Water
 
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Water quality monitoring programs
LCRA scientists monitor aquatic life
LCRA scientists monitor aquatic life using boats equipped with rods that provide an electrical current to stun fish. Researchers count, measure and weigh the fish before releasing them unharmed.

Often the health of rivers, streams and lakes is characterized solely on chemical analyses of the water. A better "barometer" may be established by looking at the aquatic community (fish and insects) that live in the water day-in and day-out.

LCRA has initiated a biological monitoring program to increase the knowledge of this water resource and better gauge the health of the river. Routine Biological Monitoring is a long-term look at rivers and streams in order to detect changes in the aquatic community. The biological program augments LCRA's routine chemical analyses for a more complete picture of river health.

While sampling and monitoring are important aspects of LCRA water services, the Water Quality Department performs many more services. Other activities include implementing a bay monitoring program, Texas Clean Rivers Program, Watershed Prioritization Project, Water Quality Index, Colorado River Watch Network and aquatic vegetation management.

Here is a snapshot of LCRA various biological monitoring programs:

  • Reservoir and Stream Sampling Program: LCRA began monitoring water quality of the Colorado River within its 10-county statutory district in December 1982. The Reservoir and Stream Sampling Program was created to act as a general surveillance and trend assessment tool. Every other month, water samples are collected at 66 locations and analyzed at LCRA's environmental laboratory.
  • Routine Biological Monitoring: 10 locations along the Colorado River and its major tributaries are sampled twice per year. Each visit to a site involves intensive fish* and aquatic insect collections, as well as aquatic habitat analysis. Preliminary data analysis indicates the water quality of the Colorado River and its tributary streams supports a diverse community of fish and aquatic insects.
  • Bay Monitoring Program: LCRA's Water Quality staff also conducts monitoring in the Matagorda Bay. In 1991 and 1992 the Corps of Engineers diverted the Colorado River into West Matagorda Bay to increase biological productivity by increasing the amount of freshwater entering the estuary. Freshwater inflows greatly influence estuarine biological productivity by lowering salinity, increasing nutrients and providing sediments. LCRA currently maintains eight continuous monitoring stations throughout the Matagorda Bay system. Multiprobe water quality instruments record hourly measurements for salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, tide and temperature.
  • Texas Clean Rivers Program: Texas Clean Rivers is a grant program administered by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality that serves as a monitoring and watershed assessment tool for the entire state. LCRA coordinates data collection and evaluation by partnering with other water resource agencies in the Colorado River basin. A strong stakeholder process allows water quality issues to be examined without regard to governmental boundaries.

* Fish are identified and measured in the field and then released alive. Only on the rare occasions when identification is difficult are fish returned to the lab.