Upstream Actions Have Downstream Effects

Upstream Actions Have Downstream Effects

Water Quality Concerns and Solutions for Baffin Bay

Article by NATE SKINNER

For decades, Baffin Bay has maintained a legendary status in terms of Texas’ trophy fish-producing estuaries among the Texas coastal angling crowd. Located approximately 50 miles south of Corpus Christi, the bay plays an integral role as a key component of the renowned Laguna Madre ecosystem.

Known for its tremendous commercial and recreational fishing opportunities, Baffin Bay is often visited by Texans pursuing world-class game fish, such as spotted sea trout and red drum, as well as black drum and other inshore fish species. Over the years it has become a bucket list destination for any inshore sport fishing fanatic on the Gulf coast.

In addition to angling opportunities, Baffin’s breathtaking views provide a glimpse of what’s left of wild Texas. The South Texas terrain that lines the bay’s shorelines is undeveloped and often laden with wildlife. The area is a true paradise for any sportsman, nature lover and outdoor enthusiast.

Over the last decade, algal blooms, seagrass die-offs and fish kills have elevated concern in regard to the iconic locale’s water quality. These unfortunate occurrences have resulted from the waters within Baffin Bay becoming oversaturated with nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous causing algal overgrowth and reduced oxygen levels, a process known as eutrophication. Brown tide events have also been a regular occurrence within Baffin Bay since the 1990s, causing more reason for concern for the system’s water quality.

Longtime locals began to take notice of the negative effects these processes and events were having on Baffin Bay, as well as the recent overall deterioration of the coastal ecosystem. Many voiced that these issues and symptoms now present within the bay were unprecedented when compared to conditions seen in previous decades especially prior to the 1980s.

BAFFIN BAY VOLUNTEER WATER QUALITY STUDY

In 2013, Dr. Michael Wetz, the Chair for Coastal Ecosystem Processes at the Harte Research Institute, began conducting a water quality monitoring study on Baffin Bay. This in-depth analysis was an ongoing, working project through 2019. It included the partnering efforts of fellow researchers from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMUCC), as well as efforts from volunteers within the communities surrounding Baffin Bay.

“We knew that it was going to take a stakeholder type, team effort to overcome and fix the problems that Baffin Bay was facing,” Wetz said. “There was not a standard water quality sampling criteria that we could follow that would really help us pinpoint what the issues were. Understanding this, we decided to recruit citizens to aid our efforts.”

According to Wetz, the water quality study's goal was determining when and where the symptoms of water quality deterioration were the most severe, throughout Baffin Bay. Data from the first four years of sampling indicated that chlorophyll levels, which contribute to algal overgrowth, exceeded limits set by the state in Baffin Bay for the majority of the time.

“These high chlorophyll levels were also somewhat responsible for reduced oxygen levels in the bay,” Wetz said.

Wetz said that the study revealed unique qualities about Baffin Bay when compared to many other Gulf Coast and East Coast estuaries.

“Unlike other systems where these eutrophication or hypoxic events occur mainly in the summer, it seems that they can happen year-round in Baffin Bay,” Wetz said.

As the water quality monitoring study was conducted, it relied on a group of about 15 volunteers, including business and private property owners, recreational anglers and other parties invested in Baffin Bay's future. This group of volunteers collected samples and reported data to TAMUCC researchers.

“These volunteers played a crucial role in the study,” Wetz said. “Their efforts helped us obtain the data we needed to really figure out what was going on.”

The TAMUCC research group took over the sampling process for the water quality study in 2017, and the volunteer citizens became part of a stakeholder group that contributes to planning processes and remains invested in the overall health of Baffin Bay. Members of this Baffin Bay stakeholder group include fishermen, landowners, volunteers, concerned citizens, Texas Sea Grant College Program staff, local government and others. Their goal is to increase awareness of issues around the bay and propose solutions to these issues.

Overall, Wetz said that the Baffin Bay water quality study proved that Baffin Bay is being affected by nutrient pollution.

“Nitrogen is probably making the largest impact, as far as this nutrient pollution is concerned,” Wetz said. “The nitrogen comes into the system and drives the algal blooms. Eventually the algal blooms decay, and that triggers low oxygen conditions.”

As far as brown tide events within Baffin Bay are concerned, Wetz said that the data from the study points strongly to these occurrences being an effect of the nutrient pollution as well.

This beautiful photo of Baffin Bay’s north shore with the Kenedy Memorial Foundation Ranch in the background was taken from the front porch of a floating cabin.

Photo by David J. Sikes

Baffin Bay has a reputation as a world-class destination for anglers targeting trophy spotted sea trout. Collective efforts made by TPWD, community volunteers, stakeholder groups, government entities and many others will hopefully ensure that the estuary maintains this reputation for many decades to come.

Photo by Nate Skinner

SOURCES OF NUTRIENT POLLUTION AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

According to Wetz, there is currently a study underway that should be completed in about a year, that is focusing on pinpointing the origins of the nutrients that are being introduced into Baffin Bay.

“There was some data from a study that became available within the last year that pointed towards sewage as one of the main sources of nutrients,” Wetz said. “This data did not have a clear indication of whether the nutrients were coming from septic systems or from municipal wastewater plants.”

Wetz said that there are known issues with the wastewater plants surrounding the Baffin Bay area.

“Most of these are just not in good shape,” Wetz said. “The Nueces River Authority is currently working with these wastewater plants to bring their technology and infrastructure up to speed in order to eliminate nutrient pollution caused by their operations.”

Wetz said that agriculture also has some role in contributing to the nutrient pollution.

