The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is hosting the first in a series of public meetings to inform stakeholders of a water quality project being initiated in the Houston-Galveston area bay system. The meetings will be held:

• 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, February 27, at the Whites Park Exhibit Hall, 225 Whites Memorial Drive, Hankamer, Texas
  
  
• 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 28, at the Clear Lake Park Meeting Room, 5001 NASA Road 1, Clear Lake, Texas
  
  
• 2:00 to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, February 29, at the NOAA Galveston Laboratory Ballroom, 4700 Avenue U, Galveston, Texas
  
  

The goal of a total maximum daily load is to determine the amount (or load) of a pollutant that a body of water can receive and still support its beneficial uses. TMDLs are required for some impaired water bodies under the 1972 federal Clean Water Act. The state of Texas requires that the water quality in the bay areas be suitable for swimming, wading, fishing, a healthy aquatic ecosystem, and growing and harvesting clams, mussels, or oysters. The counties within the watershed include Brazoria, Chambers, Galveston, Harris.

Each meeting will present the same information and will give interested parties an opportunity to learn about efforts to improve water quality and develop plans specific to this watershed. The public is encouraged to participate in this process by attending whichever meeting is most convenient. More information and an overall project overview can be found at the following Web page: http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/implementation/water/tmdl/74-uppercoastoyster.html.