include studies that are prepared by the TWDB in cooperation with the Texas Parks and Wildlife 
Department to evaluate estuarine inflows and changes to bay circulation dynamics. 
Texas Water Commission 
The Texas Water Commission (TWC) is charged with maintaining and protecting the quality of 
all waters of the state, allocating state waters, and with regulating the disposal of industrial solid 
waste pursuant to the Solid Waste Disposal Act. 
The TWC also regulates activities that may alter the course of rivers or streams in Texas, and is, 
therefore, involved in reviewing activities that involve clearing, channelization or draining of 
wetland areas. 
In addition, the TWC reviews applications and issues permits for domestic and industrial sewage 
disposal systems. Provisions are contained in permits to ensure that discharge from the facilities will 
not degrade the state's water resources. The agency levies fines for permit violations or unauthorized 
discharges. 
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits issued by the U.S. Environ¬ 
mental Protection Agency to regulate disposal of waste into submerged areas must first be certified 
by the TWC. The TWC also issues permits for Industrial Solid Waste Disposal, and requires 
registration of all waste disposal sites. TWC certification is also required as part of the U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers' permit process on all dredge and fill projects in jurisdictional wetlands. 
TWC shares responsibility for regulating liquid and solid waste with the Texas Department of 
Health. 
State Department of Highways and Public Transportation 
The State Department of Highways and Public Transportation(SDHPT) has been designated as 
the local sponsor for the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW), and is charged with providing 
disposal sites for dredged materials generated by periodic waterway maintenance and construction 
activities. The state legislature allocates funds to the SDHPT for procurement of disposal sites. The 
SDHPT also chairs the Gulf Intracoastal Advisory Committee, which is composed of representatives 
of key state agencies, industry representatives and concerned citizens groups who provide input and 
recommendations regarding disposal site procurement. 
The primary role of the SDHPT is road construction and planning, administering funds for 
improvements to state highways and Texas roads that are not part of the state highway system, and 
administering mass transit and public transportation programs. Although the SDHPT is not a 
permitting agency from the natural resource standpoint, it plays a key role in the overall management 
and planning of coastal projects, due to its role as local sponsor of the GIWW, and the need to ensure 
adequate public evacuation routes during times of natural disasters such as hurricanes. The SDHPT 
also maintains and operates many bridges and ferries across the state. 
Office of the Attorney General 
The Texas Attorney General's office is the enforcement arm of the state government. Although it 
is not a regulatory agency per se, its involvement in coastal preservation and protection on behalf of 
other state agencies during litigation make it an important participant in the coastal regulation 
process. 
The Office takes an active role in protection of the public right to beach access and brings suit on 
behalf of the various state agencies as needed to enforce compliance with state laws. 
Management Successes 
Because of the number of state and federal agencies, among whom regulation and management 
activities are divided, the development of policy and management goals have tended toward specific 
agency responsibilities, rather than toward a more comprehensive management approach. This has 
hampered our ability not only to provide important data to decision-makers, because the information 
may simply not have been collected, but also we may have failed to ask the right questions. Certainly, 
basic questions have remained unanswered. 
Nonetheless, there have been management successes. Resource managers have not been sitting 
on their hands, either statewide or regionally. In many cases noticeable improvements in resource 
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