Supply

Linda Brookins, Director
Staff: Address/Phone/Fax

The Water Supply Division is responsible for programs that ensure the efficient administration of surface water use; the production, treatment, delivery and protection of safe and adequate drinking water; and the provision of dependable, viable utility service at fair levels of compensation. The division performs the following functions:

• Oversees public drinking water production, treatment, quality and delivery by implementation of the Safe Drinking Water Act.
• Assesses and protects sources of public drinking water.
• Offers technical assistance on the design and operation of public water systems.
• Guides public water systems on homeland-security preparation, response, and recovery.
• Reviews applications for rate changes, certificates of convenience and necessity, utility sales, district creation, and district bond issues.
• Reviews engineering plans for new or significantly modified public water systems or exceptions to TCEQ rules.
• Assesses the financial, managerial, and technical capabilities of public water systems.
• Reviews applications for surface water use, changes in water rights ownership, and use of riverbeds and riverbanks.
• Supports interstate water compacts.
• Maintains water-availability models for all river basins.
• Evaluates water conservation plans and drought contingency plans.
• Administers the Water-Saving Plumbing Fixtures Program.
• Manages the Water Utility Database and the Water Availability Modeling Database.
• Performs groundwater quality planning and assessments.
• Supports the interagency Texas Groundwater Protection Committee and the Texas Groundwater Protection Strategy.
• Manages the state’s plan for preventing groundwater pollution from pesticides and the state’s program for the identification of priority groundwater-management areas.