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	Environmental Flows Process

Sabine & Neches Rivers/Sabine Lake Bay Area

This area is one of the two that will first be addressed by the Environmental Flows Allocation Process. The timeline below depicts the milestones of the process as they relate to this area.

Click here for a detailed map* of this area.
Click here for a print-friendly map* of the area.
* Map is preliminary. The exact geographical extent of this area is yet to be determined.

Sabine & Neches Rivers/Sabine Timeline for the Environmental Flows Allocation Process
Date	Basin/Bay	Action
09/01/07	All	Senate Bill 3 and House Bill 3 take effect, beginning the Environmental Flows Allocation Process.
Before 11/01/07	All	The Environmental Flows Advisory Group is created.
Before 11/01/07	All	The Texas Environmental Flows Science Advisory Committee is created.
By 11/01/07	All	The Environmental Flows Advisory Group defines the geographical extend of the river basins/bay system area for the purposes of developingenvironmental flow regime recommendations.
By 11/01/07	Sabine & Neches Rivers/ Sabine Lake Bay	The Environmental Flows Advisory Group appoints the Bay/Basin Stakeholder Group.
By 03/01/08	Sabine & Neches Rivers/ Sabine Lake Bay	The Bay/Basin Stakeholder Group appoints the Bay/Basin Expert Science Team.
03/01/08 - 03/01/09	Sabine & Neches Rivers/ Sabine Lake Bay	The Bay/Basin Expert Science Team uses best available science to develop its recommendations for an environmental flow regime to protect a sound ecological environment. The Team submits these recommendations to the Bay/Basin Stakeholder Group (and to the Environmental Flow Advisory Group and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality ). These recommendations are solely science-based.
03/01/09 - 10/01/09	Sabine & Neches Rivers/ Sabine Lake Bay	The Bay/Basin Stakeholder Group considers the Bay/Basin Expert Science Team�s recommended environmental flow regime, the associated policy considerations, and strategies to meet the flow recommendations. The Stakeholder Group submits its comments and recommendations to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality . These are a composite of science- and policy-based recommendations.
After 10/01/09	Sabine & Neches Rivers/ Sabine Lake Bay	The Bay/Basin Stakeholder Group, with assistance from the Bay/Basin Expert Science Team, prepares and submits a work plan to address adaptive management (periodic review of the bay/basin environmental flow analyses, regime recommendations, standards and strategies to meet those standards).
By 10/01/10	Sabine & Neches Rivers/ Sabine Lake Bay	The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality adopts the environmental flow standards for the Brazos River/Bay & Estuary Area.

Click here for a print-friendly timeline.