The Tule Creek watershed drains areas of the City of Rockport and the Town of Fulton. The area population and impervious cover are expected to increase in the next two decades, causing an associated increase in storm water runoff. Scientists have identified polluted storm water runoff as a principle cause of declining water quality and loss of wildlife habitat within LittleBay, whichTule Creek flows into.

"The higher chlorophylla concentrations in Little Bay are of concern, and indicate that excess nutrients from Tule Creek are being rapidly taken up by phytoplankton, leading to additional phytoplankton biomass and reduced water clarity"

The Waste Water Department also operates a 2.5 MGD (Million Gallons per
Day) Waste Water Treatment Plant. The waste water treatment plant is
operated under the regulatory guidelines of the Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality and the United States Environmental Protection
Agency.

Texas Beach Watch Historical Water Quality Data

The Texas General Land Office (GLO) annually reports water quality data for Texas beaches to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The most recent report submitted contained the 2020 data. The 2021 data will be reported to EPA in January 2022.

To access historic water quality data, the EPA created the Beach Advisory and Closing Online Notification (BEACON),
an online system to meet the Agency's requirement to provide to the public a database of pollution occurrences for coastal recreation waters.

page 4 - The City of Rockport through TCEQ is permitted to discharge up to 2,500,000 gallons of wastewater to Little Bay via Tule Creek.

"We recommend that future efforts to remediate the bacterial pollution in LittleBay focus on four best-management practices (BMPs).

1. Wastewater effluent should be diverted through a larger riparian buffer that terminates into Aransas Bay.

2. A pet waste outreach program should aim to limit canine fecal waste.

3. The loitering of gulls should be addressed through policies that prohibit feeding of gulls and limit improper food waste disposal.

4. The repair and maintenance of sanitary sewer systems and septic systems should be ensured to limit episodic leaks that may contribute to spikes in human fecal pollution."

"The Tule Creek watershed occupies approximately 2,340 acres in Rockport (Live Oak Peninsula) ... The Rockport Country Club is located in the middle of the wateshed ... the entire area discharges to Little Bay." pg 8