Water Quality in Corpus Christi

Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC) will work together with the local School of Science and Technology (SST) Bayshore to collect and analyze the quality of approximately 500 drinking water samples annually. The water samples will be collected by TAMU-CC students, SST children and their families from their own homes, school, and other public water sources in the community, along the Gulf Coast in South Texas. Basic water quality analyses (e.g., temperature, pH, color, taste, total dissolved solids (TDS), turbidity, hardness, etc.) will be conducted both at SST and TAMU-CC by children and students, under the guidance of science teachers and faculty. Advanced quality analyses will be conducted at TAMU-CC to detected and quantify (if any) primary and inorganic chemical contaminants of water down to low parts per billion (ppb). These analyses will be completed in accordance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines (e.g., Method 200.7). Whenever feasible, water samples will also be screened for other hazardous contaminants such as microorganisms and organic chemicals. Water quality results will be disclosed to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the public through local community events.