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TGPC Agricultural Chemicals Subcommittee
On April 22, 2015, the Agricultural Chemicals Subcommittee was deactivated and its responsibilities and focus areas were incorporated into the Groundwater Issues Subcommittee. The information below is maintained as a historical record.
Composition of the Subcommittee
The Agricultural Chemicals Subcommittee was composed of interested agencies serving on the Committee and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. A technical advisory group of interested parties, including government agencies, producer groups, environmental groups, and the agricultural chemical industry, had served the Subcommittee by providing expertise and perspective.
Agricultural Chemicals Subcomittee Charge
A more detailed explanation of the Subcommittee’s goals was provided in its Subcommittee Charge. (Help with PDF)
Agricultural Chemicals Subcommittee and State Management Plans (SMP)
Created in 1989, the Agricultural Chemicals Subcommittee coordinated the development of state management plans (SMP) for the prevention of pesticide contamination. EPA’s proposed Pesticides and Groundwater State Management Plan Regulation would restrict the use of certain pesticides identified as probable or possible human carcinogens that can leach into groundwater. The state would be required to have a generic plan for pesticides and groundwater as well as pesticide-specific plans for certain identified pesticides. Without an approved SMP, these identified pesticides would be removed from manufacturing, sales and use in Texas. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is tasked, with the advice of the Committee, to develop management plans for pesticides that pose a potential threat to groundwater.
In 2001, TCEQ published the Texas State Management Plan for Prevention of Pesticide Contamination of Groundwater (PDF. Help with PDF). This plan describes the general policies and regulatory approaches the state will use in order to protect groundwater resources from risk of contamination by pesticides. It also provides a generic framework for developing more comprehensive pesticide-specific plans.
Task Forces of the Subcommittee
The Agricultural Chemicals Subcommittee had designated five work groups:
|
Task Force |
Responsibilities |
|
State Management Plan Task Force |
Wrote and revised generic and pesticide-specific state management plans. |
|
Education Task Force |
Developed SMP-related educational information and materials and coordinated educational outreach through public presentations, displays, applicator certification curriculum development, and brochures. |
|
Site Selection Task Force |
Developed sampling strategies and identified and delineated vulnerable geographic areas for pesticide monitoring. |
|
Data Evaluation and Interpretation Task Force |
If monitoring revealed contamination, evaluated the quality of data and interpreted the available information. Also coordinated state’s response to groundwater contamination. |
|
Best Management Practices Task Force |
Identified best management practices that can be used to prevent or curtail pesticide contamination of groundwater and developed the preventive components of the generic SMP. |
Meetings of the Agricultural Chemicals Subcommittee
The Subcommittee met quarterly. Meetings were open to the public.
For More Information
Check out TGPC’s Pesticide Page.
