To keep watch over Fredville's waterways, staff from the Health and Environment Department check 18 monitoring sites along the city's creeks and streams. Every month, each site is assessed for water quality through visual observation plus field and laboratory testing of water samples. The results help staff spot and eliminate possible sources of pollution. Sampling is done in partnership with the regional river authority, and crews follow the state's surface water quality monitoring procedures so the data are reliable.
State surface water quality standards set numeric and descriptive goals for streams and lakes across Texas and define the uses each water body should be able to support. Some of the readings the city collects, such as fecal coliform bacteria and dissolved oxygen, can be measured directly against a state standard. Others, including ammonia and turbidity, are tracked over time to reveal trends. The department treats the farthest downstream sampling point on each stream as the best indicator of that stream's overall condition.
Readings from every site are analyzed statistically for trends. Part of that work looks for links between rising fecal coliform levels and the other parameters measured. Being able to predict fecal coliform could help the city understand how this pollutant threatens local water bodies.
Wet weather monitoring results for areas around Fredville are published online by the regional council of governments.
Learn more about protecting local water on the stormwater page.
Fredville is a demonstration city built by Talk to Fred. Names, numbers and details on this page are sample content.