HOUSTON – A conservation group hosted a boat tour of Buffalo Bayou Thursday in an effort to explain how the bayou system affects the health of Galveston Bay.
The Galveston Bay Foundation, a nonprofit group that advocates for the preservation of the bay, organized the tour, which coincided with an annual report card the group produces.
The Galveston Bay Report Card is a grade of the overall health of the bay. The current grade is a C. All things considered, that’s not bad, the organization explained. Click here for the full report.
VIDEO: Guided tour of Buffalo Bayou
“It was designed to raise awareness of Galveston Bay for the average person. We went out and talked to people before we created the report cared to ask them what they’d be interested potentially in learning about the health of the bay,” said Bob Stokes, president, Galveston Bay Foundation.
Hey! I'm getting a tour of #BuffaloBayou, courtesy of Galveston Bay Foundation. The tour includes a discussion on how the bayou, for instance, impacts the overall health of Galveston Bay. pic.twitter.com/jRNEiZRoZt
— Brandon Walker (@KPRC2Brandon) May 2, 2019
What do bayous have to do with Galveston Bay?
Easy. They flow into the bay. That means any and all contaminants in the water flow into the bay.
The watershed stretches farther than Houston, by the way. Water flow from Dallas also flows into Galveston Bay.
“All these bayous and tributaries flow into Galveston Bay. Buffalo Bayou flows down into the ship channel and flows out into Galveston Bay. So, what goes on in Houston really has a connection and can have an impact, either positive or negative, on the health of Galveston Bay,” Stokes said.
What are the pollutants and contaminants of concern and where are they?
Fish and crab can absorb toxic pollutants from their food or in tainted sediment or water they filter through a process called bioaccumulation. There are two primary concerns: dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs. Rainfall runoff, spill, leaks and improper disposal of industrial waste is to blame.
The toxins affect fish and crab, which, if eaten, is pass the contamination onto humans.
The Galveston Bay Foundation said most of the concern regarding toxins is in the Houston Ship Channel.
The contaminants settle into the sediment and are passed along through the natural progression of the food chain.
“So, small benthic creatures will be at the bottom and they’ll eat and then bigger animals will eat them and so forth and it goes up the food chain,” said T’Noya Thompson, director of the report card system. “Well, that could lead to bayou accumulation in the fatty tissue of the fish; so, if you’re catching those fish and you eat them, then you’re consuming those raw toxins.”
I'M ON A BOAT! Starting my news day with a tour of Buffalo Bayou with Galveston Bay Foundation. The point of the tour is to assess the bayou, as it flows into the bay. The tour focuses on the Galveston Bay Report Card, which stands at a C. WHY Houston if we're talking Galveston Bay? Well, the watershed starts in Dallas, winds down through Houston. In sum, it affects us all. Starting live with tour. MORE HERE: https://www.click2houston.com/news/what-effect-do-houstons-bayous-have-on-galveston-bay
Posted by KPRC2 Brandon Walker on Thursday, May 2, 2019
The Texas Department of State Health Services recently issued a seafood consumption advisory for the Galveston Bay system on all catfish species, due to an increased risk of health concerns. PCBs and dioxins are to blame.
What does exposure to these toxins mean?
The Galveston Bay Foundation says exposure could cause a range of illness from skin rashes to immune system and nerve disorders to liver damage and cancer. They also pose a risk of birth defects and child development, the organization warned.
Testing for such toxins isn’t conducted as often as the Galveston Bay Foundation would prefer. Still, the organization said it’s in the process of conducting a study, along with the University of Houston, to examine contamination levels.
What’s the Galveston Bay report card and what does a C grade mean?
The report card is a scientific analysis on the overall health of Galveston Bay, the organization said.
“It gives the community a great snapshot of what’s going on in all the various categories of the bay and we look at 22 indicators to measure what’s really going on each year,” Thompson said.
It’s meant to be easy to understand and give the community a sense of how healthy the bay is.
That said, a C grade isn’t bad, the organization underscored.
“We labeled the health a C, which means adequate for now, but needs attention,” Stokes said.
In sum, the bay is holding steady, it’s come a long way since Congress passed the Clean Water Act in 1972.
For instance, fish are now in the Houston Ship Channel. That wasn’t always the case.
“There was no oxygen to allow those fish to breathe and to live and there is today. So, that’s a real success story and opportunity to make more progress as we move forward,” Stokes said.
The Galveston Bay report card is issued annually. The next one is expected to be released in August.
To learn more about the report card and other efforts to improve the health of Galveston Bay, visit the Galveston Bay Foundation’s website.