One of the primary elements of the CRP is involvement of the public and stakeholders to assist in understanding the needs of the basins and the areas of concern. The CRP works with stakeholders to address concerns within each basin and set water quality monitoring priorities. The advisory committee has representatives from municipalities, state and federal agencies, industrial and agricultural interests as well as environmental organizations, and individual citizens. Each year, the CRP holds meetings along the Rio Grande to discuss water quality and other related issues within the basin and to get input on how to improve the program. The CRP uses input from these meetings to help develop its CRP program. The meetings also allow CRP personnel to inform the committee about special studies performed by the CRP, changes in the program policies, updates on the program, new partnerships, new laws and regulations, and concerns and impairments within the basin.

Meetings are held once a year in the upper, middle, and lower Rio Grande regions in August.

Membership Membership Guidelines specify the steering committee should include stakeholder volunteers from across the Rio Grande Basin representing the following groups:

Private citizens
Fee-payers (identified in Texas Water Code TWC 26.0135(h)
Political subdivisions (including local, regional, and state officials)
State Soil and Water Conservation Board
Other appropriate state agencies including: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas Water Development Board, Texas General Land Office, Texas Department of Health, Texas Department of Agriculture, Texas Railroad Commission and Texas Department of Transportation.
Other entities interested in water quality matters including: Texas Commission on Environmental Quality regional staff, business and industry, agriculture, environmental and other public interest groups.

Role The steering committee serves as the focus for public input and assists with:

Creation of specific achievable water quality objectives and basin priorities
Review and development of work plans and allocation of resources
Development, review and approval of major reports
Establishing monitoring priorities and developing monitoring plans
Identification of priority problem areas and development of actions to address these problems and pollutant sources

Goals The CRP Long Term Action Plan for Fiscal Years 2000-2005 established CRP goals for the steering committees to support and enhance public participation by:

Improving awareness of water quality, water resource, and pollutant source issues
Increasing opportunities for citizens to identify pressing issues and concerns, and contributing ideas to the CRP process
Expanding the public's role in water quality management issues

If you would like to become a part of the Clean Rivers Program Basin Advisory Committee, please contact Wayne Belzer at (915) 832-4703 or email at waynebelzer@ibwc.state.gov.

Texas Watch

During this past year, the USIBWC Clean Rivers Program teamed up with Texas Watch to bring their public education program to the border region. Texas Watch started their program in Laredo, Texas and also in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Texas Watch and the CRP are currently expanding this program throughout the entire Texas - Mexico border region. For more information on the Texas Watch program, visit their website at www.texaswatch.geo.txstate.edu/index.asp or contact Wayne Belzer at (915) 832-4703 or email at waynebelzer@ibwc.state.gov.

Friends of the Rio Grande

One of the goals of the USIBWC Clean Rivers Program is to promote environmental awareness through public education and outreach. TCEQ and the USIBWC CRP have teamed together to form an initiative called Friends of the Rio Grande. The goals of this initiative are to increase public outreach programs throughout the border region, implement a volunteer monitoring program in cooperation with Texas Watch, promote environmental clean ups in the basin, and to provide recognition of outstanding efforts in environmental activities to encourage greater participation in environmental awareness.

The initiative will provide support for the above activities by assisting existing outreach programs, promoting and providing assistance for community cleanup efforts, promoting and assisting the Texas Watch program, and providing and maintaining a website of Friends of the Rio Grande activities.

If you or your organization would like to participate in the Friends of the Rio Grande initiative, please contact Wayne Belzer at (915) 832-4703 or email at waynebelzer@ibwc.state.gov.

To learn more or to download an RFP visit the Friends of the Rio Grande website at www.friendsoftheriogrande.com