Neches River Basin

The Angelina and Neches River Basin lies in East Texas and extends from the Texas Gulf Coast near Beaumont/Port Arthur upstream to the area northwest of Tyler. The Basin includes all or part of 19 counties that are largely rural in nature. Pine forests, bottomland hardwood forests and pastures dominate the landscape. The cities of Tyler, Jacksonville, Nacogdoches, Lufkin, Beaumont, Orange, Nederland and Port Arthur constitute the urban centers. A number of bayous, creeks and segments of rivers are considered impaired for elevated levels of bacteria. These bacteria come from the many animal and human sources across the watershed. Their presence in surface water above state water quality standards indicates an increased risk to human health for those choosing to contact recreate (swimming, diving, children wading, etc.) in these waters.