Rio Grande Water Quality Middle Basin Monitoring Plan (Amistad to Falcon Reservoir)

1. Purpose and Objectives: The purpose of the Middle Basin Monitoring Program is to develop and implement an integrated, comprehensive surface water quality monitoring plan for the “middle” Rio Grande Basin, i.e., the part of the basin in Texas that includes the cities of Del Rio, Eagle Pass, andLaredo. The Basin also includes (1) the mainstem of the river from International Amistad Dam in Val Verde County to the confluence with the Arroyo Salado in Tamaulipas, MX, and (2) International Falcon Reservoir, and (3) U.S. tributaries between the two international reservoirs.

2. Funding: Total cost is approximately $150,000.

3. Partners: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), International Boundary & Water Commission (IBWC), the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission.

4. Description: This program seeks to make better use of each agency’s monitoring resources through the following objectives:

1. to clarify the various management and monitoring objectives of all the agencies
2. to identify the data needed
3. to decrease redundancy among the agencies
4. to encourage the sharing of information among the agencies
5. to identify data gaps
6. to establish compatibility for future data with existing databases maintained by the USIBWC, the United States Geological Survey (USGS), and the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC).

5. Status: A draft of a monitoring plan developed by the agencies is under review. Implementation of the plan is scheduled to begin in September 1997. Results are nor yet available.

6. U.S. Contacts: Alicia Reinmund, TNRCC (512) 239-4615 Gail Rothe, TNRCC (512) 239-4617