Advocacy

Environmental Flows

Galveston Bay needs freshwater!  While that may sound strange, the health of an estuary like Galveston Bay is dependent upon adequate amounts of freshwater flowing from our area rivers, bayous, and creeks.  Freshwater and the salt water of the Gulf of Mexico meet and mix in Galveston Bay, offering a rich habitat in which so many plants and animals flourish - and providing for the enjoyment and economic well-being of millions of people in the Houston-Galveston area.

The creeks, bayous, and rivers that feed into Galveston Bay, the largest of which is the Trinity River, not only provide freshwater, they also bring important sediments and nutrients that serve as the building blocks for nearly all life in the bay.  Without adequate flows, the bay would become too salty and cease to provide such a bountiful harvest of fish and shellfish for our recreational and commercial fisheries.

Over the next 20-30 years, local population growth and population growth in the Dallas-Fort Worth region of the Trinity River watershed will put a tremendous strain on the freshwater resources flowing into Galveston Bay. 

New legislation means you can have a say!   Through a partnership with the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), GBF is reaching out to local citizens and stakeholders' groups to share how we all can have a say in the new Senate Bill 3 Environmental Flows Allocation Process.  Passed in 2007, SB3 calls for the development of environmental flow standards for every major river system and bay system in the state.  Environmental flows refer to the amount and the timing of water flows necessary to ensure that our rivers and bays are ecologically healthy and productive.  They include both instream flows, necessary for river and stream ecosystem health, and freshwater inflows, critical for estuaries like Galveston Bay.  Right now, scientists are determining how much water the bay and rivers need, but your voice needs to be heard to ensure that the flows will be protected!

You have the opportunity to tell decision-makers that you want water for the environment, as well as people!  Be a part of the solution:
  1. Contact GBF to be added to NWF's environmental flows listserv and receive information on opportunities for public input.  Or, simply sign up on their Environmental Flows Allocation Process webpage (under Take Action).
  2. Contact GBF if your group or organization would like a presentation about the importance of environmental flows, the allocation process, and how to make your voice heard by decision-makers and state agencies.
  3. Save water by following these simple conservation tips in and around your house and in your yard and garden!   You'll save $$$, too!
  4. Sign up for GBF's monthly E-News that includes all bay happenings, including Go with the Flow environmental flows updates.
  5. Visit GBF's Green Thing page that has tips you can use to protect Galveston Bay, including ways to save water.
  6. Watch TPWD's Texas: The State of Flowing Water, especially Lifeline of the Bays.

To schedule a presentation or for more information, please contact Scott Jones at (281) 332-3381 x 209 or sjones@galvbay.org.


Galveston Bay Watershed


Photo credit: TCEQ