This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Galveston Bay Report Card. The 2024 Galveston Bay Report Card is based on data collected in 2023 and includes data from state and federal agencies, as well as data collected by volunteers!
It has been an honor and a privilege to report on Galveston Bay for all of you for the last 10 years!
The Galveston Bay Report Card team of HARC and Galveston Bay Foundation continue to reach out to communities who live and work near the Bay and who are most impacted by its health to discuss their observations and concerns about Galveston Bay. We are continuing to work with communities, including Vietnamese-speaking communities on both sides of the Bay. The more input we have from people who live, work, and play on the Bay, the more useful the Galveston Bay Report Card will be. Currently the Galveston Bay Report Card, which is available at galvbaygrade.org, is in both English and Spanish, with materials also available in Vietnamese.
Once again, nearly all watersheds around the Bay have grades for water quality and recreation safety. This is an improvement over previous years, when scarce data led to many watersheds receiving an “I” for insufficient data. Water sampling remains a priority and people can volunteer to be trained to collect water samples “here.”
Some watersheds received lower grades, especially Barker Reservoir, which received a “C” for nitrogen and an “F” for phosphorus. The “C” grade means what we are doing now, is adequate for now, under current conditions and the “F” means this could very likely negatively impact our fish and wildlife in the water and we need to take action to reduce phosphorus in Barker Reservoir. These nutrients can lead to algae blooms and other problems and impact aquatic life in waterways, which then flow into the Bay. To keep excess nutrients out of our waterways, it is important to prevent over-fertilizing lawns and excess erosion as soil can carry phosphorus into waterways.
Sea Level Rise continues to increase each year, again earning an “F”. As sea level rises and weather patterns change, alternating between extremes of drought and flood, extreme heat and cold, we will witness measurable changes in the physical environment of Galveston Bay.
Between 2009 and 2023, most bird populations have been holding steady, earning birds a “C”. Roseate spoonbill, snowy egret, tri-colored heron, and laughing gull, least tern and Forester’s tern all showed a moderate population decline, earning a “D”.
Overall, shellfish and finfish categories continued to earn “Cs”. White shrimp declined from a “B” to a “C”, and finfish populations of 10 species analyzed are maintaining, while Black drum and sheepshead improved from a “C” to a “B” and Gafftopsail catfish declined from a “A” back to a “B”.
Freshwater inflows received a “B” for high inflows in the 2020-2022 time period and an “A” for low inflows. This is good news for Bay species as inflows were not extreme in either direction.
Over the past 10 years, we have seen grades go up and down. After every major change, we have seen the Bay, its watershed, and its communities recover. Our bay is resilient, just like all of you. Our actions will help keep the bay healthy and resilient for years to come.
Our bay depends on our communities to keep it healthy. The work that you do is more important than ever! Join us on February 8 at Brock Adventure Park in Houston to clean up and celebrate 10 years of the Galveston Bay Report Card. Stay tuned for our new and improved What You Can Do Tool for ideas of how to get involved. Follow @gbayfoundation and @harcresearch as well as our Galveston Bay Report Card cover stories and events https://galvbay.org/events/ for events, clean ups and opportunities to get involved.