TCEQ Fixing Texas’ Water Quality Problem

In a bold move, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has taken on the state’s water quality problem. All of that monitoring, and all of those bothersome rules on human contact with Texas waterways make it expensive to maintain water quality standards above the minimum.

So the TCEQ proposes raising the minimum standards.

For example, in the case of the bacterium E. coli, the current minimum standard of 126 colonies per 100 ml of water is the cutoff, above which the waterway is considered polluted. At such a level, if 1000 humans go for a swim in that water, 6 of them will fall ill.

By raising the minimum by, say, 63% to 206 colonies per 100 ml of water as the TCEQ is proposing, that will translate into 8 out of 1000 humans getting sick by swimming in water that was previously considered polluted, but isn’t anymore.

Hey, that’s only two more illnesses per thousand.

I can live with that.

Especially because those two people are responsible for the State of Texas spending an extra $1 million per year. That’s right, those two people are costing the taxpayers, that’s you and me, a million dollars each and every year.

Two people. A million dollars. 500 large each.

Those two people should be ashamed of themselves.

Note to self: when in Texas, stay out of the water.