Closing Water Quality Data Gaps in a South Texas Estuary

The Baffin Bay-Upper Laguna Madre (BB-ULM) complex is a unique and productive ecosystem that supports vital habitat, economically and culturally significant fisheries, and abundant waterbird populations. However, water quality has deteriorated over the last three decades, with symptoms including persistent harmful “brown tide” algal blooms, fish kills, seagrass loss, and high fecal bacteria counts, threatening the health of the bay and recreational users. This study integrates bacterial and nutrient source tracking approaches into an existing “citizen science” water quality monitoring program to provide actionable science in support of stakeholder efforts to address the water quality degradation.