Water Quality

Priorities for Healthy Beaches and Seafood

Oyster Photo credit: Texas Parks and Wildlife Division

To help ensure healthy beaches and safe seafood in our coastal areas, the Alliance has identified four water quality priorities that will guide the partnership’s efforts: (1) reducing risk of exposure to disease-causing pathogens, (2) minimizing occurrence and effects of harmful algal blooms (HABs), (3) identifying sources of mercury in Gulf seafood, and (4) improving monitoring of Gulf water resources. These issues are far-reaching and are best addressed through regional-scale efforts such as the Alliance.

Long-term Goals

• Develop a monitoring network that identifies the sources of pathogens and their impacts
• Implement a HAB tracking and forecasting system that supports the reduction or elimination of blooms and can be used to minimize the negative effects
• Reduce the risk of mercury-induced health effects from Gulf seafood consumption
• Develop a monitoring network that provides vital information about the status and trends of Gulf water quality

ACTIONS

Water Quality 1: Pathogens

Action: Improve the understanding of waterborne, disease-causing microorganisms (pathogens), including their sources and survival so that coastal managers can make informed decisions that benefit public health and coastal economies.

Expected Results:

• Revised microbial contamination indicators lead to increased beach protection from pathogens.
• Improved data is accessible for time-critical decision making (e.g., issuance of public beach advisories).
• State health departments are active, collaborating partners of the Alliance.

Water Quality 2: Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)

Action: Reduce the effects of HABs by improving our ability to detect, track, forecast, and mitigate HAB movement and their effects along the Gulf Coast.

Expected Results:

• Citizens have enhanced knowledge about human health and ecosystem impacts from HABs, including the significance of ballast water introductions of new species.
• Coordinated operational systems regularly detect, track, and forecast HAB movements through the Gulf.
• Methods and training that help prevent, control, and mitigate HABs are improved.

Water Quality 3: Mercury in Seafood

Action: Identify sources of mercury in Gulf fishery resources, understand its presence in the Gulf food web, and develop the ability to reduce the human health risk of exposure.

Expected Results:

• Health risks are reduced by determining primary sources, predicting effects, and communicating information early concerning Gulf Seafood consumption to public health advisory groups.
• Gulf citizens have an increased awareness and understanding of the mechanism by which mercury enters the food chain and accumulates in fish.

Water Quality 3: Monitoring

Action: Obtain and provide vital information about the conditions of Gulf waters to support better management decisions regarding coastal fisheries, recreation, tourism, public health, and infrastructure planning.

Expected Results:

• Data collected from around the Gulf is of known and comparable quality.
• Increased public awareness and cost savings to monitoring programs are the results of access to and use of existing water quality information.
• Collaboration and cooperation among agencies and organizations performing water quality monitoring are increased.
• New data dissemination tools are developed to access and interpret water quality data and models.

Highlights of Governors’ Action Plan Accomplishments

Mustang Island Photo credit: Texas Parks and Wildlife Division