Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Boards’s Role in TGPC
The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB) is the state agency that administers Texas’ soil and water conservation law and coordinates conservation and nonpoint source pollution abatement programs throughout the State. Headquartered in Temple, Texas, the TSSWCB offers technical assistance to the state’s 216 Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs).
Nonpoint source pollution originates from different sources that cannot be traced to any single point, such as a pipe. The TSSWCB administers several programs as the lead state agency for the planning, management, and abatement of agricultural and silvicultural (forestry) nonpoint source pollution.
The Water Quality Management Plan (WQMP) Program offers landowners and operators of agricultural and silvicultural lands a voluntary mechanism for being protective of state water quality with respect to nonpoint source pollution. This program offers cost-share funding for the installation of soil and water land improvement measures to serve as an incentive for participating. Additionally, the TSSWCB offers grants for assessment, demonstration, implementation, education, and research related to nonpoint source pollution.
The Water Supply Enhancement Program (formerly the Texas Brush Control Program) protects groundwater resources by controlling invasive brush species which use a lot of water. Controlling the brush and restoring native grasses leaves more water available to recharge the aquifer below. This program has helped restore seeps and springs that had been dormant for decades due to the invasion of non-native brush species.
More information regarding the various groundwater protection programs within this agency can be found in the current version of the TGPC’s Joint Groundwater Monitoring and Contamination Report.