A priority focus will continue to be water and sediment quality throughout the area. It is a goal of the CBBEP to get as many 303(d) listed segments as possible (hopefully all listed segments) off the list and back into compliance with state water quality standards. The CBBEP expects to implement projects designed to prevent pollution from ever reaching the bay system in the first place. Where necessary, the CBBEP will assist the TCEQ with the Total Maximum Daily Load process.

A continuing focus is the need to maximize the ecological benefits of the limited amounts of freshwater reaching the estuary. Efforts are underway to provide for the direct input of freshwater into the most important areas within the Nueces River Delta. This area is critically important for the successful production of shrimp and fish. In addition, the CBBEP hopes to restore the function and productivity of thousands of acres of brackish marsh habitat.

The CBBEP will continue its efforts to protect and restore remaining wildlife habitat in the Coastal Bend. Shoreline wetlands and adjacent buffer areas need to be protected in order to provide for the future health and productivity of the bay system.

Coastal Bend Bay Facts

• 3 of the 7 major estuaries in Texas are in the Coastal Bend: Aransas, Corpus Christi, and Upper Laguna Madre

• 12 county region known as the Coastal Bend is more than 11,500 square miles, over 22,500 square miles in drainage basin

• Nation’s 5th largest port and 3rd largest petrochemical complex

• More than 3,200 known species of animals and plants live in the Coastal Bend bay systems.