“We haven’t quite figured out how much agricultural practices are contributing to the pollution at this time, but ongoing studies over the next year should shed a lot of light on this subject,” Wetz said. “The land management is excellent in some areas, while it needs improvement in others.”

Wetz suggests that good land stewardship practices upstream can help mitigate the nutrient pollution in Baffin Bay. These include, but are not limited to, rotational grazing, planned grazing, protecting and preserving riparian areas, incorporating the use of native vegetation, and limiting the amount of bare soil on a property.

“When the land is managed properly, the soil should actually treat and clean the water as it flows downstream towards the bay,” Wetz said.

The Petronila Creek watershed has also proven to be a source of nutrient deposition into Baffin Bay. This was revealed by a nutrient sampling study conducted by the Nueces River Authority in partnership with the Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program.

“There is a plan in place to build a constructive wetland on some private property along the tail end of Petronila Creek, right before it enters the bay,” Wetz said. “This project would actually pull water from Petronila Creek and run it through the constructive wetland, cleaning it up and improving its quality, prior to its arrival into the bay. This project would also have a dual environmental benefit, as it would create habitat for shorebirds, waterfowl and other wildlife.”

THE BAFFIN BAY DYNAMIC

When it comes to handling the nutrient pollution that is currently taking place in Baffin Bay, the system is faced with a unique dynamic.

“The system is very poorly flushed,” Wetz said. “It lacks the freshwater inflows from a major river system, and it does not receive any direct exchange from the Gulf of Mexico through a pass. Therefore, once nutrients are deposited into the system, it is very difficult to get them out. They simply build up and cycle through the processes that cause negative impacts, over and over again.”

Quality redfish are just one of the many inshore species that attract anglers to Baffin Bay.

Photo by Nate Skinner

According to Wetz, the lack of direct, significant freshwater inflows from a major river into Baffin Bay affects the type of nutrients that the system receives.

“Baffin receives mostly organic nutrients,” Wetz said. “These types of nutrients tend to favor the enhancement of harmful algal blooms, such as those that cause brown tide events. Organic nutrients cause the growth of things that we don’t really want to see in Baffin Bay. We are currently working to figure out where exactly these organic nutrients are coming from and how we can prevent them in the future.”

Even though Baffin Bay lacks downstream flows from the watershed of a major river, it is still affected from freshwater runoff after major precipitation and flooding events. This runoff is ultimately delivering the nutrients into the estuary.

“Yes, the South Texas region does endure long, dry periods without rain,” Wetz said. “However, it seems that every year we do experience some significant precipitation events, just like we saw back in May. The runoff caused by flooding events like this, combined with the constant flow of wastewater flowing into the bay from wastewater plants, as well as the water flowing down from Petronila Creek, creates the perfect storm for the ongoing cycle of nutrient deposition into Baffin Bay that is the catalyst for the issues the system is facing.”

MOVING FORWARD

The Texas Sea Grant College Program is spearheading the Baffin Bay Early Phase Watershed Planning project which is working in part with the Baffin Bay Stakeholder Group to provide the opportunity for local members of the communities surrounding Baffin Bay to help ensure the sound future of the bay system. Project team member, Ashley Bennis, a Planning Specialist for Texas Sea Grant, said that the project's goal is to expand upon Wetz’s water quality study that was conducted from 2013-2019 and to work with the community on solving the nutrient pollution issues that are currently negatively impacting on Baffin Bay.

Anglers enjoy great catches year-round in Baffin Bay.

Photo by David J. Sikes

“We are working to educate the community about what is currently taking place within the bay system, and we are also reaching out and asking the general public what their thoughts are on both, sources of the pollution and practical solutions,” Bennis said. “The locals really do care about Baffin Bay and its future, and we want to get their input on the issues at hand.”

Texas Sea Grant Natural Resources Specialist and project team member Morgen Ayers said that through their communication with the local community and the feedback that they have received, they have identified six focus areas as concerns and potential solutions for the nutrient pollution.

“These six focus areas include: wastewater and septic mitigation, riparian and habitat restoration, fishery sustainability, general community outreach and education on watersheds and downstream flows, land use and operations, and wildlife,” Ayers said. “This information came from both in-person workshops and surveys.”

The government has also played a role in moving forward with coming up with solutions to the nutrient pollution problems in Baffin Bay. Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales sits on the Baffin Bay Stakeholder Group. She said that the federal and state government, as well as Kleberg County and other agencies, are all committed to the same goal of preserving the future of Baffin Bay.

“Never before have counties joined hands to understand their watershed issues,” Canales said. “This is historic— and it shows just how much we all care about our coastal resources.”

There is not a single source, person or entity to point the finger at when it comes to the water quality issues that Baffin Bay is currently facing. It is a hurdle that all users of the resource, both upstream and downstream, must collectively work together to overcome.

“The actions taken by people upstream do in fact have an impact on the coast,” Wetz said. “I don’t think people fully understand that sometimes.”

Wetz said that he is cautiously encouraged about the future of Baffin Bay.

“There are so many people and agencies that care about Baffin Bay, and the level of participation from both the community and our stakeholder groups has been incredible,” Wetz said.

One thing that Wetz said is important to keep in mind is that Baffin Bay is also seeing a long-term trend of increasing average water temperatures during the summertime.

“This does three things to the system,” Wetz said. “It decreases the amount of oxygen that the water is capable of holding, it increases the algae growth, and it also increases the rate of nutrient cycling within the water. That’s why we’ve definitely got to get a handle on this nutrient pollution problem now, in order to avoid a possible snowball effect that could be absolutely detrimental to the bay.”

Only time will tell the true future for Baffin Bay. No matter what, it seems that Texans are ready to do whatever is necessary to improve and protect the health and beauty of their treasured Baffin Bay.