Meadows Center awarded $1.7 million for Clean Coast Texas Collaborative

Staff Reports

SAN MARCOS – The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University has received a $1.7 million grant from the Texas General Land Office’s (GLO) Coastal Management Program (CMP) to continue implementation of the Clean Coast Texas Collaborative through 2024.

The collaborative provides coastal communities with technical assistance on best practices to reduce nonpoint source pollution and incorporate stormwater management techniques.

As a primary component of Clean Coast Texas, the collaborative encompasses a dynamic team of scientists, educators, engineers and communication professionals who will work with communities throughout the Texas coastal zone to address stormwater management and water quality concerns. Current partners in the collaborative include the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Services’ Texas Community Watershed Partners, the Texas Sea Grant College Program and Doucet & Associates.

“We’ve had a great first year, and I am very excited to continue our efforts,” said Nick Dornak, Meadows Center director of watershed services. “The collaborative draws on the strengths of each entity and will ensure we deliver the support coastal communities need to improve water quality, community resilience and floodplain management.”

Nonpoint source pollution is caused when rainfall, moving over and through the ground, picks up and carries natural and human-made pollutants, depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters and groundwater supplies. Nonpoint source pollution degrades water quality which, in turn, can have harmful effects on drinking water supplies, recreation, fisheries, wildlife and the economy.

As coastal communities in Texas continue to prosper and grow, there is a growing necessity to find opportunities to improve water quality and community planning. This funding will ensure that the Clean Coast Texas Collaborative can deliver significant resources to support Little Bay restoration initiatives in Aransas County and seek to engage four new communities in the Texas Coastal Zone.

Additional support includes customized local workshops for coastal communities on topics related to sustainable stormwater management, data driven community planning for resilience and a virtual tour to highlight existing green stormwater infrastructure protecting water quality up and down the Texas coast. The collaborative will also enhance efforts of the Meadows Center’s Texas Stream Team program to bring training opportunities, equity and access to citizen scientists of diverse education levels and backgrounds.

These projects will showcase how Texas coastal communities can create tangible environmental benefits that can be easily translated to other coastal communities while supporting their local economies through the restoration of coastal natural resources, improved water quality and mitigation of coastal erosion.

“Minimizing risks and maximizing resiliency is critical,” Dornak said. “With a focus on local partnerships, the Clean Coast Texas Collaborative will empower communities throughout the Texas Gulf Coast with the knowledge and resources they need to protect both their natural resources and local economies.” 

To learn more about the Clean Coast Texas initiative, visit cleancoast.texas.gov. To learn more about the GLO’s CMP grant program, visit www.glo.texas.gov/coast/grant-projects/funding/index.html.