TCEQ is the state lead agency for the
protection of groundwater quality relative to pesticides. The
Texas Department of Agriculture 
(TDA) is the state lead agency in the regulation
of pesticide use and application. The Structural Pest Control
Service (SPCS), formerly the Texas Structural Pest
Control Board, was moved to TDA Sept. 1, 2007. SPCS licenses
applicators who make pesticide applications in and around
structures.
The TCEQ Groundwater Planning and Assessment Teams pesticide
staff is responsible for various aspects of groundwater protection
from pesticides, including:
The Agricultural Chemicals
Subcommittee (ACS)
The Agricultural
Chemicals Subcommittee (ACS) is a subcommittee of the Texas Groundwater Protection
Committee (TGPC) that meets quarterly. The ACS provides
support to the TGPC in matters concerning actual and potential
pesticide and other agricultural chemical contamination of
groundwater. Participants include government agencies, agricultural
producer groups, environmental groups, the agricultural chemical
industry, and other interested parties.
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The Interagency Pesticide Database
(IPD)
The TCEQ has compiled and maintains a database, the IPD, which
contains pesticide groundwater monitoring data acquired from
various agencies and other entities from across the state. The high
cost of monitoring water quality statewide has necessitated that
groundwater data from all available sources be collected in one
centralized location. The data are primarily from noncommercial
sites and not from facilities subject to the Federal Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). For further information,
e-mail wras@tceq.state.tx.us.
IPD Map (September 2006)
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Groundwater Monitoring
for Pesticides
TCEQ staff is responsible for various monitoring activities
related to pesticides in groundwater. Before monitoring begins each
year, a groundwater monitoring plan is drafted. The following types
of monitoring are performed, as needed:
- The States groundwater is monitored for background (ambient)
presence of pesticides.
- Investigative monitoring is performed in areas surrounding
wells found to have concentrations of pesticide near or above a
benchmark level for that pesticide. The area is studied to
determine potential sources, pathways, and processes that may have
led to the contamination.
- Follow-up monitoring is carried out on previously investigated
wells where concentrations of pesticides continue at levels to
warrant ongoing monitoring for long-term trend assessment.
The data from the various pesticide groundwater monitoring
activities are compiled and maintained in the IPD.
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Public Education and Outreach
The TCEQ contributes to public education and outreach as
opportunities arise. For example:
- Presentations are given on monitoring activities, the IPD, and
data assessments at various venues such as the TCEQs annual
Environmental Trade Fair, state and national groundwater forums,
agricultural stakeholder conferences, and ACS meetings.
- Data, funding, and technical support are provided to other
agencies or research entities to prepare curricula, educational
materials, or fact sheets related to groundwater protection from
pesticides.
- Educational and outreach support is provided through
participation in the Public
Outreach and Education Subcommittee of the TGPC.
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The State Pesticide Management Plan
(PMP)
It is TCEQs policy to help ensure maintenance of the states
groundwater and surface water quality, through planning, education,
and cooperation with other state agencies and the public and
private sectors. The TCEQs Groundwater Planning and Assessment Team
provides support towards this end, including the implementation of
programs aimed at the prevention and assessment of groundwater
contamination by pesticides.
A plan entitled
Texas State Management Plan for Prevention of Pesticide
Contamination of Groundwater, has been developed which
describes the general policies and regulatory approaches the state
will use in order to protect groundwater resources from risk of
contamination by pesticides. The plan outlines a mechanism to
coordinate all responsible and participating agencies in the
implementation of specific responses for any given circumstance of
pesticide contamination of groundwater. The PMP reflects the
state's philosophy toward groundwater protection and recognizes the
importance of agricultural resources to the states economy.
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